JB Straubel over at Tesla Motors have provided an update on the "Touch" blog about the new, enhanced Powertrain 1.5 for the Tesla Roadster. It seems that the very talented engineers working at Tesla have managed to improve the Powertrain in just about every possible way, and along the way reduced the weight and complexity of the system while improving torque and efficiency!
If you haven't seen it, the Tesla Roadster is about the coolest looking, highest-performance electric vehicle out there. The Roadster is an all-electric vehicle with the performance and styling of a top-of-the-line sports car, but it doesn't use any fuel. The car has a 0-to-60 time of under 4 seconds and , with the new powertrain, a quarter-mile time in the 12.9 second range.
Sure, the Roadster will set you back a cool hundred grand, but that's not out of line with other top-performance cars. And when their WhiteStar sedan comes out (probably in 2010 or 2011) with a price tag in the $50-65,000 range, I expect it to signal the beginning of the end for fossil-fueled vehicles, at least in the U.S.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Cold Fusion on the Comeback Trail?
Cold Fusion (in physics, not in web development) became a taboo expression nineteen years ago after Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons were unable to replicate their experiment that supposedly produced fusion in a glass jar at room temperature. And, since nobody else was able to duplicate the results, cold fusion has since become a synonym for pseudo-science. But that may be about to change.
Jon Cartwright of the physicsworld blog reports that Yoshiaki Arata, a retired physics professor at Osaka University and his partner, Yue-Chang Zhang, have demonstrated what appears to be a repeatable experiment that involves forcing deuterium into an evacuated cell containing a sample of palladium dispersed in zirconium oxide. According to Arata, the deuterium is absorbed by the sample in large enough amounts to force the deuterium nuclei to become close enough to fuse.
It's way, way too early to say whether or not these results have any validity, as (like with Fleischmann and Pons) they will need to be replicated by several other teams and the results fully understood. Additionally, the temperature of the sample only rose to about 70°C. While that is significant and notable, it is not enough to produce steam to turn a turbine, so more work would need to be done.
Also, there appears to be some debate as to whether the heating was actually caused by fusion or whether it was purely chemical. However, if deuterium is fed into the sample and helium comes out, I don't see any other process that could explain that. But more research will reveal the truth.
Jon Cartwright of the physicsworld blog reports that Yoshiaki Arata, a retired physics professor at Osaka University and his partner, Yue-Chang Zhang, have demonstrated what appears to be a repeatable experiment that involves forcing deuterium into an evacuated cell containing a sample of palladium dispersed in zirconium oxide. According to Arata, the deuterium is absorbed by the sample in large enough amounts to force the deuterium nuclei to become close enough to fuse.
It's way, way too early to say whether or not these results have any validity, as (like with Fleischmann and Pons) they will need to be replicated by several other teams and the results fully understood. Additionally, the temperature of the sample only rose to about 70°C. While that is significant and notable, it is not enough to produce steam to turn a turbine, so more work would need to be done.
Also, there appears to be some debate as to whether the heating was actually caused by fusion or whether it was purely chemical. However, if deuterium is fed into the sample and helium comes out, I don't see any other process that could explain that. But more research will reveal the truth.
Kavli Prizes Awarded
The Kavli Prizes were awarded today by the Kavli Foundation, and as promised, here are the winners:
The Kavli Prize for Astrophysics was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt, of the California Institute of Technology, US, and Donald Lynden-Bell, of Cambridge University, UK, for their work on Quasars. During the 1960s Schmidt analysed the visible light spectra of quasars and used the results to explain just how distant these extraordinarily bright galaxies are, while Lynden-Bell demonstrated how they were powered by the collapse of material into massive black holes.
The Kavli Prize for Nanoscience was awarded jointly to Louis E. Brus, of Columbia University, US, and Sumio Iijima, of Meijo University in Japan for their respective discoveries of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes. Major advances being predicted in fields as diverse as electronics, the environment, energy and biomedicine would not have been possible without Brus and Iijima’s contributions in explaining the unusual properties of particles so small that electron motion is confined to zero or one dimension.
The Kavli Prize for Neuroscience was awarded jointly to Pasko Rakic, of the Yale University School of Medicine, Thomas Jessell, of Columbia University, and Sten Grillner, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden for work that helped decipher the basic mechanisms that govern the development and functioning of the networks of cells in the brain and spinal cord.
In addition to a scroll and a medal for each recipient, the award recipients for each of the three areas will split a $1 million prize.
The Kavli Prize for Astrophysics was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt, of the California Institute of Technology, US, and Donald Lynden-Bell, of Cambridge University, UK, for their work on Quasars. During the 1960s Schmidt analysed the visible light spectra of quasars and used the results to explain just how distant these extraordinarily bright galaxies are, while Lynden-Bell demonstrated how they were powered by the collapse of material into massive black holes.
The Kavli Prize for Nanoscience was awarded jointly to Louis E. Brus, of Columbia University, US, and Sumio Iijima, of Meijo University in Japan for their respective discoveries of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes. Major advances being predicted in fields as diverse as electronics, the environment, energy and biomedicine would not have been possible without Brus and Iijima’s contributions in explaining the unusual properties of particles so small that electron motion is confined to zero or one dimension.
The Kavli Prize for Neuroscience was awarded jointly to Pasko Rakic, of the Yale University School of Medicine, Thomas Jessell, of Columbia University, and Sten Grillner, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden for work that helped decipher the basic mechanisms that govern the development and functioning of the networks of cells in the brain and spinal cord.
In addition to a scroll and a medal for each recipient, the award recipients for each of the three areas will split a $1 million prize.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Shortage of Cadavers for Research and Education
The Los Angeles Times reports that organizations that distribute cadavers for medical schools and research are suffering shortages. It seems that more people are being cremated or donating their tissues piecemeal rather than donating whole corpses for research or educational purposes.
As a result, medical schools are not receiving enough corpses for students to practice and learn on, and are having to turn students away from important classes. The next time you're in the hospital for surgery and you see your young surgeon getting ready, think about whether or not he or she has had enough practice before getting to you.
For as long as I've been writing this blog, I've encouraged people to dedicate part of their time and/or resources to help advance science and technology. If you donate your body for research or educational purposes, you can continue to contribute to advancement even after your death. Plus, it could save your loved ones from having to spend money on burial.
As a result, medical schools are not receiving enough corpses for students to practice and learn on, and are having to turn students away from important classes. The next time you're in the hospital for surgery and you see your young surgeon getting ready, think about whether or not he or she has had enough practice before getting to you.
For as long as I've been writing this blog, I've encouraged people to dedicate part of their time and/or resources to help advance science and technology. If you donate your body for research or educational purposes, you can continue to contribute to advancement even after your death. Plus, it could save your loved ones from having to spend money on burial.
Kavli Prizes to Be Awarded Tomorrow
Fred Kavli hopes to leave behind a legacy that will have a positive impact on humanity for centuries. And he's doing it the same way as Alfred Nobel. No, not by making better explosives (although Kavli did get his start developing technology for the military). Kavli is dedicating his fortune to the advancement of science through the formation of Kavli Institutes for science, and the Kavli Prizes, a set of very focused scientific prizes in the amount of $1 million for advances in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience.
The prizes are awarded by the Kavli Foundation, and the first awardings of these prizes will be announced tomorrow morning in Oslo, Norway. Kavli's goal is to promote scientific research that will benefit mankind not in a few years but in a hundred years. The funds provided by the foundation are for basic research in the three target areas, not for quick results.
Check back tomorrow for information about the Kavli Prize winners.
The prizes are awarded by the Kavli Foundation, and the first awardings of these prizes will be announced tomorrow morning in Oslo, Norway. Kavli's goal is to promote scientific research that will benefit mankind not in a few years but in a hundred years. The funds provided by the foundation are for basic research in the three target areas, not for quick results.
Check back tomorrow for information about the Kavli Prize winners.
Doctors Attempt to Re-Grow Soldier's Missing Finger
In a major new medical study of regenerative medicine, Pentagon researchers, Army doctors, and a team of researchers at several of the nation's top medical facilities are attempting to help a soldier re-grow a finger that was lost to a bomb attack in Baghdad last year, according to a top story from CNN. The procedure, which involves applying a specially formulated powder to the wounded body part, was inspired by the regenerative abilities of salamanders.
The powder—nicknamed "pixie dust" by some of the people at Brooke Army Medical Center—is made from tissue extracted from pigs, and works by forming a microscopic lattice that attracts stem cells and convinced them to grow into the tissue that used to be there. The researchers consider re-growing a finger to be the first step which, if successful, could lead to further tests to grow replacement organs for patients in need of transplant.
This is another example of technology being developed for the U.S. military that could have far-reaching implications for civilians around the world. For example, since I'm not eligible for laser eye surgery, I've been telling people I'm willing to wait about fifteen years until the doctors can just grow me new eyes. With this technology, that timetable may even be possible.
The powder—nicknamed "pixie dust" by some of the people at Brooke Army Medical Center—is made from tissue extracted from pigs, and works by forming a microscopic lattice that attracts stem cells and convinced them to grow into the tissue that used to be there. The researchers consider re-growing a finger to be the first step which, if successful, could lead to further tests to grow replacement organs for patients in need of transplant.
This is another example of technology being developed for the U.S. military that could have far-reaching implications for civilians around the world. For example, since I'm not eligible for laser eye surgery, I've been telling people I'm willing to wait about fifteen years until the doctors can just grow me new eyes. With this technology, that timetable may even be possible.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Phoenix and Mars
NASA's Phoenix probe has landed on Mars, where it will begin a three-month mission to study the northern polar region for the presence of water. Remember, though, that the Spirit and Opportunity probes also landed on three-month missions five years ago. So when NASA puts together a three-month mission, that doesn't necessarily mean it will stop in three months... it will stop whenever they're done collecting useful data.
Phil Plaitt over at Bad Astronomy has posted some of the photos that Phoenix has already sent back of the surface.
Phil Plaitt over at Bad Astronomy has posted some of the photos that Phoenix has already sent back of the surface.
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