“It is very counter-intuitive to see how “bad” ideas are in fact extremely valuable: not only do they highlight why the good ideas are better, but they also sometimes show that the “good” ideas are in fact wrong. Arguing that […]
“Radiant’s Kaleidos power generator will be an encapsulated, meltdown-proof core utilizing TRI-structural ISOtropic particle (TRISO) fuel, which the Office of Nuclear Energy claims to be “the most robust nuclear fuel on Earth”.” | learn more
The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. “While there is no specific fossil evidence of LUCA, it can be studied by comparing the genomes of all modern organisms, its […]
“The US Air Force is studying the feasibility of a process developed by tech company Twelve that could allow the manufacture of a carbon-neutral aviation fuel called E-Jet anywhere on Earth using only carbon dioxide from the air, water, and […]
“When you see a retaining wall in the wild, the job of holding back soil looks effortless. But that’s usually only true because much of the wall’s structure is hidden from view. A retaining wall is essentially a dam, except […]
“After so many decades of the buildup of high-speed clutter in the form of spent rocket stages, stray bolts and paint chips, solid-rocket-motor slag, dead or dying satellites and the scattered fragments from antisatellite tests—all of which could individually damage […]
Aluminum particles stay in the atmosphere when the satellites burn up on reentry. “Wooden satellites would burn up without releasing harmful substances into the atmosphere or raining debris on the ground when they plunge back to Earth.” | learn more
I didn’t give the ancients enough credit until I read this: “But long before Magellan, it was obvious to observant sailors that the Earth is round. If you sail towards something tall, like a mountain, you will see the top […]
“Since 1950, the world has created 6.3 trillion kilograms of plastic waste — and 91 percent has never been recycled even once, according to a landmark 2017 study published in the journal Science Advances.” | learn more
From Paul Kedrosky: “It’s a big planet and so a lot of weird things that shouldn’t happen, happen all the time. As I like to remind people, on a planet with 7.5 billion people, a billion-to-one longshot potentially happens seven-ish […]