Yearly Archives: 2013

NASA: Voyager 1 becomes first spacecraft to leave our solar system

"NASA’s Voyager 1 probe has now left the solar system and is wandering the galaxy, US scientists said Thursday. The spacecraft was launched in 1977 on a mission to explore the outer planets of our solar system and to possibly journey into the unknown depths of outer space. US space agency scientists now agree that Voyager is officially outside the protective bubble known as the heliosphere that extends at least eight billion miles beyond all the planets in our solar system, and has entered a cold, dark region known as interstellar space. Voyager’s instruments will have to shut down permanently in 2025, Science reported. NASA spends $5 million per year to operate the twin spacecraft." Continue reading →

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Cygnus cargo spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station

"Orbital’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft is now on its way to becoming the second commercial cargo vehicle to service the International Space Station. The Antares rocket carrying the Cygnus cargo spacecraft lifted off on schedule at 10:58 am EDT (1458 GMT) Wednesday and placed the Cygnus spacecraft into earth orbit. The spacecraft is carrying 700 kilograms of supplies, more than any previous commercial cargo mission to the station, Orbital’s Frank Culbertson said at a post-launch press conference (a subtle dig at SpaceX’s three Dragon flights to the station.)" Continue reading →

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SpaceShipTwo flies a little higher and a little faster

"Virgin officials and investors hailed the flight as bringing the company another step closer to commercial operations. 'We couldn’t be more delighted to have another major supersonic milestone under our belts as we move toward a 2014 start of commercial service,' said Sir Richard Branson. 'The successful completion of all major aspects of the flight mission demonstrates that we are very close to achieving one of Galactic’s key goals: commercializing access to space for the broader public,' said H.E. Khadem Al Qubaisi, chairman of Aabar Investments, a major investor in Virgin Galactic." Continue reading →

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Johns Hopkins researchers reverse Down syndrome in mice

"U.S. researchers said Wednesday they have found a way to reverse Down syndrome in newborn lab mice by injecting an experimental compound that causes the brain to grow normally. The team at Johns Hopkins University used lab mice that were genetically engineered to have extra copies of about half the genes found on human chromosome 21, leading to Down syndrome-like conditions such as smaller brains and difficulty learning to navigate a maze. 'It worked beautifully,' said lead author Roger Reeves of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 'We were able to completely normalize growth of the cerebellum through adulthood with that single injection.'" Continue reading →

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Did You Know That Viruses Are Saving Your Life Right Now?

"Phages are an excellent way to combat antibacterial resistance because they adapt to morphing bacteria, whereas antibiotics don’t. Phage therapy has been used successfully to treat acne, and even MRSA. If phages can be controlled, they may become the ultimate antibacterial weapons against the latest deadly superbugs, such as CRE.The Journal of Infection reported impressive success rates with phage therapy in humans, in the range of 80 to 95 percent. The good news is, you already have this wonderful army living in your body, right where nature put it—it’s built-in!" Continue reading →

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Scientists Take Graphene to the Next Level

"Graphene! Graphene! Miracle of miracles! Savior of technology! At least, that’s been the chatter for the last nine or so years, ever since scientists isolated the single-atom-thick carbon derivative. According to a post today in MIT Technology Review, a group of really smart people appear to have solved a major problem with using graphene in transistors by making it act like a switch. There used to be a lot of hand-wringing that we were running up against the upper limits of Moore’s Law when it came to processing power. If we’re talking about silicon, that may be true. But if this graphene stuff is legit, tomorrow’s processors will make today’s look as they were made by Fisher-Price." Continue reading →

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4-D Printing: The Solution to a $350 Billion Problem?

"Tibbits is working more than a tad bit with a Boston company called Geosyntec to develop a new paradigm in water infrastructure. Rather than use fixed-capacity water pipes, they’re experimenting with nanoscale adaptive materials built from the environment. 4-D printing with adaptive pipes to correct our water piping reminds me a lot of how human veins expand and contract to accommodate blood flow. The 4-D printing solution is similar. 'Imagine if water pipes could expand or contract to change capacity or change flow rate,' Tibbits said in a recent TED talk. 'Or maybe [they] undulate like peristaltics to move the water themselves,' he said." Continue reading →

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Richard’s $2 Billion Dollar (Severed) Hand

"Richard Van As, a South African carpenter, lost four of his fingers to a circular saw, reports The Associated Press. An artificial limb — one that could detect the muscles’ electrical impulses and move — would have cost him tens of thousands of dollars. Sadly, he was unable to afford that. Soon after, Van As teamed with an Ivan Owen from Seattle. 10,000 miles separated Van As in Johannesburg from Owen. But with the help of two 3-D printers donated by MakerBot, the two created their own “Robohand” prosthetic. They were able to cut the prototyping time from a week to just 20 minutes. And the cost? Just $500… more than a 95% discount." Continue reading →

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The Million Man Market

"Next time someone tries to gather a million people on the National Mall, let’s organize Lemonade Freedom activists, Raw Milk activists, Bitcoin enthusiasts, Silver bugs, Gold bugs and Agorist of all sorts to go to Washington DC and sell stuff to them. I’m talking about the most massive free market flash mob we’ve ever seen. Let’s feed the march. Lets sell them t-shirts, and buttons, and ice cream, and stickers, and whatever else anybody thinks will be a hot selling item. Let’s set up 10,000 new Bitcoin wallets. Let’s set up a whole guerrilla counter-economic conference, and let’s profit doing it. The political organizations will provide the customers. Let the Agorists provide everything else." Continue reading →

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Austrian Theory Explains and Exposes Booms and Bubbles

"The problem of the business cycle arises when the loan rate of interest diverges from the natural rate of interest. While this divergence could happen in a free banking system, the major divergence occurs under central bank regimes when large reductions of the interest rate are executed by injecting money into the banking system over a long period of time. A larger volume of loans is thereby made possible. The lower interest rate increases investment and consumption and reduces savings. These changes in the economy provide the conditions for a boom in the economy. If the new funds are funneled into a specific sector of the economy, a bubble could result." Continue reading →

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