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One of the more interesting twists in these last few weeks of the presidential election campaign has been the increasing support of black men for Donald Trump. The trend obviously has the Democrats worried, as evidenced by the blatant pandering of the “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” announced last week by the Kamala Harris campaign. I’m not sure that the target demographic is as stupid as Ms. Harris thinks they are, however — young black men usually have a good sense of when they’re being played.

The movement of black men towards Donald Trump really got going after he was arrested, and the famous mug shot was publicized. That’s when the #Niggas4Trump hashtag started trending, and young black vloggers began enthusing over Mr. Trump using boisterous ghetto argot.

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Modern high-speed internet uses light to quickly and reliably transmit large amounts of data through fiber-optic cables, but currently, light signals hit a bottleneck when data processing is necessary. For that, they must convert into electrical signals for processing before further transmission.

A device called an all-optical switch could instead use light to control other light signals without the need for electrical conversion, saving both time and energy in fiber-optic communication.

A University of Michigan-led research team demonstrated an ultrafast all-optical switch by pulsing circularly polarized light, which twists like a helix, through an optical cavity lined with an ultrathin semiconductor. The study was recently published in Nature Communications.

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Just in case you were wondering. I know I was.

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Just in case you were wondering. I know I was.

This ‘influencer’ has a PhD from Oxford and an MD from Harvard Medical School, if you’re keeping track.

It’s always best to swap actual knowledge of causation for previous dependency on correlation studies.

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A new treatment combining ReCET and semaglutide could eliminate the need for insulin in type 2 diabetes, with 86% of participants in a study no longer requiring insulin therapy. The treatment was safe and well-tolerated, and further trials are planned to confirm these results.

Groundbreaking research presented at UEG Week 2024 introduces a promising new treatment approach for type 2 diabetes (T2D) that has the potential to greatly reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin therapy.

This innovative approach, which combines a novel procedure known as ReCET (Re-Cellularization via Electroporation Therapy) with semaglutide, resulted in the elimination of insulin therapy for 86% of patients.

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Pretty cool. Let’s see if it has any impact.

UPDATE: Chinese scientists bring record-breaking Stirling generator to life while NASA’s patent stays on paper

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According to research, walking backwards can have surprising benefits for both your physical health and your brain, as Michael Mosley recently explored in a recent episode of the BBC podcast and Radio 4 show Just One Thing.

Retro-walking, as walking backwards is known in academic circles, has a rich history. There are reports dating back to the early 19th Century of people walking hundreds, and sometimes thousands of miles, in reverse. Many were the result of impulsive bets and others were simply attempts to claim the bragging rights to a bizarre new record.

But due to the difference in biomechanics, backwards walking can actually bring some physical benefits. It is often used in physiotherapy to relieve back pain, knee problems and arthritis. Some studies even suggest that backwards walking can positively affect cognitive abilities such as memory, reaction time and problem-solving skills.

The Register.

On Wednesday, Amazon announced plans to support the development of three new nuclear energy projects, which it says will see the construction of several new small modular reactors (SMRs).

Just as their name suggests, SMRs are miniaturized nuclear power plants designed to be mass produced in a modular fashion. Amazon touts “faster build times” and the ability to deploy them “closer to the grid” as major benefits.

While there are several startups developing SMRs, including NuScale and Sam Altman-backed Oklo, Amazon is betting big on X-energy’s SMR tech for the Washington development. The e-tailer is one of the major investors in a $500 million Series-C funding intended to accelerate the development of X-energy’s tech and will reportedly support its goal of bringing more than 5 gigawatts of SMRs online in the US by 2039.

Ars Technica.

Has your dentist ever told you that it’s recommended to get routine dental X-rays every year? My (former) dentist’s office did this year—in writing, even. And they claimed that the recommendation came from the American Dental Association.

It’s a common refrain from dentists, but it’s false. The American Dental Association does not recommend annual routine X-rays. And this is not new; it’s been that way for well over a decade.

The association’s guidelines from 2012 recommended that adults who don’t have an increased risk of dental caries (myself included) need only bitewing X-rays of the back teeth every two to three years. Even people with a higher risk of caries can go as long as 18 months between bitewings. The guidelines also note that X-rays should not be preemptively used to look for problems: “Radiographic screening for the purpose of detecting disease before clinical examination should not be performed,” the guidelines read. In other words, dentists are supposed to examine your teeth before they take any X-rays.

Which my dentist always does.

Wall Street Journal.

Startup Kairos Power plans to build small reactors to help supply electricity to the tech company’s data centers, in a first-of-its-kind deal in the U.S.

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Cutting calorie intake can lead to a leaner body — and a longer life, an effect often chalked up to the weight loss and metabolic changes caused by consuming less food. Now, one of the biggest studies1 of dietary restrictions ever conducted in laboratory animals challenges the conventional wisdom about how dietary restriction boosts longevity.

The study, involving nearly 1,000 mice fed low-calorie diets or subjected to regular bouts of fasting, found that such regimens do indeed cause weight loss and related metabolic changes. But other factors — including immune health, genetics and physiological indicators of resiliency — seem to better explain the link between cutting calories and increased lifespan.

“The metabolic changes are important,” says Gary Churchill, a mouse geneticist at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, who co-led the study. “But they don’t lead to lifespan extension.”

CNN.

Probably not the grave of Christopher Columbus. But you never know.

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A team of National Geographic mountaineers has uncovered what is believed to be the partial remains of Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, a British climber who disappeared during a 1924 expedition to summit Mount Everest.

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Six unusual earthquakes shook Mount Adams in September, but it’s too soon to speculate about a potential eruption.

I suspect that this is God telling you to stay away from the Left Coast.

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Just in case you were wondering. I know I was.

UPDATE: Columbus Was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe, Study Finds

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Most developments over the last year have come from one company, Fervo, the enhanced geothermal startup. There have been improvements and derisking in reservoir creation and drilling. The latest project in Utah, Cape Station, could grow to produce hundreds of megawatts of electricity. The company is reducing costs and solving most issues, though questions about fluid loss remain.

Last year, I wrote about closed loop systems and Eavor several times due to the start of their Germany project and signing several sales contracts. The company has been quiet about progress, so no updates there.

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In contrast to biological cell membranes, it is still a major challenge for synthetic membranes to efficiently separate ions and small molecules due to their similar sizes in the sub-nanometer range. Inspired by biological ion channels with their unique channel wall chemistry that facilitates ion sieving by ion-channel interactions, the first free-standing, ultrathin (10–17 nm) nanomembranes composed entirely of polydopamine (PDA) are reported here as ion and molecular sieves.

You may not realize it but this is huge. Eventually we want such membranes to be able to filter useful stuff from unuseful stuff, and the better we automate it the better off life will be for all of us.

Ars Technica.

A few years ago, Egyptian archaeologists discovered what they thought were the ruins of an ancient Egyptian temple dating back to the sixth century BCE. Subsequent finds at the site indicate that the structure was actually an astronomical observatory, deemed the first and largest such structure yet found, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

The L-shaped structure was found within a larger complex called the Temple of Buto (a later Greek name), known to the ancient Egyptians as Per-Wadjet and located east of Alexandria in the Nile Delta. It’s now called Tell El Fara’in (“Hill of the Pharaohs”). Buto was once a sacred site dedicated to the goddess Wadjet, believed to be the matron and protector of lower Egypt, who took on a cobra form. Buto was well-known for its temple and the oracle of Wadjet, with an annual festival held there in her honor.

There were archaeological excavations of the site in the 1960s and 1980s, revealing a palace dating back to the Second Dynasty, as well as six Greek bathhouses. An Egyptian team began fresh excavations a few years ago. In 2022, they uncovered a hall at the southwestern end of the temple, with the remains of three papyrus-shaped columns aligned on a north-south axis. They also found engraved stone fragments and a limestone painting of a bird’s head wearing a white crown within two feathers.

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If Apple can make a watch that reliably monitors blood pressure, I may have to get one.

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It can also type, so the robo-doctor can heal you and write legibly

Robot hands are commonplace, but their sense of touch is crude compared to that of a human. A design proposed by a group of scientists in the Middle Kingdom may change that.

Attention, PornHub….

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On September 28, California became the first state to ban “sell-by” dates, as Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation aimed at combating food waste. The law prohibits the use of consumer-facing sell-by dates, and also requires standardized language for date labels.

Far too many dimwitted hand-wringers were treating the dates like a Edict from God.

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Aurora Flight Sciences has released new renderings of an uncrewed fan-in-wing vertical take-off-and-landing capable demonstrator aircraft it is currently working on, as well as of a revised vision for a scaled-up cargo aircraft based on the same technology. The demonstrator is being developed under a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program centered on interest in a new high-speed, runway-independent special operations transport plane. Aurora’s unveiling of the new renders also comes amid growing interest from the U.S. Air Force in similar capabilities to support more general distributed logistics missions, especially in contested environments during future high-end conflicts.

Aurora, a subsidiary of Boeing, shared the new renders and provided more information about the work it is doing as part of DARPA’s Speed and Runway Independent Technologies (SPRINT) program earlier today. DARPA awarded new SPRINT contracts to Aurora, as well as Bell, earlier this year. SPRINT, which kicked off last year, is directly tied U.S. Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) High-Speed Vertical Takeoff and Landing (HSVTOL) project.

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The first of China’s new class of big-deck amphibious assault ships is rapidly taking shape and we can now get a much better look at the vessel’s twin-island configuration. The design choice is typically made to simplify air operations and is very likely another indicator of this class of vessels being tailored, at least in part, for going to sea with enhanced air wings that include larger types of drones.

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I may eventually have to get one of these.

SciTechDaily.

Within each cell, inside every nucleus, your survival relies on an intricate and highly complex process. Proteins are continuously wrapping and unwrapping DNA, and even the smallest error in this delicate dance can result in cancer.

A new study from the University of Chicago reveals a previously unknown part of this dance—one with significant implications for human health.

In the study, published Oct. 2 in Nature, a team of scientists led by UChicago Prof. Chuan He, in collaboration with University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Prof. Mingjiang Xu, found that RNA plays a significant role in how DNA is packaged and stored in your cells, via a gene known as TET2. This pathway also appears to explain a long-standing puzzle about why so many cancers and other disorders involve TET2-related mutations—and suggests a set of new targets for treatments.

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Abstract
Starch is a natural polymer which is commonly used as a cooking ingredient. The renewability and bio-degradability of starch has made it an interesting material for industrial applications, such as production of bioplastic. This paper introduces the application of corn starch in the production of a novel construction material, named CoRncrete. CoRncrete is formed by mixing corn starch with sand and water. The mixture appears to be self-compacting when wet. The mixture is poured in a mould and then heated in a microwave or an oven. This heating causes a gelatinisation process which results in a hardened material having compressive strength up to 26 MPa. The factors affecting the strength of hardened CoRncrete such as water content, sand aggregate size and heating procedure have been studied. The degradation and sustainability aspects of CoRncrete are elucidated and limitations in the potential application of this material are discussed.

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A new study details how a nasal spray formulated by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital may work to protect against viral and bacterial respiratory infections. Based on their preclinical studies, the researchers say the broad-spectrum nasal spray is long-lasting, safe, and, if validated in humans, could play a key role in reducing respiratory diseases and safeguarding public health against new threats.

Nature.

One woman and two men with severe autoimmune conditions have gone into remission after being treated with bioengineered and CRISPR-modified immune cells1. The three individuals from China are the first people with autoimmune disorders to be treated with engineered immune cells created from donor cells, rather than ones collected from their own bodies. This advance is the first step towards mass production of such therapies.

One of the recipients, Mr Gong, a 57-year-old man from Shanghai, has systemic sclerosis, which affects connective tissue and can result in skin stiffening and organ damage. He says that three days after receiving the therapy, he felt his skin loosen and he could start moving his fingers and opening his mouth again. Two weeks later, he returned to his office job. “I feel very good,” he says, more than a year after receiving the treatment.

Engineered immune cells, called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, have shown great promise in treating blood cancers — half a dozen products are approved in the United States — and potential for treating autoimmune conditions such as lupus and multiple sclerosis, in which rogue immune cells release autoantibodies that attack the body’s own tissue. But the therapy typically relies on a person’s own immune cells, and this personalization makes it expensive and time consuming.

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I’ll bet you didn’t know that.

CNN.

Botanists have grown a long-lost tree species from a 1,000-year-old seed found in a cave in the Judean Desert in the 1980s.

The researchers involved in the project say they believe the tree species, which is thought to be extinct today, could have been the source of a healing balm mentioned in the Bible and other ancient texts.

Unearthed during an archaeological dig in the lower Wadi el-Makkuk region north of Jerusalem, the ancient seed was determined to be in pristine condition. But the scientists conducting the new research weren’t able to identify the type of tree from the seed alone. The team, led by Dr. Sarah Sallon, a physician who founded the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center at Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, planted the seed to further investigate more than a dozen years ago.

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The mysterious Chinese submarine that apparently sunk in a shipyard earlier this year was the first of a new class featuring a hybrid nuclear/conventional propulsion system, according to a new report. The latest development in the saga of the Type 041 Zhou class submarine would seem to clear up some of the previous uncertainty about the boat as well as signal that China is working on novel solutions for its fast-growing underwater fleet.

In a recent report citing unnamed defense officials, the Washington Times notes that the Type 041 “employs both conventional and nuclear propulsion,” specifically, “a small nuclear reactor” in addition to a conventional powerplant.

When the Type 041 was first identified in Wuchang Shipyard, it was assessed as being one of the Type 039A series boats, also known in the West as the Yuan class or a variant of it. The Type 039A is the first Chinese submarine with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, which greatly increases the time that it can remain submerged and makes it harder to detect, compared with traditional conventionally powered subs.

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The USS Bulkeley and USS Cole fired “approximately a dozen interceptors against the incoming Iranian missiles,” which were captured on video streaking across the night sky above Israel.

The Cole has a history with Muslim terrorists.

Watch it. (Practical Engineering)

More than you ever wanted to know about the Foundation of Civilization.

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If, of course, that’s what you want to do.

I’ll pass.

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For decades, one of the most fundamental and vexing questions in neuroscience has been: what is the physical basis of consciousness in the brain? Most researchers favor classical models, based on classical physics, while a minority have argued that consciousness must be quantum in nature, and that its brain basis is a collective quantum vibration of “microtubule” proteins inside neurons.

New research by Wellesley College professor Mike Wiest and a group of Wellesley College undergraduate students has yielded important experimental results relevant to this debate, by examining how anesthesia affects the brain. Wiest and his research team found that when they gave rats a drug that binds to microtubules, it took the rats significantly longer to fall unconscious under an anesthetic gas. The research team’s microtubule-binding drug interfered with the anesthetic action, thus supporting the idea that the anesthetic acts on microtubules to cause unconsciousness.

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Researchers in Australia have found a whole new type of cell that fills a major hole in our understanding of how the mammal body heals.

For over a century, scientists have hypothesized that a cell like this existed – and now, an adult version has been found at last, hiding in the aorta of grown mice.

The discovery was nine years in the making. Researchers have named the cells ‘EndoMac progenitors’, and the team is now searching for similar players in the human body.

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The mysterious incident that TWZ previously reported that occurred at China’s Wuchang Shipyard in the spring of this year resulted in the sinking of the country’s latest nuclear-powered attack submarine, according to U.S. officials. The boat in question, originally identified as a conventionally powered submarine, was the first of the new Type 041 Zhou class SSNs.

Citing unnamed U.S. officials, a report in The Wall Street Journal today describes an attempt by the Chinese authorities to cover up the accident, involving a submarine “likely” carrying nuclear fuel when it sank. The boat had been undergoing its final fitting out before going to sea.

“American officials haven’t detected any indication that Chinese officials have sampled the water or nearby environment for radiation,” the article continues. “It is possible Chinese personnel were killed or injured when the sub sank, but U.S. officials say they don’t know if there were casualties.”

“Nice submarine you got there. Be a real shame if anything happened to it.”

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T cells are our first line of defense against cancer, but the battle tends to exhaust them. Now, scientists have found a way to give them extra “batteries” to keep them fighting longer, with promising early results in mice.

In a fair fight, the immune system would wipe out cancer every time – but this crafty disease doesn’t play fair. Along with its many tricks to avoid detection, tumors build microenvironments around themselves that are toxic to immune cells, draining them of energy. Sustained immune responses against a pathogen like cancer can lead to T cell exhaustion.

Finding ways to supercharge the immune system to continue the fight is the main goal of immunotherapy. Now, a team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital has demonstrated a new way to refresh T cells, by essentially replacing their batteries.

Read it. And watch the video … if you dare.

If, of course, that’s what you want to do.

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The conservative Patriots for Europe (PfE) group in the European Parliament has nominated Elon Musk for a major EU human rights prize.

The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is awarded by the EU Parliament to people who have made a significant contribution to the protection of human rights and freedom of expression.

“His commitment to free speech, transparency, and fighting against censorship aligns with the values of freedom and human rights,” the group wrote on X.

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As traditional delivery methods contribute to urban traffic congestion and pollution, cargo bikes – a staple of bike-friendly countries like Denmark and the Netherlands – are becoming a common sight in cities across Europe as a sustainable and efficient alternative to vans.
These larger, typically electric bikes with separate carriers can transport a wide range of loads, from small parcels to larger items, making them ideal for urban deliveries.
In Europe, it is estimated that up to 50 per cent of motorised trips involving the transport of goods in cities could be made by cargo bikes and bicycles, according to a recent study.

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Researchers have developed a new organic thermoelectric device that can harvest energy from ambient temperature. While thermoelectric devices have several uses today, hurdles still exist to their full utilization. By combining the unique abilities of organic materials, the team succeeded in developing a framework for thermoelectric power generation at room temperature without any temperature gradient. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

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Sharrow has redesigned the common marine propeller by replacing the usual blades with gently twisted loops that promise to eliminate efficiency-sapping tip vortices and cavitation. Put simply, less energy is wasted, leading to claimed efficiency boosts of up to 30%, not to mention smoother, quieter overall performance.

Not only has Sharrow’s 150-patent-deep design won a host of major awards from the marine and tech industries, it’s been put to the test on numerous vessels, both internally and by third-party reviewers, with some intriguing results.

The first time we took a look at Sharrow’s unique propeller design, we noted that the one big drawback seemed to be price. At about US$5,000 a pop to start, they were an estimated 10 times more than a typical propeller, a steep upfront investment that might be difficult to recoup even with a 30% efficiency boost.

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Researchers at Princeton University have developed a cement paste that is 5.6 times stronger than cement, mortar, and other conventional cement-based construction materials.

The paste features a tubular architecture inspired by the structure of human cortical bone, which forms the outer layer of the femur (thigh bone).

“Cement paste deployed with a tube-like architecture can significantly increase resistance to crack propagation and improve the ability to deform without sudden failure,” according to the researchers.

We have the technology.

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Since 5G began its rollout in 2018 or 2019, fifth-generation wireless networks have spread across the globe to cover hundreds of millions of users. But while it offers lower latency than precursor networks, 5G also requires more base stations. To avoid installing unsightly equipment on more and more shared spaces, Japanese companies are developing transparent glass antennas that allow windows to serve as base stations that can be shared by several carriers.

Because 5G networks include spectrum comprising higher frequencies than 4G, base stations for 5G networks serve a smaller coverage footprint. Which means more base stations are needed compared to 4G. Due to a lack of installation spots and the high cost of rolling out 5G networks, carriers in Japan have been sharing mobile infrastructure.

Last month the Tokyo-based communications company JTower announced the deployment of the new glass antenna, created in part by glassmaker AGC (one of the world’s largest) and the mobile carrier NTT Docomo. The first was installed on a window in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.

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Westinghouse Electric Company has reached a significant milestone in the development of the eVinci nuclear microreactor.

The powerhouse has successfully completed the Front-End Engineering and Experimenting Design (FEEED) phase, according to a press release by the U.S.-based firm.

“Westinghouse is the first reactor developer to reach this milestone in support of siting its test reactor at NRIC’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL),” read the release published on Monday

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Special fat cells called brown adipocytes help regulate body temperature by converting calorie-rich nutrients into heat. This process helps prevent excess weight gain and metabolic disorders.

An international team of researchers led by Professor Alexander Bartelt from the Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK) has deciphered a new mechanism that increases respiration and metabolic activity of brown fat cells. The researchers hope that this discovery will lead to novel approaches utilizing brown fat against metabolic diseases. Their results were recently published in The EMBO Journal.

The Register.

According to a Chinese state-sanctioned study, signals from SpaceX Starlink broadband internet satellites could be used to track US stealth fighters, such as the F-22.

They can claim that all they want but the reality is: It’s not that useful militarily, and if it were, Beijing almost certainly wouldn’t let anyone blab about it.

The research details how the academics were able to recognize the rough location of a commercial drone by observing disturbances in electromagnetic signals from Starlink satellites caused by aircraft passing through them. The system could “provide significant advantages in detecting small and stealth targets,” the team claimed.

The academics, led by professor Yi Jianxin from Wuhan University’s School of Electronic Information, launched [paywall] a commercial DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone and sent it over the coast near the Chinese city of Guangdong. The researchers chose the drone as they estimated it has the same radar signature as a modern F-22 fighter.

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Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new type of electrochemical cell that can effectively convert a bicarbonate solution—a product derived from captured carbon—into a formate solution, which is a potent source of green fuel.

It could be considered a major development in carbon capture and utilization technology.

This innovation overcomes significant challenges in reactive carbon capture (RCC) and demonstrates performance levels similar to those of traditional gas-fed methods, which are usually more energy-intensive.

Check it out.

Cognitive Biases and Principles you can use to create products people love.

Or destroy modern civilization. Your choice.