Found: evidence of cosmic inflation: Proof of the big bang?
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Astronomers have found the first direct evidence of cosmic inflation, the theorized dramatic expansion of the universe that put the "bang" in the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, new research suggests.
If it holds up, the landmark discovery — which also confirms the existence of hypothesized ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves — would give researchers a much better understanding of the Big Bang and its immediate aftermath.
"If it is confirmed, then it would be the most important discovery since the discovery, I think, that the expansion of the universe is accelerating," Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, who is not a member of the study team, told Space.com, comparing the finding to a 1998 observation that opened the window on mysterious dark energy and won three researchers the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics.
A team led by John Kovac, of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is announcing the results today (March 17), unveiling two manuscripts that have not yet been submitted to peer-reviewed journals. Nature released a video describing the cosmic inflation discovery earlier
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U.S. Navy says it can now convert seawater into fuel
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/0...ter-into-fuel/
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US experts have found out how to extract carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas from seawater. Then, using a catalytic converter, they transformed them into a fuel by a gas-to-liquids process. They hope the fuel will not only be able to power ships, but also planes.
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For the first time we’ve been able to develop a technology to get CO2 and hydrogen from seawater simultaneously, that’s a big breakthrough,” she said, adding that the fuel “doesn’t look or smell very different.
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Drawbacks? Only one, it seems: researchers warn it will be at least a decade before US ships are able to produce their own fuel on board.
Once it becomes a reality and feasible for the civilian population I wonder what kind of maritime type communities might evolve (waterworld?) and how long before the salt tax is implemented?
Re: U.S. Navy says it can now convert seawater into fuel
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Originally Posted by
Godric
Sorta the reverse of a salary....get it? ;)
Powdered Alcohol Coming To The US?
"Humans have been enjoying alcohol for thousands of years in a variety of forms, but one aspect has always remained constant: it was liquid. Inventor Mark Phillips has created a product that could revolutionize what we think about cocktails and gives a whole new meaning to ‘dry martini’: powdered alcohol. The product, called Palcohol, has just gained approval from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).
http://img9.uploadhouse.com/fileuplo...02e52f85b9.jpg
To turn Palcohol into your favorite adult beverage, you just add the powdered alcohol (which comes in a package sort of like a sugar packet) to five ounces of water. It currently comes in six varieties: rum, vodka, cosmopolitan, mojito, margarita, and lemon drop. Swapping out the water for a different mixer (such as soda or juice) can personalize the drink to suit an individual’s taste preference.
Many are excited because Palcohol could be discretely brought in to places where liquor is not available or exorbitantly priced, such as sporting events, concerts, movie theaters, airplanes, cruise ships, and the like. However, it is for this precise reason that many are opposing its availability.
One of the first questions to be brought up regarding the product was if it could be snorted. The short answer is yes, but it’s a terrible idea. The Palcohol website says this about snorting: “We have seen comments about goofballs wanting to snort it. Don't do it! It is not a responsible or smart way to use the product. To take precautions against this action, we've added volume to the powder so it would take more than a half of a cup of powder to get the equivalent of one drink up your nose. You would feel a lot of pain for very little gain. Just use it the right way."
Read more and see the update at http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/...9rCrpG1DSLY.99
I am glad they made so it couldn't be abused by adding extra powder otherwise I could see all kinds of things going bad.
Re: Powdered Alcohol Coming To The US?
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Originally Posted by
Godric
....I am glad they made so it couldn't be abused by adding extra powder otherwise I could see all kinds of things going bad.
Some people are just plain crazy.
Short Story:
My very 1st full time job was in a machine shop. We made lots of different parts using 20~40 ton punch presses, multi-spindle indexing bar stock milling machines, etc...
Anyhoot, I worked in the "Deburring & Degreasing" dept. with another guy fresh out of the army, I'll call him Fred (as I don't remember names well). The shops small parts immersion/vapor degreaser used Trichloroethylene. One day Fred says he wants to get high but he doesn't have any weed. Soooo, Fred walks over to the degreaser's vapor chamber, the section of the machine that heats the trichlor to vaporize it, opens it and starts inhaling the trichlor!!!
