Red_Dragon wrote:
I bet they use portable water filtration systems too, and shovels and shoes! When will this technological madness end?

When we look back on the media's breathless criticism of Elon Musk this article this article may prove to be peak hysteria.

i've seen a bit of buzz about the "super conductivity" breakthrough
just check your science news feed
obviously i'm super skeptical
but in this case i would love to be wrong

Toyota announces new battery tech
  and because I was intrigued about the implications for aviation.. here is a great paper summarizing current technologies. 
best bit:

"By comparison, state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries with an energy density of approximately 250 Wh/kg are 48 times less than jet fuels, which possess a staggering energy density of 12,000 Wh/kg <26>. However, according to Åhman <47> and, Haung and Zhang <48>, the fuel-to-wheel efficiency of an internal combustion engine averages ∼28%, while electric motors are ∼90% efficient. This reduces the ratio of batteries to aviation fuels from 1:48 to 1:15. Considering an average improvement of 600 Wh/kg battery energy density, the ratio is further reduced to 1:6.2. In addition, it has been proven through research that efficient aerodynamic designs such as distributed propulsion and boundary layer injection which are much more practical with electric aviation can reduce the overall energy consumption during flight by a factor of 3 to 5 <49>. Using the mean value of 4 reduces the ratio of batteries to aviation fuel to 1:1.5. In summary, the development approaches towards electric propulsion can be described as a three-point approach predicated on: 1. battery chemistries of minimum 600 Wh/kg, 2. advancement in electric motor design for high power applications, and 3. efficient aerodynamic design."

There is obviously a lot of blind optimism behind those figures. For instance jet turbines display 50% fuel efficiency, not the 28% cited here, but the trend is looking better than it did a couple of years ago. The new Toyota battery is expected to have an energy density of 450 Wh/kg, which is still some way off the minimum 600 Wh/kg stated above, so the more realistic alternative for zero-carbon aviation will probably remain synthetic bio-fuels for some time to come.

 DaveInSaoMiguel wrote: 
Finally a solution for my infrequent magneto-reluctance! I was afraid I'd never get a sparkle...

Musk brought internet to Brazil’s Amazon. Criminals love it.

Aluminium alloy could boost spacecraft radiation shielding 100-fold

 R_P wrote:

awesome

Why the Rotary Engine Is Perfect for Hydrogen Fuel

Google fires software engineer who claimed its AI chatbot is sentient

 Steely_D wrote:

 haresfur wrote:

such an inspiring video regarding science, especially biology/biotech

neurosurgeon turned researcher to develop tools and treatments

My Hereticon vid is live! 🌴 https://t.co/sfsWTOFkPO

— Celine Halioua (@celinehalioua) June 23, 2022

Possible meteor shower this evening.

How a cheap component could help kill off combustion cars

 thisbody wrote:

A double exposure, no doubt...