travisfry
- Science
World's First Osmotic Power Plant Goes Live in Norway
When it comes to harnessing the energy potential of the oceans, the Norwegians have no problem starting small. The world's first osmotic power plant opened today in Tofte, Norway, utilizing the properties of salty seawater to generate a whopping 4 kilowatts of electricity for the grid, or about enough to power a coffee maker. But the Norwegian company running the project, Statkraft, is a glass-half-full kind of company, claiming that eventually osmotic plants could draw half of Europe's electricity from the saltiness of the sea.
11.25.2009 at 10:32am - Comment by travisfry"One quick solution: implement osmotic plants near desalination facilities, which produce a briny water twice as salty as seawater as a byproduct." Desalination plants are used to produce fresh water. This power plant consumes fresh water. This is going to result in a net loss of energy. Bad idea.
- The Environment
Spying on Sea Ice
The thought of studying sea ice conjures up visions of scientists wrapped in expedition-weight parkas straddling dangerous ice cracks to take measurements. And when it comes to on-the-ground fieldwork, that image isn't far off base. But in recent years, a remote-controlled robotic plane has made work conditions a bit more tolerable for researchers who study the ice. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used to take aerial photos as early as the 1970s, but it wasn't until 2000 that they began to play a role in studying the physics of sea ice.
10.20.2008 at 06:15pm - Comment by travisfryThat 'scientist' is loaded for bear.
- Gadgets
The Google-T-Mobile-HTC Frankenphone
Straight away, let me say: I am NOT an unquestioning fan of the iPhone—I have often come close to throwing my buggy iPhone 3G out windows when it locks up and crashes. But the idea of the iPhone is so compelling; it’s hard not to judge other phones by that standard—especially when they seem to be aping the design. So how does the G1 do?
9.24.2008 at 07:35pm - Comment by travisfryAnyone else confused by the rubbing vs sliding thing?
- Science
One in Eight U.S. Biology Teachers Teaches Creationism
The results of the first national survey of teachers about evolution in their classrooms are in. Darwin would quiver in his boots to learn that in this day and age, one in eight American biology teachers teach creationism and intelligent design as a sound alternative to his theory. In fact, 13 percent of the country’s teachers think they can run an excellent biology class without even mentioning Darwin or evolution.5.23.2008 at 01:02pm - Comment by travisfryEvolution is just a theory. It has not been proven. To teach it and only it would be near sided. America's youth should be presented a range of theories and told that the answer isn't known for certain. To lie and tell them that we fully understand the process that has lead to the world today is to do them a disservice. The same uncertainty should be used as when presenting other parts of the natural world that are not fully understood (string theory, the theory of light as sometimes a wave, sometimes a particle, etc.). The people who know evolution to be 'true' would have none the Earth to be flat not long ago. That is not to say it isn't true, just that it has never been proven true.
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December 2009: Best of What's New
In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.
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