Solar power projects intended to turn solar heat into steam to generate electricity have struggled to compete amid tumbling prices for solar energy from solid-state photovoltaic (PV) panels. But the first commercial-scale implementation of an innovative solar thermal design could turn the tide. Engineered from the ground up to store some of its solar energy, the 110-megawatt plant is nearing completion in the Crescent Dunes near Tonopah, Nev. It aims to simultaneously produce the cheapest solar … Read More → "A tower of molten salt will deliver solar power after sunset"

Enthusiastic Tesla owners cheered last Wednesday when the company enabled the use of an automated driving system, called Autopilot, in its Model S all-electric sedans. The wireless update of vehicles to Version 7.0 of Tesla software—which allows properly equipped cars to steer, switch lanes, and manage speed on its own—is exactly the kind of bold move that makes many Tesla fans so excited about the company. In fact, a number of Tesla drivers immediately took to the … Read More → "Drivers push Tesla’s autopilot beyond its abilities"

The butterfly effect is a funny thing. You never know where one discovery will lead. Take the automobile: It changed the world, transforming cities and small towns. And it also led to raccoons leaving America—and, possibly, taking over Europe.

In the 1910s and 1920s, the automobile was taking off both as a practical invention and … Read More → "How the automobile (and youth culture) led to raccoons taking over Germany"

If you’re looking for art that gives you that creepy-crawly feeling, look no further than the work of Jennifer Angus. The artist has fashioned a unique design for some bright pink walls, making the space look as though it’s covered in wallpaper. It’s only when you take a closer look that you realize the patterns on the wall are made of bugs. This unusual decor currently covers the walls of a room at the& … Read More → "Artist covers walls in elaborate patterns made of real insects"

Since the beginning of the industrial age, mercury pollution has increased steadily in our environment, particularly in rivers and oceans. As a result, high-level predators in our waterways often contain very high levels of mercury, and eating fish containing this neurotoxin can lead to serious health issues. Now Australian scientists working at Flinders University have discovered a simple and efficient way to remove mercury from the environment by using a material made from recycled waste citrus peel.
… Read More → "New material created from orange peel cleans up mercury pollution"

Computers have a reputation for being able to churn through numbers with limited intuition. Now, though, an algorithm developed by researchers at MIT to find predictive patterns in unfamiliar data has performed better than two-thirds of human teams.

The researchers, from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, are trying to take some of the strain out of … Read More → "An MIT algorithm can provide better human intuition than humans"

The Western National Parks Association is using eBay to auction off the rights to name a new moth species, discovered eight years ago by Eric H. Metzler at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.

Metzler will work with the winning bidder to create a scientific, Latinized name that will live on in perpetuity. The species in question is of the Givira genus in the … Read More → "You can buy the rights to name this new moth species on eBay"

Called QRoSS, this throwable, sphere-shaped robot can move around either by rolling or walking on all fours. Mercifully, it’s not capable of firing lasers or engaging force fields…at least not yet.

This robot was developed by Takeshi Aoki, Satoshi Ito, and Yosuke Sei from the Chiba Institute of Technology in Japan. … Read More → "Spherical robot can unfurl its four legs after being tossed"

Imagine a future where you could transmit a unique feeling, a hard-to-translate thought process, or precise motor movements via a neural pattern from your brain to someone else’s brain, sharing what can’t otherwise be easily communicated. This is the goal of new research conducted at the University of Washington (UW).

In the UW experiment, published in PLOS ONE, subjects played a 20 Questions–style game through … Read More → "Scientists successfully create brain-to-brain link"

Imgur member Arduosity crafted this incredibly detailed and intricate chess set. S/he describes it as “near impossible to set up.” But it’s the ultimate option in portable chess sets. Just flip open the top, lay out the pieces, then hold very, very still.
via Neatorama

Continue reading </ … Read More → "Tiny chess set fits inside a ring"