We Are Awake

     “Duke engineering professor Michael Bergin (left) stands with Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar                       colleague Chinmay Ghoroi (right) next to that university’s extremely dusty solar panel array.” A new study has now quantified the solar cell energy output loss occurring around the world as a result of air pollution and dust — bringing one of the most serious limitations of solar photovoltaic reliance in the more polluted parts of the world to the forefront, and giving us a better view of what exactly is going on. Going by the new study, solar cell output in some parts of the world is cut by over 25% as a result of airborne particles (particulate air pollution) and dust. The regions that are the most affected according to the study are also some of those that have installed the most solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in recent years: India, China, and parts of the Middle East. “...

Elon Musk, the founder, and CEO of SpaceX has repeatedly been talking about settling in Mars. The best part is, he is not even joking. So, here comes the ideologies of Elon Musk. According to Musk, humans will be very much capable of colonizing Mars as soon as in 2062. Musk, mostly like Stephen Hawking, believes that the lifetime of the earth is being counted. In this mindset, all that SopaceX plans is to survive the doomsday. According to Musk, after Earth, Mars is the next possible step for mankind. So, in case we have to lose the earth, Musk believes that we should be dusted along with earth or get a home on Mars so that we can survive. The new reusability of rockets theory makes travel to Mars a “not so big deal” sort of scene. Right when the first rocket was successfully reused, the idea of traveling to Mars became a bit less costly that it was previously. But yes, it is still a bomb in the packet, but the packet size belongs to a few more people than before. With th...

Anonymous, the global hacking collective, believes that alien life exists—and that NASA is about to confirm it. The shadowy group made the claim in a 12-and-a-half-minute   video   published on an unofficial YouTube channel on Tuesday. The video centers around recent findings by the American space organization, including   the discovery   of 219 new planet candidates—10 of which present similar conditions to Earth—by NASA’s Kepler space telescope team in June, as well as comments made by a senior NASA official during a U.S. government hearing. But while Anonymous is right to point out that NASA is probably closer than ever in human history to discovering extraterrestrial life, it may be a leap to say concrete evidence for it exists. NASA has made statements recently that suggest that the discovery of aliens is a matter of when, rather than if. “Taking into account all of the different activities and missions that are specifically searching for evid...

Scientists have developed a plant that uses carbon dioxide in the air to produce renewable fuels and chemicals, an advance that could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.The unique Soletair plant, developed by Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, aims to produce 200 litres of fuels and other hydrocarbons for research purposes. The one-of-a-kind demo plant has the entire process chain, from solar power generation to hydrocarbon production, is in the same place. The demo plant comprises four separate units: a solar power plant; equipment for separating carbon dioxide and water from the air; a section that uses electrolysis to produce hydrogen; and synthesis equipment for producing a crude-oil substitute from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Pilot-scale plant units have been designed for distributed, small-scale production. Production capacity can be increased by adding more units. “The concept we are...

Stanford scientists have created a device that wirelessly transmits electricity to a movable disc. The technology could some day be used to charge moving electric vehicles and personal devices. Credit: Sid Assawaworrarit/Stanford University If electric cars could recharge while driving down a highway, it would virtually eliminate concerns about their range and lower their cost, perhaps making electricity the standard fuel for vehicles. Now Stanford University scientists have overcome a major hurdle to such a future by wirelessly transmitting   electricity   to a nearby moving object. Their results are published in the June 15 edition of   Nature . "In addition to advancing the wireless charging of vehicles and personal devices like cellphones, our new technology may untether robotics in manufacturing, which also are on the move," said Shanhui Fan, a professor of electrical engineering and senior author of the study. "We still need to significantly increase t...

Challenging someone to a duel or practicing witchcraft will no longer be considered a criminal offense in Canada, thanks to a new bill which seeks to update the country’s outdated Criminal Code. Bill C-51 will remove 20 criminal offenses, such as duelling, fraudulently practicing witchcraft, telling fortunes and publishing crime comics from Canada’s Criminal Code. Before the new updated legislation, challenging someone to a duel and accepting the said challenge could have drawn a sentence of up to two years in prison,   according   to Section 71 of the old code. Advertising a reward for the return of stolen property   “no questions asked”   will also be repealed, as would advertising drugs to restore   “sexual virility.” However, the dueling law may not be so outdated, as earlier this week, police were   called   to a north Toronto parking lot after two grannies engaged in a duel with their canes. The bill doesn’t just legalize unusua...

An 8-yearlong study, published in the Journal American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has found that regular consumption of fried potatoes is linked to an increased risk of death. French fries are obviously not the healthiest snack to binge on (deep fried potatoes plus loaded with carbohydrates), but the findings of this new study make it a bit more complicated. As shattering as it may sound, but those delicious fries that you enjoy quite often may put your life at risk.  Foods like French fries that are high in fat and refined carbohydrates are likely to be additive but weight gain is not the only health risk they pose. A team of researchers analysed the eating habits of more than 4,400 people in North America who were between the age of 45 and 79 years. They kept a track of how often the participants ate fried and unfried potatoes during the course of the study.  It was noted that 236 people died by the end of the study. Researchers revealed that participants who a...

The Guptas are Indian Origin Family ,who immigrated to South Africa in 1994 and started Sahara Computers,Since then they have come a long way in SA,mostly through Crony Capitalism,hand in glove with President Zuma and calling the shots in the Cabinet and PSU appointments. In another sign of the Guptas’ control over appointments at state-owned companies, the #GuptaLeaks show that they received Collin Matjila’s CV shortly before he was appointed acting CEO at Eskom in 2014. After Matjila was appointed, Gupta-owned TNA Media scored lucrative deals with the power utility. On March 22, 2014, Gupta associate Salim Essa circulated Matjila’s CV via mail to Gupta brother Rajesh, better known as Tony, and his nephew Srikant Singhala, son of Atul Gupta. The CV was then forwarded to an employee of the Guptas’ Sahara Computers and Duduzane Zuma – President Jacob Zuma’s son and a business partner of the Guptas. At the end of that month Matjila, who had been on the Eskom board since 2...

                                                                             Qatar Doha won't be the sole loser in an ongoing   spat between the oil-rich monarchy and seven Middle Eastern governments , warned Qatari Finance Minister Ali Shareef Al Emadi as he stressed his country's resilience to any potential economic shocks. "A lot of people think we're the only ones to lose in this... if we're going to lose a dollar, they will lose a dollar also," he said in reference to Gulf Cooperation Council nations. Speaking to   CNBC in an exclusive interview , the minister called the political rift "very unfortunate" as it inconvenienced human lives. "Families are being disrupted around these countries." Saudi Arabia ,   Bahrain , the   U.A.E.   and   Egypt ...