Wednesday, 8 February, 2012

Astronomers have just seen galaxies from the first billion years of the universe. They are also racing to understand dark energy, the force that’s spreading the universe apart.

The Spallation Neutron Source, a mammoth science project involving the collaboration of six national laboratories, is scheduled to be completed 2006.

Edward Teller helped invent the hydrogen bomb, then pushed missile defense. By public advocacy and secret research, he changed the 20th century.

Tornadoes kill 60 Americans each year. How do we predict tornadoes? How do we make houses safer? Where do tornadoes get their energy?

Renewable energy and the hydrogen economy get a boost from new invention.

New photovoltaic (PV) cells combine polymer and inorganic semiconductors — could be cheaper to manufacture.

Worldwide thirst for oil, Hurricane Katrina, political instability, conservation failures add up to record demand and record prices for fuel. Can inherently “safe designs” reduce the risk of meltdown? Should we support a revival of fission power?

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District announced that it would buy enough solar panels to make 10 million watts of electricity. That’s enough to power about 3,000 customers during the day, when the sun is shining, and when the utility faces its peak demand.