The U.S. now hosts over 157,000 wind turbines. If each tower holds three blades, and each blade’s weight is about 65 glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP), that’s a lot of plastic. Even if each turbine lasts an estimated 30 or so years, those blades will still need to be reckoned with.Critics challenging wind power often claim that the turbine blades can’t be recycled but are often buried, potentially leeching harmful pollutants into the groundwater.Perhaps in an attempt to blunt that clai ...read more
Along with a slew of other physical impacts that running a marathon can have on the human body, a new study reveals that your body may also start eating your brain while running the 26.2-mile race. While this sounds terrifying, the effects the marathon has on the brain are reversible and it typically returns to normal levels in about two months. From this study, researchers are hoping to understand how the brain is able to repair itself so quickly and perhaps use this as a way to treat other di ...read more
Superbugs are pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that present serious threats in hospitals, exposing vulnerable patients to higher risks of infections and even death. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 2.8 million infections and 35,000 deaths annually are caused by microbe strains that have developed resistance to multiple drugs — one of the most significant global public health threats of this century.Unfortunately, hospitals, where the most vulnerable patients are concentrated, al ...read more
If you close your eyes and picture dinosaurs roaming across Earth, what do you see? Probably not the cold, misty shorelines of Scotland.Thanks to 131 footprint findings by a team at the University of Edinburgh, we can now confirm that Tyrannosaurus rex’s ancestors, and others, did indeed frequent the Scottish islands. These footprints, located at Prince Charles’s Point on the Isle of Skye, give insights into dino distribution during an important evolutionary period. Dinosaur Footprints and ...read more
Researchers have successfully created solar cells from simulated moon dust that could fuel power. The cells the scientists developed should convert sunlight into energy efficiently and withstand radiation damage, they report in the Cell Press journal Device.The technique kills two space logistics birds with one stone: it could create electricity without involving heavy payloads. Building a solar power electrical plant with existing technology would likely require multiple expensive trips to ferr ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine