Smoothing Out the “Duck Curve” – Influx of Electric Vehicles Accelerates Need for Grid Planning

Charging millions of EVs won't be easy:

https://scitechdaily.com/smoothing-out-the-duck-curve-influx-of-electric-vehicles-accelerates-need-for-grid-planning/

World’s largest nuclear fusion project begins assembly in France

This promising technology has taken FAR too long to arrive:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/28/worlds-largest-nuclear-fusion-project-under-assembly-in-france

DeepMind’s Newest AI Programs Itself to Make All the Right Decisions

A.I. learning to learn:

https://singularityhub.com/2020/07/26/deepminds-newest-ai-programs-itself-to-make-all-the-right-decisions/

Groundbreaking blood test can detect cancer years before symptoms appear

Detection up to four years before being detectable by conventional means:

https://www.jpost.com/health-science/groundbreaking-blood-test-can-detect-cancer-years-before-symptoms-appear-636443

Advances in Simple Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s

https://scitechdaily.com/advances-in-simple-blood-tests-for-alzheimers/

New Material Can Generate Hydrogen From Fresh, Salt, or Polluted Water by Exposure to Sunlight

Another promising source for hydrogen for fuel:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-material-can-generate-hydrogen-from-fresh-salt-or-polluted-water-by-exposure-to-sunlight/

Offshore Wind Power Now So Cheap It Could Pay Money Back to Consumers – Pivotal to Reach Net-Zero Carbon Emissions

A nice problem to have:

https://scitechdaily.com/offshore-wind-power-now-so-cheap-it-could-pay-money-back-to-consumers-pivotal-to-reach-net-zero-carbon-emissions/

Scientists Discover “Love Hormone” Oxytocin Could Be Used to Treat Cognitive Disorders Like Alzheimer’s

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-love-hormone-oxytocin-could-be-used-to-treat-cognitive-disorders-like-alzheimers/

Scientists are one step closer to delaying aging

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/21/health/slow-aging-intl-scli-scn/index.html

Watch a 3D Printer Spit Out an Entire Two-Story House

https://futurism.com/the-byte/3d-printer-two-story-house

Researchers Invent High-Performance Hybrid Solar Energy Converter

"The team reports that the system demonstrated 85.1 percent efficiency, delivered steam at up to 248°C, and is projected to have a system levelized cost of 3 cents per kilowatt hour."

https://scitechdaily.com/researchers-invent-high-performance-hybrid-solar-energy-converter/

Battery Breakthrough to Give Flight to Electric Aircraft and Boost Long-Range Electric Cars

https://scitechdaily.com/battery-breakthrough-to-give-flight-to-electric-aircraft-and-boost-long-range-electric-cars/

Powering the Future: New Room-Temperature Liquid-Metal Battery

Another potential game changer:

https://scitechdaily.com/powering-the-future-new-room-temperature-liquid-metal-battery/

Turning Seawater Into Fuel With a Low-Cost Catalyst

There's all sorts of potential with this technology:

https://scitechdaily.com/turning-seawater-into-fuel-with-a-low-cost-catalyst/

Solar Flow Battery: Single Device Generates, Stores and Redelivers Renewable Electricity From the Sun

https://scitechdaily.com/solar-flow-battery-single-device-generates-stores-and-redelivers-renewable-electricity-from-the-sun/

Scientists Identify the Protein Responsible for the Brain Benefits of Exercise

And it may eventually come in pill form:

https://interestingengineering.com/scientists-identify-the-protein-responsible-for-the-brain-benefits-of-exercise

A new approach to Alzheimer’s based on physics and worms

https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/phase-transition-dementia

Shockingly Simple: How Farmland Could Absorb an Extra 2 Billion Tonnes of CO2 From the Atmosphere Each Year

Impressive idea:

https://scitechdaily.com/shockingly-simple-how-farmland-could-absorb-an-extra-2-billion-tonnes-of-co2-from-the-atmosphere-each-year/

Why general artificial intelligence will not be realized

As usual, I think this is an example of short-term thinking. Put A.I. in a robot body that can experience the world, and the tacit knowledge problem may not be a problem:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-0494-4

Solar-Powered Nanotubes Could Bring Water to the World

With climate change, this will be necessary:

https://news.yahoo.com/solar-powered-nanotubes-could-bring-130000471.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&soc_trk=fb

Elon Musk Brags That Tesla Is “Very Close” to Full, Level 5 Self Driving

I hope he's right:

https://futurism.com/elon-musk-tesla-close-level-5-autonomy?mc_cid=d4122d2db5&mc_eid=3fd10445cf

Tesla’s Ambitious Plan To Ditch Cobalt

"The electric car supply chain is also heavily dependent on cobalt, a pricey metal that makes electric cars so prohibitively expensive for most consumers, with the battery’s cobalt content accounting for an astonishing 40 percent of the car’s total value. Now, however, it looks like Tesla is poised to disrupt the entire EV market and supply chain with new innovation by taking on both lithium and cobalt. “As Tesla plans next-generation electric vehicle batteries, focus is turning to lithium-iron, not the lithium-ion that has been the fundamental chemical engineering science powering EVs to date."

https://news.yahoo.com/tesla-ambitious-plan-ditch-cobalt-170000683.html

Startup Launches New 3D-Printed Steaks That Are Good For The Environment

They're finally getting into perfecting the texture problem:

https://www.boredpanda.com/3d-printing-animal-free-meat/

Pulse Pressure: A Game Changer in the Fight Against Dementia

It's about the blood brain barrier breaking down:

https://scitechdaily.com/pulse-pressure-a-game-changer-in-the-fight-against-dementia/

Breakthrough Solid State Battery - 900 Wh/L Samsung

A game-changing battery:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFk-CebHWA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1C8PyBs2LHVGfcGIvrOJjPG7uu7pA7NHoX5XLd93uOhWg0cpjg_F9R1uw

Parkinson’s Disease Eliminated in Mice by One-Time Genetic Treatment that Generates New Neurons

"Just a single treatment to inhibit PTB in mice converted native astrocytes, star-shaped support cells of the brain, into neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. As a result, the mice’s Parkinson’s disease symptoms disappeared."

https://scitechdaily.com/parkinsons-disease-eliminated-in-mice-by-one-time-genetic-treatment-that-generates-new-neurons/

Cancer drug: New treatment halts tumour growth

A highly promising cure:

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53137328

Engineers Put Tens of Thousands of Artificial Brain Synapses on a Single Chip for Portable AI Devices

https://scitechdaily.com/engineers-put-tens-of-thousands-of-artificial-brain-synapses-on-a-single-chip-for-portable-ai-devices/

New Quantum Communication Technique Sends Information Using “Spooky Action at a Distance”

Quantum mechanics is weird indeed:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-quantum-communication-technique-sends-information-using-spooky-action-at-a-distance/

Kepler Space Telescope Reveals as Many as Six Billion Earth-Like Planets in Our Galaxy

That is an encouraging number:

https://scitechdaily.com/kepler-space-telescope-reveals-as-many-as-six-billion-earth-like-planets-in-our-galaxy/

First Quantum Phase “Supercurrent” Battery Ever Developed

But how effective is it? And what is its potential?

https://scitechdaily.com/first-quantum-phase-supercurrent-battery-ever-developed/

Starlink satellite Internet access

I'm REALLY looking forward to gigabit speeds and <35 ms latency!

https://www.starlink.com/

Nature-Inspired CRISPR Enzyme Discoveries Vastly Expand Genome Editing

https://scitechdaily.com/nature-inspired-crispr-enzyme-discoveries-vastly-expand-genome-editing/

Quantum Programming Breakthrough: First Intuitive Language for Quantum Computers

Another important step in the development of quantum computers:

https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-programming-breakthrough-first-intuitive-language-for-quantum-computers/

Artificial Synapse That Works With Living Cells Developed at Stanford

"Now that the researchers have successfully tested their design, they are figuring out the best paths for future research, which could include work on brain-inspired computers, brain-machine interfaces, medical devices or new research tools for neuroscience."

https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-synapse-that-works-with-living-cells-developed-at-stanford/

Neuroscientists Find Possible Anti-Aging Alzheimer’s Treatment To Repair Aging Neurons’ DNA Damage

Another promising option:

https://scitechdaily.com/neuroscientists-find-possible-anti-aging-alzheimers-treatment-to-repair-aging-neurons-dna-damage/

Scientists Discover a Prime Renewable Energy Source: Water Vapor in the Atmosphere

"The researchers, however, showed that humid air may be a source of charging surfaces to voltages of around one volt. “If a AA battery is 1.5V, there may be a practical application in the future: to develop batteries that can be charged from water vapor in the air,” Prof. Price adds."

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-a-prime-renewable-energy-source-water-vapor-in-the-atmosphere/

Carbon Nanotube Transistor Advance Paves the Way for 3D Microprocessors

"A 3D computer chip, which might combine logic and memory functions, is projected to “beat the performance of a state-of-the-art 2D chip made from silicon by orders of magnitude.”"

https://scitechdaily.com/carbon-nanotube-transistor-advance-paves-the-way-for-3d-microprocessors/

Artificial Brains Need Sleep Too – Desperate AI Researchers Discover Way to Stabilize Neuromorphic Processors

Interesting that sleep may be universal, even for advanced A.I.:

https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-brains-need-sleep-too-desperate-ai-researchers-discover-way-to-stabilize-neuromorphic-processors/

Tesla Supplier: New Battery Will Last a Shocking 1.2 Million Miles

A battery that can be used for decades would be a game changer:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-supplier-new-battery

Physicists entangle 15 trillion hot atoms

Surely this has to lead to something:

https://www.livescience.com/physicists-entangle-15-trillion-hot-atoms.html

Progressing Electronics Beyond Moore’s Law With Graphene and 2D Materials

https://scitechdaily.com/progressing-electronics-beyond-moores-law-with-graphene-and-2d-materials/

The surprise reason sleep-deprivation kills lies in the gut

Not really a high tech issue, but it's fascinating enough to post:

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/sleep-deprivation-gut

Supernumerary 3DOF Robotic Arm

It's just a matter of time when having functional extra arms will be available:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhB-XCkH5u0&feature=youtu.be

Most Cost Effective Solar Power Systems: Double-Sided Panels That Follow the Sun

"Solar power systems with double-sided (bifacial) solar panels — which collect sunlight from two sides instead of one — and single-axis tracking technology that tilts the panels so they can follow the sun are the most cost-effective to date, researchers report June 3rd in the journal Joule. They determined that this combination of technologies produces almost 35% more energy, on average, than immobile single-panel photovoltaic systems, while reducing the cost of electricity by an average of 16%"

https://scitechdaily.com/most-cost-effective-solar-power-systems-double-sided-panels-that-follow-the-sun/

Scientists Create Synthetic Red Blood Cells That Mimic Natural Ones, Plus Have New Abilities

Very cool:

"The researchers loaded the artificial cells with either hemoglobin, an anticancer drug, a toxin sensor or magnetic nanoparticles to demonstrate that they could carry cargoes. The team also showed that the new RBCs could act as decoys for a bacterial toxin. Future studies will explore the potential of the artificial cells in medical applications, such as cancer therapy and toxin biosensing, the researchers say."

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-create-synthetic-red-blood-cells-that-mimic-natural-ones-plus-have-new-abilities/

An astronomer calculated that Earth's intelligent life is probably 'rare.' Here's what that means.

Those are a lot better odds than creationists keep incorrectly spouting:

https://www.livescience.com/intelligent-life-rare-or-common-on-Earth.html

A Spreadable Interlayer Could Make Solid State Batteries More Stable and Improve Density Tenfold

Making batteries 1/10 the size would be a game changer:

https://scitechdaily.com/a-spreadable-interlayer-could-make-solid-state-batteries-more-stable-and-improve-density-tenfold/

This Bionic Eye Is Better Than a Real One, Scientists Say

So about ten years to get bionic eyes that are superior to human eyes. My dad died two decades too early:

https://futurism.com/scientists-bionic-eye-better-real-one?mc_cid=4bc1716237&mc_eid=3fd10445cf

Cheap Renewable Energy a Step Closer As Next-Generation Solar Cells Pass Strict International Tests

This could very well lead to a massive growth in solar power:

https://scitechdaily.com/cheap-renewable-energy-a-step-closer-as-next-generation-solar-cells-pass-strict-international-tests/

Secretive agency uses AI, human 'forecasters' to predict the future

Shades of the Minority Report prediction abilities:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/secretive-agency-uses-ai-human-forecasters-to-predict-future

Scientists create single-atom devices to supercharge computers

Seems we're getting to the very limits of transistors:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/scientists-create-single-atom-devices-to-supercharge-computers

Tesla's secret batteries aim to rework the math for electric cars and the grid

If true, this is huge:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-tesla-batteries-exclusive/exclusive-teslas-secret-batteries-aim-to-rework-the-math-for-electric-cars-and-the-grid-idUSKBN22Q1WC

3D brain-like tissue model links Alzheimer’s disease with herpes

This is highly encouraging for all the aging brains out there:

https://neurosciencenews.com/alzheimers-herpes-16347/

Scientists Create Jet Engine Powered by Only Electricity

This sounds like a game changer:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/jet-engine-powered-electricity

Water-Splitting “Artificial Leaf” Module a Source of Perpetual Energy

An elegant little perpetual energy-making machine:

https://scitechdaily.com/water-splitting-artificial-leaf-module-a-source-of-perpetual-energy/

'It's much cheaper to produce green hydrogen from waste than renewables'

Finally, a way to empty out landfills AND provide net zero carbon energy:

https://www.rechargenews.com/transition/its-much-cheaper-to-produce-green-hydrogen-from-waste-than-renewables/2-1-801160

These Gene-Hacked Glowing Plants Look Incredible

Cool. Replace your current houseplants with these and you won't need night lights anymore:

https://futurism.com/gene-hacked-glowing-plants

Researchers Use Salmon DNA to Develop Next-Generation High-Capacity Battery Material

Welp, this is weird but promising:

"...can improve the energy storage capacity of batteries by more than 50%"

https://scitechdaily.com/researchers-use-salmon-dna-to-develop-next-generation-high-capacity-battery-material/

New Hydrogel Can Cool Down Electronic Devices and Convert Waste Heat Into Electricity

Intriguing. I wonder if this could be used to also create an air conditioner that produces electricity as it cools?

https://scitechdaily.com/new-hydrogel-can-cool-down-electronic-devices-and-convert-waste-heat-into-electricity/

A better way to recycle plastic

Something like this is desperately needed:

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-5274b26f-90c5-4c12-b413-b38ba5045f6e.html?chunk=1&utm_term=emshare#story1

Flexible Electrolyte Sheet Breakthrough for Advanced Lithium Metal Batteries

Yet another promising new battery technology, but this is especially encouraging:

"The simplicity of this new synthesis method may mean that we will see high capacity lithium metal batteries on the market sooner than we think."

https://scitechdaily.com/flexible-electrolyte-sheet-breakthrough-for-advanced-lithium-metal-batteries/

Companies Report a Rush of Electric Vehicle Battery Advances

Game changers:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/transportation/efficiency/companies-report-rush-electric-vehicle-battery-advances

Direct Multipixel Imaging and Spectroscopy of an Exoplanet with a Solar Gravitational Lens Mission

Mind boggling to think we could view continents on planets lightyears away:

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2020_Phase_I_Phase_II/Direct_Multipixel_Imaging_and_Spectroscopy_of_an_Exoplanet/

Quantum Entanglement of Independent Particles Without Any Contact – Ever

But what are the technological implications??

https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-entanglement-of-independent-particles-without-any-contact-ever/

Revolutionary Light-Emitting Silicon – “Holy Grail” Breakthrough After 50 Years of Work

"In contrast to electrons, photons do not experience resistance. As they have no mass or charge, they will scatter less within the material they travel through, and therefore no heat is produced. The energy consumption will therefore be reduced. Moreover, by replacing electrical communication within a chip by optical communication, the speed of on-chip and chip-to-chip communication can be increased by a factor 1000."

https://scitechdaily.com/revolutionary-light-emitting-silicon-holy-grail-breakthrough-after-50-years-of-work/

Physicists Accidentally Discover A New State Of Matter That Could Change Modern Technology

https://www.iflscience.com/physics/physicists-accidentally-discover-a-new-state-of-matter-that-could-change-modern-technology/

Blood Test Accurately Detects Over 50 Types of Cancer and Where It Originated, Often Before Any Symptoms

This should save a lot of lives:

https://scitechdaily.com/blood-test-accurately-detects-over-50-types-of-cancer-and-where-it-originated-often-before-any-symptoms/

MIT Aims to Turn Wi-Fi Signals Into Usable Power With Energy-Harvesting Design

I don't know how much power one can get out of the "air," but it would be game-changing for a lot of applications:

https://scitechdaily.com/mit-aims-to-turn-wi-fi-signals-into-usable-power-with-energy-harvesting-design/

Stem Cell Technology Rejuvenates Old Human Cells by Wiping Their DNA Clean

A path to true rejuvenation?

https://scitechdaily.com/stem-cell-technology-rejuvenates-old-human-cells-by-wiping-their-dna-clean/

Did German physicists accidentally discover dark matter in 2014?

Interesting possibility:

https://www.livescience.com/hexaquarks-could-explain-dark-matter.html

Breakthrough Self-Assembly Innovation Enables Cheaper Solar Energy Production

https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrough-self-assembly-innovation-enables-cheaper-solar-energy-production/

GM begins historic shift to electric vehicles

This could be a critical shift:

https://www.axios.com/general-motors-electric-vehicles-f3f5f0ad-3c57-479a-84bb-2f3530e10d28.html

Scientists: NASA Rover Has Found Evidence of Ancient Life on Mars

Intriguing!

https://futurism.com/scientists-nasa-found-evidence-ancient-life-mars

Showing Robots How to Do Your Chores – Automated Robots That Learn Just by Watching

This is the breakthrough I've always thought is the path necessary to enable practical home robots:

https://scitechdaily.com/showing-robots-how-to-do-your-chores-automated-robots-that-learn-just-by-watching/

New Efficiency Record Set by Novel Multi-Material Solar Cells

Yet another solar power advance:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-efficiency-record-set-by-novel-multi-material-solar-cells/

New drug prevents bacteria from acquiring antibiotic resistance genes

Great news:

https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2020/03/03/New-drug-prevents-bacteria-from-acquiring-antibiotic-resistance-genes/4381583253797/

Tesla and others to deliver over 2 GWh of energy storage in California project to replace 3 gas plants

Nice:

https://electrek.co/2018/11/09/tesla-pge-giant-energy-storage-replace-gas-plants/

Rival Emerges to Lithium-Ion Batteries: New Potassium Metal Technology

One of these alternate battery options has to take off sooner or later:

https://scitechdaily.com/rival-emerges-to-lithium-ion-batteries-new-potassium-metal-technology/

10 Breakthrough Technologies 2020

https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2020/#ai-discovered-molecules

Sex robots with 'coding flaws' prone to 'sexually assaulting humans'

Is this really a problem? Why not simply make robots WEAKER than us, rather than stronger. Problem solved:

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/sex-robots-coding-flaws-prone-21603652

The Fermi Paradox

A good explanation of all the options for why we don't see any alien life (yet), a.k.a. the Fermi Paradox:

https://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html

Energy Industry Game-Changer: Using Rust and Organic Waste to Produce Hydrogen Fuel

https://scitechdaily.com/energy-industry-game-changer-using-rust-and-organic-waste-to-produce-hydrogen-fuel/

We’re not prepared for the end of Moore’s Law

Bad timing for the slowdown in Moore's Law, as we approach the supposed arrival date of mature nanotechnology (2025):

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615226/were-not-prepared-for-the-end-of-moores-law/

Hydro-Québec commercializing electrolyte patents for solid-state batteries

Another game changer?

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/hydro-quebec-commercializing-electrolyte-patents-for-solid-state-batteries/

Scientists Turn Trash Into Valuable Graphene in a Flash

This is great news: producing a valuable product quickly and cheaply out of the trash and garbage (anything with carbon in it) we throw out every day:

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-turn-trash-into-valuable-graphene-in-a-flash/

A very different, very clean energy source: thin air

Very cool discovery:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/air-gen

New Battery Tech Could Double Electric Car Driving Range

"A team of researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology have announced a new carbon-silicon material that they say could more than double the driving range of electric vehicles — and enable fast charging to more than 80 percent capacity in just five minutes."

https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-battery-tech-double-electric-car-driving-range

Artificial Intelligence Used to Supercharge Battery Development for Electric Vehicles

"Using a new machine learning method, a Stanford-led research team has slashed battery testing times – a key barrier to longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries for electric vehicles – by nearly fifteenfold."

https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-intelligence-used-to-supercharge-battery-development-for-electric-vehicles/

Artificial Intelligence Finds A Powerful New Antibiotic For The First Time

https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/artificial-intelligence-finds-a-powerful-new-antibiotic-for-the-first-time/

Seasonal Pumped Hydropower Storage Could Solve the Renewable Energy Storage Challenge

https://scitechdaily.com/seasonal-pumped-hydropower-storage-could-solve-the-renewable-energy-storage-challenge/

Video Shows Iran's Humanoid Robot Drill Through Wall, Snap Selfie

Not that we want Iran having this, but...

https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-iran-humanoid-robot-drill-wall-snap-selfie

New Rocket Design Is Powered by a Ring of Literal Explosions

Cool idea. But it seems to me the explosions could be controlled by metering out the amount of propellant dropped into each chamber between explosions:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/rocket-design-powered-by-explosions

Next-Generation Energy Storage Breakthrough: Fast-Charging, Long-Running, Flexible

Finally, capacitor storage capacity is increasing:

https://scitechdaily.com/next-generation-energy-storage-breakthrough-fast-charging-long-running-flexible/

Solar Technology Breakthrough: World Record Quantum Dot Solar Cell Efficiency

https://scitechdaily.com/solar-technology-breakthrough-world-record-quantum-dot-solar-cell-efficiency/

Activating Relativistic Effects of Intense Laser Light in Plasma for Nuclear Fusion

A little more hope for fusion:

https://scitechdaily.com/activating-relativistic-effects-of-intense-laser-light-in-plasma-for-nuclear-fusion/

New Invention Generates Electricity “Out of Thin Air” – Offers Clean Energy 24/7

Another amazing potential game-changer:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-invention-generates-electricity-out-of-thin-air-offers-clean-energy-24-7/

Innovative “Reverse Fuel Cell” Converts Waste CO2 Into Valuable Chemicals 10x Faster

A useful reason to capture carbon emissions:

https://scitechdaily.com/innovative-reverse-fuel-cell-converts-waste-co2-into-valuable-chemicals-10x-faster/

Breakthrough in Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers Could Lead to Data Rates 1,000x Fast Ethernet

https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrough-in-terahertz-quantum-cascade-lasers-could-lead-to-data-rates-1000x-fast-ethernet/

Harnessing Sunlight to Efficiently Make Fresh Drinkable Water From Seawater

This could be game-changing in many parts of the world:

https://scitechdaily.com/harnessing-sunlight-to-efficiently-make-fresh-drinkable-water-from-seawater/