List of All Articles with Tag 'c'

The gaming sector needs to overhaul its pricing philosophy, according to Strauss Zelnick.

Fortnite fans should snag these deals before they disappear!

Whilst repairing external parts of the International Space Station (ISS) last week, astronauts dropped a toolbag. And it turns out you just need a pair of binoculars to see it. The bag is tiny compared to the ISS, but it's reflective enough that when it catches the Sun's light it reaches 6th magnitude from Earth according to Earthsky. Under very dark skies, some powerful binoculars or a small telescope might allow you to see the toolbag. The bag is moving at almost exactly the same speed as the ISS on the same path and about a minute ahead of it. Over time, however, its distance from the ISS will grow, making it harder to find. Eventually, its orbit will become low enough that it burns up from friction with the outer atmosphere. You can find out if you have the ISS passing overhead here if you want to have a chance of seeing the bag. The ISS can only be seen easily when it's dark on the ground and sunlight is still catching it. It means it's usually best seen when the skies are not fully dark - so around dusk or dawn. Here is what the toolbag looks like from space: Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

The first ever commercial-scale carbon capture facility has begun operations in the US, marking a significant milestone towards meeting cleaner climate targets. San Francisco-based startup Heirloom Carbon Technologies opened the carbon removal plant in Tracy, California, on Thursday, claiming it will be able to capture 1,000 metric tons per year of CO2. The renewable energy-powered plant leverages the natural power of limestone to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. “Rocks are some of the planet’s most vital carbon sinks. Over geological timescales, CO2 from the atmosphere binds to minerals and permanently turns to rock - a process known as carbon mineralisation,” Heirloom notes on its website. “Limestone is one of the most abundant rocks on the planet, capturing massive amounts of CO2 from the air over years, Heirloom’s technology accelerates this natural process to just days.” The process works by placing hundreds of trays of calcium oxide powder onto 12-metre-tall racks, which turns into limestone as it comes into contact with CO2 from the atmosphere. Workers then heat up the limestone, which releases the carbon dioxide and turns it back into calcium oxide that can be reused to capture more CO2. The atmospheric CO2 that is captured through the facility is permanently sequestered in concrete through a partnership between Heirloom and CarbonCure Technologies. Heirloom aims to remove 1 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2035 using its Direct Air Capture technology, with funding coming from companies buying carbon removal credits in order to offset their own emissions. It is not the first company to achieve direct carbon capture from the atmosphere, but Heirloom claims to be the first in the US. Switzerland-based startup Climeworks AG has commercial facilities in Switzerland and Iceland, which are capable of removing 4,000 metric tons of CO2 each year. Carbon capture technologies have faced criticism for the large amounts of energy and resources they require to operate, though some scientists claim they will be a vital part of keeping global net emissions below zero by 2050. In response to criticism from green groups in 2021 claiming that such projects are a costly distraction, Professor Stuart Haszeldine from Edinburgh University said: “Carbon capture and storage is going to be the only effective way we have in the short term to prevent our steel industry, cement manufacture and many other processes from continuing to pour emissions into the atmosphere. “If we are to have any hope of keeping global temperature [increases] down below 2C then we desperately need to develop ways to capture and store carbon dioxide.” The US government announced in August that it would fund a $1.2 billion effort to develop and deploy carbon capture technologies, with Heirloom among the recipients. Major companies, including Microsoft, have already signed deals to purchase carbon removal credits from Heirloom. Read More Breakthrough solar system outperforms military-grade diesel generator Breakthrough solar system outperforms military-grade diesel generator Solar panel world record smashed with ‘miracle material’ Google issues three-week warning to Gmail account holders

In Dubai, it’s normal to leave your air conditioning running at all times, even if you go away

The European Union vowed “substantial” contributions to a fund aimed at helping vulnerable countries cope with severe weather,

A recent study has found that eating strawberries daily could reduce the risk of developing dementia. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati claim that by eating the fruit every day, certain people of middle age could reduce their risk of dementia. The 12-week study published in Nutrients had 30 overweight patients - who had complained of mild cognitive impairment - abstain from eating berries, aside from a daily packet of supplement powder mixed with water and consumed with breakfast. Half of the participants, who were 50 to 65 years old, received a powder that contained the equivalent of one cup of whole strawberries (the standard serving size), whilst the other half received a placebo. Participants' long-term memory, mood, and metabolic health were measured by researchers. The team found that those who had taken the strawberry powder had performed better on a wordlist learning test, as well as having a significant reduction in depressive symptoms. "Both strawberries and blueberries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins, which have been implicated in a variety of berry health benefits such as metabolic and cognitive enhancements," said Robert Krikorian, professor emeritus in the UC College of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience. "There is epidemiological data suggesting that people who consume strawberries or blueberries regularly have a slower rate of cognitive decline with ageing." Ellagitannins and ellagic acid are also found in strawberries, which are known to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. Krikorian went on to explain that strawberries may have improved cognitive function by reducing inflammation in the brain. "Executive abilities begin to decline in midlife and excess abdominal fat, as in insulin resistance and obesity, will tend to increase inflammation, including in the brain," he explained. The university did, however, acknowledge that Krikorian's research was partly funded by the California Strawberry Commission. Although said that the group had no role in the design of the study, data collection and analysis, or publication of the results. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

In March 2022, the world decided it was time to address the growing scourge of plastic pollution. About

Financial firms may be excluded from Europe’s most consequential ESG regulation, as the industry looks set to win

(Reuters) -Google-parent Alphabet said on Monday it had dissolved its stake in trading app operator Robinhood Markets. The disclosure comes

Solar panels combined with next-generation batteries now outperform military-grade diesel generators, according to new analysis. Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that the novel clean energy solution was both cheaper and more reliable than its fossil fuel-powered counterpart. Tests of the two systems were carried out in accordance with the US Department of Defense’s requirements to sustain critical electric loads during a power outage over a 14-day period. The solar systems proved to have a higher resilience and lower cost compared to the diesel-based systems that are currently used, while also being less vulnerable to interruptions in the diesel supply. The researchers also highlighted the net present value (NPV) of the solar storage system, meaning it pays for itself in the long term. “The diesel-fuel-free LDES system outperforms the traditional diesel-based system and provides a large net saving that can be used to pursue third-party financing,” the researchers noted. “The continued rapid decline in photovoltaic (PV) costs allows for utility-scale PV to be economically attractive at many locations. These declines are expected to continue, which will further increase the positive NPV in the future.” The tests were performed on three separate military bases, using an innovative carbon-based battery rather than the more expensive lithium-ion batteries that are typically found in such renewable energy storage systems. The batteries tested in the experiments were Antora Energy’s battery energy storage system (BESS), which the researchers warned were not yet ready for full-scale deployment. The results of the study, however, mean decision makers are already anticipating their roll out. Michael McGhee, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, described the new system as “the most likely way to easily and simply generate power without the need for off-base supply chains”. The results of the research were published in a study, titled ‘Long-duration energy storage: resiliency for military installations’. Read More Solar panel advances will see millions go off grid, scientists predict

A startup backed and incubated by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures has engineered a hybrid technology that combines