Lifeboat Foundation

Scientists propose a new way of implementing a neural network with an optical system which could make machine learning more sustainable in the future. The researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light have published their new method in Nature Physics, demonstrating a method much simpler than previous approaches.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly widespread with applications ranging from computer vision to text generation, as demonstrated by ChatGPT. However, these complex tasks require increasingly complex neural networks; some with many billion parameters. This rapid growth of neural network size has put the technologies on an unsustainable path due to their exponentially growing energy consumption and training times. For instance, it is estimated that training GPT-3 consumed more than 1,000 MWh of energy, which amounts to the daily electrical energy consumption of a small town. This trend has created a need for faster, more energy-and cost-efficient alternatives, sparking the rapidly developing field of neuromorphic computing. The aim of this field is to replace the neural networks on our digital computers with physical neural networks.

Even if we can dodge a disaster in orbit by responsibly de-orbiting derelict satellites, many scientists are concerned that the number of objects circling our planet could still do harm: When they deorbit, they could deposit a significant flux of metals that could alter the chemical makeup of Earth’s atmosphere.

“Effects on astronomy are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Barentine, who says we may be fast approaching a turning point where tragedy becomes imminent, either in space due to a collision or on the ground from falling debris. “Space policy-making moves far too slowly to effectively deal with all of this.”

“Right now, there’s not a lot to look forward to that is positive,” he added. “If the New Space Age goes badly in the end, history will not look favorably on it.”

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a rapidly growing global problem, and it’s expected to worsen with the production of new kinds of flexible electronics for robotics, wearable devices, health monitors, and other new applications, including single-use devices.

A new kind of flexible substrate material developed at MIT, the University of Utah, and Meta has the potential to enable not only the recycling of materials and components at the end of a device’s useful life, but also the scalable manufacture of more complex multilayered circuits than existing substrates provide.

The development of this new material is described in the journal RSC Applied Polymers (“Photopatternable, Degradable, and Performant Polyimide Network Substrates for E-Waste Mitigation”), in a paper by MIT Professor Thomas J. Wallin, University of Utah Professor Chen Wang, and seven others.

The higher cost of owning an electric versus a gas-powered vehicle is a sticking point for many would-be buyers of EVs. Now, the price of a key EV component is falling, raising hopes that automakers could close the gap as they grapple with waning demand.

Batteries make up about one-third to one-fourth of the cost of producing an electric vehicle, according to Goldman Sachs analysts. The firm predicts the global average cost to automakers for batteries in 2024 will average about $115 per kilowatt hours, about 23% lower than last year. Prices are expected fall another 20% in 2025.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk (TSLA) recently noted costs have come down for lithium-ion cells used in EV batteries, a big reversal from the “massive spike” during the pandemic when car manufacturers put in “giant, giant orders.”

Lithium (Li) secondary batteries, commonly used in electric vehicles, store energy by converting electrical energy to chemical energy and generating electricity to release chemical energy to electrical energy through the movement of Li-ions between a cathode and an anode. These secondary batteries mainly use nickel (Ni) cathode materials due to their high lithium-ion storage capacity. Traditional nickel-based materials have a polycrystalline morphology composed of many tiny crystals which can undergo structural degradation during charging and discharging, significantly reducing their lifespan.

One approach to addressing this issue is to produce the cathode material in a “single-crystal” form. Creating nickel-based cathode materials as single large particles, or “single crystals,” can enhance their structural and chemical stability and durability. It is known that single-crystal materials are synthesized at high temperatures and become rigid. However, the exact process of hardening during synthesis and the specific conditions under which this occurs remain unclear.

To improve the durability of nickel cathode materials for electric vehicles, the researchers focused on identifying a specific temperature, referred to as the “critical temperature,” at which high-quality single-crystal materials are synthesized. They investigated various synthesis temperatures to determine the optimal conditions for forming single crystals in synthesis of a nickel-based cathode material (N884). The team systematically observed the impact of temperature on the material’s capacity and long-term performance.

Space-based solar power, an innovative concept that involves capturing solar energy in space and transmitting it to Earth, offers limitless opportunities in system design, manufacturing and deployment. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the energy industry, addressing global clean energy demands while minimizing environmental impact.

The availability of space resources, such as asteroid mining and lunar regolith utilization, presents opportunities for companies that invest in technologies and techniques to extract and process these resources, including precious metals, water and rare minerals.

The importance of continued investment in space exploration cannot be overstated. As space technology advances, businesses must consider potential applications in their industries. Collaboration between space agencies and private companies is key to driving innovation and economic growth, offering countless opportunities for the future.

Schöfbänker made use of a telescope having a 14-inch mirror and assorted gear capable of following satellites that keeps them automatically in the center of a field of view, finessing the equipment with a bit of input and corrections, he told Space.com.

“I make these images by taking a video during the flyover and then stacking (averaging out) and sharpening the best frames,” Schöfbänker said.

The two solar panels that can be seen at the end aren’t visible on any of the computer renderings available online, Schöfbänker advised. “I am not really sure if they are solar panels or some other features like an antenna or something of that nature.”

Could we store samples of Earth’s endangered biodiversity on the Moon for long-term preservation? This is what a recent study published in BioScience hopes to address as a team of researchers led by the Smithsonian Institution proposes how the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) located at the lunar north and south poles could be ideal locations for establishing a lunar biorepository where endangered species can be cryopreserved. This study holds the potential to safeguard Earth’s biodiversity from extinction while improving future space exploration and possible terraforming of other worlds.

“Initially, a lunar biorepository would target the most at-risk species on Earth today, but our ultimate goal would be to cryopreserve most species on Earth,” said Dr. Mary Hagedorn, who is a research cryobiologist at the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and lead author of the study. “We hope that by sharing our vision, our group can find additional partners to expand the conversation, discuss threats and opportunities and conduct the necessary research and testing to make this biorepository a reality.”

The reason lunar PSRs are of interest for this proposal is due to several craters being completely devoid of sunlight from the Moon’s small axial tilt (6.7 degrees versus Earth’s 23.5 degrees). The team postulates this presents ample opportunity for storing several groups, including pollinators, threatened and endangered animals, culturally important species, and primary producers, just to name a few.

In recent years, engineers and scientists worldwide have been working on new technologies for generating electricity from renewable energy sources, including photovoltaics (PVs), wind turbines and hydro-power generators. An alternative solution for mitigating the impact of climate change could be to convert the excess or waste heat generated by industries, households and hot natural environments into electricity.

This approach, known as thermoelectric power generation, relies on the use of materials with valuable thermoelectric properties. Specifically, when these materials are exposed to particularly high temperatures on one side and colder ones on the other, electrons within them start to flow from the hot side to the cooler one, which generates electrical potential

While recent works have identified some promising thermoelectric materials, the module performance is unsatisfactory due to the challenges associated with designing and fabricating optimum module structures. This significantly limits their potential real-world integration in thermoelectric modules.