435566
submission
lashane writes
"Scientists design a self-sustaining lunar habitat that would make Al Gore proud. Equipped with everything from gardens to studio apartments, Luna Gaia, a habitat designed by an international team of scientists, engineers and graduate students, provides up to a dozen astronauts with fresh vegetables, fish, spacious rooms and clean drinking water (albeit recycled from their own urine). In the past year, the team has presented the plan to several space programs, including NASA, which may incorporate ideas from Luna Gaia into its own lunar outpost, planned for sometime after 2020. "It's a really good stepping- stone toward designing an outpost on the moon," says William Marshall, a physicist at NASA's Ames Research Center.
The article includes an interactive infographic of the base."Link to Original Source
422229
submission
morningthunder writes
"PopSci asked Internet-famous folks like Kevin Rose, Amanda Congdon and Fake Steve Jobs to name the tech toys they want this holiday season. Their picks ranged from insightful to insane to doesn't-even-exist-yet. Kindles topped multiple lists, but it's the dream gadgets, which ranged from plasma laser cutters to world-peace machines, that make for the real read."Link to Original Source
422223
submission
loralai writes
"Recent breakthroughs in scramjet engines could mean two-hour flights from New York to Tokyo. They could also mean missiles capable of striking any continent in a moment's notice. No wonder the race to develop them is as fierce as ever"Link to Original Source
400285
submission
loramore writes
"Russia tests the "father of all bombs" — the world's largest-ever non-nuke — but technical hurdles could defuse its lethal power. The eight-ton fuel-air explosive is purportedly four times as powerful as America's Massive-Ordnance Air Blast, the previous record holder. Unlike conventional bombs, the weapons generate sustained shock waves that can propagate outward up to 990 feet, inflicting damage far beyond the central area of impact. Nevertheless, military experts are more concerned over whether the Russians have managed to make it reliable. The article includes a video and an interactive animation that follows the bomb's path through impact and detonation."Link to Original Source
389719
submission
instupor writes
"Just in time for the holiday, PopSci runs through the food science behind moist turkey, perfect potatoes and flaky pie crust. Besides the actual "why," the article explains how to apply the scientific principals in your own kitchen."Link to Original Source
384855
submission
BlaineZilla writes
"Popular Science has an article about a new invention that extracts oil and gas from just about everything you place in it. Add an old tire, hit it with a few microwaves and couple seconds you have oil. It sounds too good to be true, but if it is I think this guy might make a couple bucks."Link to Original Source
256283
submission
instupor writes
"Popular Science reports on a growing number of former pro football players turning up with irreversible brain damage—the sort previously only seen in elderly dementia patients. These players are dying young as a result of mental illnesses that surface only after retirement and doctors believe both the physical damage and mental diseases can be traced to repeated concussions. While the NFL refuses to accept the studies, some high schools and universities have already adopted telemetry helmets with sensors that gauge concussive impacts and alert sidelines officials."Link to Original Source
