28 years ago today, NASA and ESA’s Cassini Mission, meant to gather data on Saturn and its moons, was launched from Cape Canaveral. The Flagship-class robotic spacecraft comprised both NASA’s Cassini space probe and ESA’s Huygens lander, which landed on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Cassini was active in space for nearly 20 years, with 13 years spent orbiting Saturn and studying the planet and its system after entering orbit on July 1, 2004. READ about what it found… (1997)
New Airship-style Wind Turbine Can Find Gusts at Higher Altitudes for Constant, Cheaper Power
A new form of wind energy is under development that promises more consistent power and lower deployment costs by adapting the design of a dirigible, or zeppelin.
Suspended 1,000 feet up where the wind is always blowing, it presents as an ideal energy source for rural communities, disaster areas, or places where wind turbines aren’t feasible to build.
The design has grown through multilateral innovation by dozens of engineers and scientists, but an MIT startup called Altaeros, and Beijing-based start-up Sawes Energy Technology have taken it to market. Both have already produced prototypes that boast some serious performance.
In 2014, Altaeros’ Buoyant Air Turbine (or BAT) was ready for commercial deployment in rural Alaska, where diesel generators are still heavily relied on for power. Its 35-foot-long inflatable shell, made of the same materials as modern blimps, provided 30 kilowatts of wind energy.
As a power provider, though, Altaeros could never get off the ground, and now has adopted much of its technology to the provision of wireless telecommunication services for civil and commercial contracting.
Heir to Altaeros’ throne, Sawes has managed to greatly exceed the former’s power generation, and now hopes to achieve nothing less than contributing a Chinese solution to the world’s energy transition.
During a mid-September test, Sawes’ airship-like S1500, as long and wide as a basketball court and as tall as a 13-storey building, generated 1 megawatt of power which it delivered through its tether cable down to a generator below.
Conducted in the windy, western desert province of Xinjiang, the S1500 surpassed the capabilities of its predecessor turbine by 10-times, which achieved 100 kilowatts in October of last year.
Dun Tianrui, the company’s CEO and chief designer, called the megawatt-mark “a critical step towards putting the product into real-world use” which would happen next year when the company expects to begin mass production.
BETTER TURBINES: World’s First All-Timber Wind Turbine Blades are Cheaper, Recyclable, Fire-Resistant and Stronger than Carbon Fiber
At the same time, the Sawes R&D team is looking into advances in materials sciences and optimization of manufacturing that will ensure the cost of supplying that megawatt to rural grids will be around $0.01 per kilowatt-hour—literally 100-times cheaper than what was theorized as the cost for Altaeros’ model from 10 years ago.
One of the major positives of the BAT is that by floating 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the ground, they render irrelevant the main gripe and failing of wind energy—that some days the wind doesn’t blow. A conventional turbine reaches only between 100 and 300 feet up, putting birds at risk as well as not collecting all the air that’s blowing over the landscape.
WIND POWER STORIES: Coastal Winds Not Only Ripen Grapes, They Power Vineyard’s Winemaking Sustainably
Sawes’ unit is about 40% cheaper to build and deploy than a normal turbine, presenting the opportunity for a 30% lower cost for buying the wind energy.
According to a piece in the Beijing Daily, reported on by South China Morning Post, challenges remain before commercial deployment can begin, including what to do during storms, and whether or not it will compete in communities with existing coal-power supply.
SHARE This Reimagination Of Wind Energy With Your Friends On Social Media…
A Nation That’s 90% Rainforest Announces New Protections for Over 25 Million Acres
Huge news broke recently when a country with more intact forests than any other on Earth decided that 90% of all forest cover would be preserved by law.
Made in New York in advance of a UN summit that will see the party members to the Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meet for the 30th time, the decision was heralded as a major step in the effort to protect 30% of all natural landscapes on Earth.
The nation in question was Suriname, the former Dutch colony located on the northern coast of South America, bordering Brazil to the south, and Guyana to the west. Famous for containing vast tracts of Amazon Rainforest, Minister of Foreign Affairs Melvin W. J. Bouva made the announcement on behalf of the recently-elected president.
“We understand and accept the immense responsibility of stewarding over 15 million hectares of tropical rainforest… said President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons. “And it is because of this responsibility that we are envisioning an economy that is powered by our rich forests and biodiversity.”
90% of the country is covered in rainforests typical of the Amazon Basin, the world’s largest rainforest and an ecosystem that spans 9 countries. As a result, it’s one of three states that register as carbon sinks, meaning they absorb more carbon dioxide than they emit.
The decision comes at a time when deforestation in Suriname is on the rise, but losses Basin-wide are falling substantially, particularly losses from forest fires.
Re:wild, a conservation organization working actively in the Amazon and other South American landscapes, reports that more than 700 birds, 100 species of amphibians, and many charismatic mammals such as lowland tapirs, jaguars, giant river otters, and 8 different primates range throughout the country.
“I’ve worked in Suriname for 50 years and I am absolutely delighted that President Geerlings-Simons has made this historic and unprecedented commitment to maintain Suriname’s forest cover at this level within her first two months in office,” said Russell Mittermeier, chief conservation officer at Re:wild.
“This sets a new standard for the Amazonian region as a whole, which has suffered from serious deforestation in recent decades.”
The Amazon will be high in the minds of the parties to the UNFCCC when they meet in Belem, Brazil, for the summit known as COP 30.
SHARE This Huge Conservation Progress With Your Friends…
Wichita ‘Taco Hero’ Gets Year of Free Tacos for ‘Mind-Blowing’ Kindness After Card Reader Went Down
When the sales and payment software went down at a Wichita taco restaurant, the staff were anxious, and the line for the register, long.
Tensions were high, and when the Shear family finally got through the out-the-door-wrap-around line, they were told that Tacos TJ 664 was only accepting cash.
They were craving the fresh shrimp tacos they had come to adore, but there was a problem—they didn’t have enough money.
Mother Calli Shear thought “oh well,” and went for the door, when a stranger—a man in jeans and a Nick Nolte-like voice, reached out an arm and stopped them.
He handed them a $100 dollar bill, rebuffed the immediate refusal, rebuffed the offer of Venmo, and then told the family that dinner was on him tonight.
“When we gave him the change back, he walked to the line and tipped the staff,” Calli’s son Travis said, with his mother saying that she “couldn’t believe that strangers like that exist anymore.”
After their meal, Calli posted a picture of the stranger on a Facebook foodie group, Wichita Food & Booze with a simple question: does anyone know this guy? Explaining the story, the post vent locally viral, and Jared, the “Taco Hero,” was found.
“There are some incredible people in this world. Seriously,” she wrote.
KWCH managed to get in touch with Jared for an interview to ask why he made the spur-of-the-moment decision to do a good deed.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Dry Cleaner Gives Away his Services to Unemployed Folks Headed to Job Interviews: ‘Just Pay it Forward’
“When I was a young man, I grew up poor,” Jerad told the news outlet. “A family took me in when I needed it the most. They ended up finishing raising me until I turned 18 and moved out on my own. If they wouldn’t have ever done that, I never would be in the place I am today, and I, frankly, wouldn’t be able to help somebody out like that. I owe everything to them.”
When Tacos TJ 664 got wind of what had happened, and presented Jared with an honorary certificate as the “Wichita Taco Hero” and awarded him free tacos for the rest of the year.
SIMILAR BIG LITTLE GESTURES: Teen Finds Woman’s Purse and is Rewarded With $17,000 After He Delivers it to Her Door
“We just wanted to thank him, really, cause I think he deserves it,” Priscila Camacho, the restaurant manager, said. “Even though he probably wasn’t intending for it to have the impact that it did.”
The story is a reminder that not all heroes wear capes—some just buy you tacos.
WATCH the story below from KWCH News…
SHARE The Story Of The Taco Hero Of Wichita With Your Friends…
First Antidote for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ‘Cleans’ Blood in Minutes
It’s invisible, it’s lethal, and it’s been with us for decades, but carbon monoxide poisoning can now be fought with the first-ever antidote that rapidly removes the toxic molecule from the bloodstream.
Carbon monoxide or CO, poisoning accounts for 50,000 emergency room visits in the US each year and causes about 1,500 deaths, each one being lamented as a shameful waste and tragic oversight.
Currently, the only treatments for CO poisoning are oxygen-based therapies, which help the body eliminate the toxic gas. However, even with treatment, nearly half of survivors suffer long-term heart and brain damage. This has created an urgent need for faster, more effective interventions.
In a study published by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) in PNAS, the research team developed a new engineered protein-based therapy called RcoM-HBD-CCC, which acts like a sponge to soak up carbon monoxide from the blood.
RcoM (short for “regulator of metabolism”) is a natural protein isolated from the bacterium Paraburkholderia xenovorans which uses it to sense minute levels of carbon monoxide in its environment.
The researchers engineered a version that is highly selective, grabbing CO without interfering with oxygen or other important molecules in the bloodstream like nitric oxide, which is vital for the regulation of blood pressure.
In tests on mice, the new therapy worked quickly to remove CO from red blood cells and was safely flushed out of the body through urine.
CO is known commonly as the “silent killer,” because this odorless, invisible gas, typically released from combustion sources, including stovetops, propane heaters, car exhausts, and firewood, poisons in a gradual manner that isn’t immediately obvious to the victim.
MORE FIRST AID ADVANCES: Revolutionary Antidote Neutralizes Venom of 19 of World’s Deadliest Snakes–Thanks to Man Who Immunized Himself
In healthy bodies, oxygen inhaled from the air binds to the protein hemoglobin on the surface of red blood cells, which then ferry the oxygen to all the tissues of the body. CO however, competes with oxygen for hemoglobin. It enters the bloodstream and binds to hemoglobin with a 200 to 400-fold greater affinity than oxygen. That means CO hogs most of the hemoglobin seats, so not enough oxygen molecules can get a ride to the tissues that need them.
Currently, the only available treatments for carbon monoxide poisoning involve giving 100% pure oxygen, sometimes under pressure in a hyperbaric chamber.
All too often, patients are not transported, diagnosed, and treated in time to reverse the effects of CO poisoning, which can cause lasting cardiac and neurological injuries or even death.
MORE HOUSEHOLD TOXINS DEFEATED: Flint Finishes Replacing 11,000 Lead Pipes, Concluding Activists’ Decade-Long Effort to Secure Clean Water
Infused in the bloodstream, scavenger hemoproteins like RcoM-HBD-CCC rapidly bind to carbon monoxide molecules, reducing the time it takes to clear half of the carbon monoxide in the blood to less than a minute, compared to more than hour with pure oxygen therapy and five hours without any treatment.
A potential drawback the researchers were aware of is that so-called “scavengers” like RcoM also have an affinity for oxygen, and so may uptake the nitric oxide mentioned earlier. This can cause wild and potentially unsafe changes in blood pressure, but RcoM-HBD-CCC caused no such side effects.
“Unlike other protein-based treatments, we found the compound caused only minimal changes in blood pressure, which was an exciting finding and raised the potential for this new molecule to have clinical applications,” said study corresponding author Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Dean of UMSOM.
ALSO CHECK OUT: New Tuna Packaging Seen to Reduce Mercury Levels by 35%, Though it May Not Be Necessary
“This has the potential to become a rapid, intravenous antidote for carbon monoxide that could be given in the emergency department or even in the field by first-responders.”
Future studies will likely include more pre-clinical research to determine the safe and effective dosage range for RcoM-HBD-CCC in treating carbon monoxide poisoning. It could also form the basis for new research in other fields, including as an oxygen delivery therapy or blood substitute. This could include hemorrhagic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), severe anemias, and the preservation of organs for transplantation.
SHARE The Story Of This Long-Awaited Cure For A Long-Suffered Toxin…
“Love grows more tremendously full, swift, poignant, as the years multiply.” – Zane Grey
Quote of the Day: “Love grows more tremendously full, swift, poignant, as the years multiply.” – Zane Grey (writer of American Westerns)
Photo: via Fotolia
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Good News in History, October 14
158 years ago today, Masaoka Shiki, considered one of Japan’s four masters of haiku, was born. He wrote more than 20,000 stanzas of this famous Japanese short-form poetry, keeping the traditional ‘season words’ and the 5-7-5 syllable structure, but bringing in a dedication to realism that had seemed in through Western literature. Shiki may be credited with salvaging traditional short-form Japanese poetry and carving out a niche for it in the modern Meiji period. READ some of his verse… (1867)
Escaped Pet Tortoise Wanders onto Train Tracks But is Saved by Railway Staff After Passenger Spots it
A runaway tortoise was saved after it wandered onto a busy railway line in South East England.
The pet named Mr T was spotted clambering onto the train tracks at Bicester North Station in Oxfordshire.
Passengers raised the alarm with the railway staff who rescued the tortoise last Tuesday.
The Chiltern Railway workers then fed it with lettuce and water in the station cafe.
The company posted photos of the reptile on social media looking for the owner.
Hours later, they came forward confirmed that Mr T had escaped from his home nearby before becoming a trespasser on the railway tracks.
Although facing danger, Mr T was left unharmed by his adventure and was returned home.
LOOK: Lovelorn Tortoise Found a Year After it Escaped in Search of a Mate at 0.00012mph
Area Manager at Chiltern Railways, Giles Conway, said, “I don’t think anyone could quite believe it when we were alerted by customers at the station that there was a tortoise on the tracks.
“I am grateful to our station staff who located the tortoise and worked with Network Rail to safely retrieve it from the tracks unharmed.”
The man who retrieved the turtle, Steve Gill, a Network Rail mobile operations manager, said, “In my 30 plus years on the railway, this is the first time I’ve ever had to save a tortoise.”
GREAT NEWS: Philadelphia Zoo’s 100-Year-old Galapagos Tortoises Hatch 4 Babies–to Help Ensure the Species’ Survival
“I’m glad we managed to get the pet safely away from the tracks and reunited with its owner.”
SLOW WALK THIS RESCUE To Turtle-Loving Friends on Social Media…
Beloved Lowe’s Store Cat is Finally Found in Neighboring State After Security Footage Reveals Clues
Francine’s tenure might be as long as any hardware store employee in Virginia—because this white, speckled stray cat wandered into the Lowe’s near Richmond in 2017, and has been a mainstay of the branch ever since.
“She’s the first stop for probably 75 percent of our customers,” Lowe’s store manager Mike Sida told the Washington Post.
“She’s extremely friendly, and she loves people. There’s a lot of people that come here just to visit Francine.”
But last month, the calico cat went missing and everyone was flooded with worry: Where’s Francine?
A missing pet poster was printed with her picture that advertised a $2,000 reward.
And Chas Nabi, who frequently visits Francine at the store, created a “Where’s Francine?” Instagram page that quickly went viral, attracting almost 35,000 followers.
(Below is an example of the poster art shared by followers…)
The first clue in the mystery of her disappearance came from store security cameras. Francine was spied in footage wandering into the back of a delivery truck headed to a regional distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina.
More clues were gathered by workers at the warehouse who tried using thermal drones. Others tried to lure her into a number of humane traps, and routinely checked the 246 surveillance cameras for any sign of her in the vast distribution center (measuring over a million square feet).
But after nine years of hanging out at Lowe’s, Francine had plenty of friends willing to do whatever was necessary—and, on October 4, a familiar feline appeared on one of the security tapes (see the video below). It was Francine.
The Lowe’s employees who feed Francine every morning, Manager Sida and Wayne Schneider, immediately drove the 85 miles to the distribution center to retrieve their beloved four-legged friend. But even with some kibble and Francine’s favorite rattle, they couldn’t draw her out of hiding, so returned to Virginia.
Finally, 17 days after she first went missing, Francine walked into one of the traps to get some food at the distribution center. Mike and Wayne drove back to North Carolina, but this time, they wouldn’t be headed home empty-handed.
“She was crying a little bit once we got her.” Wayne said. “Then she got in my arms and it just felt like pure joy.”
ANOTHER CUTE LOST AND FOUND: Police Find Lost Plushie While Teaching Boy a Valuable Lesson: ‘There are great people in this world’
With all the social media attention surrounding her disappearance, Francine received something of a hero’s welcome upon her return. (See the video from ABC below…)
The mayor of Richmond, Danny Avula, even celebrated Francine’s return on Instagram: “Your compassion, dedication and community spirit remind me of why this city is so special,” he wrote.
Francine is back at work, but now she wears a harness and tracking tag to ensure she can always be found.
The cat’s adventure ended, but a few lessons beyond Francine remained.
Nabi, who started the Where’s Francine? page, continues to see a steady stream of traffic and positive posts in the aftermath of the cat’s return.
“During incredibly polarized times,” Nabi said, “It’s amazing to see everybody, no matter what their background is, come together over this little cat.”
SHARE THE HAPPY ENDING With Fur-Loving Friends On Social Media…
Biodegradable Plastic Made from Bamboo Is Stronger and Easy to Recycle
GNN has reported previously on how versatile bamboo is for construction and craft, so it maybe shouldn’t be a surprise that researchers in China have found a way to turn this miracle plant into plastic.
While many biodegradable materials have already been developed for replacing lighter, flexible plastic, durable or rigid plastic replacements are few. The kinds of plastic used for tools, car interiors, and appliance exteriors have few if any biodegradable replacements.
Enter Dawei Zhao at Shenyang University of Chemical Technology in China’s far northeast, who has developed a method for turning cellulose from bamboo into a rigid yet biodegradable plastic that outperforms not only alternative biodegradable options, but plastic itself for mechanical strength and thermo-mechanical properties.
“Bamboo’s rapid growth makes it a highly renewable resource, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional timber sources, but its current applications are still largely limited to more traditional woven products,” Zhao told New Scientist.
His method takes cellulose from bamboo and subjects it to zinc chloride and a simple acid to break up the complex polysaccharide bonds that hold this plant fiber together. Next they add ethanol into the soup of smaller molecules, and from that derive a plastic for use in injection, molding, and machining manufacturing techniques.
One major drawback is the bamboo plastic’s inflexibility, which limits its incorporation into the full gamut of products that petroleum-based plastics can fulfil. On the other hand, however, these are often the plastics that remain in the ecosystem longest, and are the hardest to recycle. Therefore replacing them still represents a valuable contribution to reducing the overall plastic burden in the environment and waste streams.
MORE BAMBOO HEADLINES:
- Bamboo Panels on World’s Longest Sea Crossing Withstand 6 Years of Sun and Typhoons–Still Solid as Ever
- India Law Allows Villagers to Claim 2000 Acres of Bamboo Forest to Turn Poverty into Prosperity
- New Bamboo Plantations Are Healing Villages Choked by Toxic Ash from Coal Plants in India
Zhao and his team published a paper on the process and properties of the bamboo plastic in Nature, including in which is a cost-analysis that finds the bioplastic’s recyclability emerges as a value that sees it attain cost-competitiveness with conventional plastic.
They also report that it fully breaks down in the soil in 50 days.
SHARE This Brilliant Bamboo Science With Your Friends On Social Media…
Fires and Fire Deaths from Almost All Causes Fall by Two-Thirds Since 1980
One of the big problems with measuring progress in averting accidents is that you’re looking for nothing—because nothing happened.
But determined to show how nothing is a big something indeed, Vox’s Bryan Walsh set out to measure America’s progress in preventing fires and fireproofing homes after he himself heard of a fire ripping through a Brooklyn artist’s warehouse.
Deaths by fires have fallen by two-thirds since 1980, lead in part by advances in safety awareness and product safety.
Decades of updated building codes and public safety campaigns have led to the majority of US homes and apartments having smoke detectors—the single best defense against small room fires turning into conflagrations.
About 60% fewer deaths per recorded house fire occur when the house in question has a working smoke detector. Many buildings now have detectors that work as a part of a multi-room system, but battery-operated ones still work exceptionally well.
That 60% becomes 90% when talking about automatic sprinkler systems, which more buildings than ever in the United States now come equipped with. They have also made the leap from commercial, office, or parking buildings to multifamily homes and apartments.
In 2021, the Consumer Product Safety Commission passed a federal regulation that mandated furniture manufacturers to comply with code on smolder-resistant upholstered furniture. This is a major cause of house fires, often in conjunction with cigarettes and wood stoves, and representative of around 17% of the deaths from house fires—according to the CPSC.
In addition to aiding the falling rates of lung cancer, the reduction in smoking habits among Americans have also led to fewer house fires.
“In 1980 there were an estimated 70,800 smoking-related cigarette home fires leading to 1,820 deaths,” Walsh wrote. “By 2016, the number of smoking-related fires had fallen to 16,500.”
According to FEMA, heating and electrical malfunctions, like circuits arcing behind walls, are the least common of the leading causes of home fires, and that’s a result of many products and building code adding failsafe triggers and other features that cause heating to shut off if temperatures get too hot, or currents to cease if arcing is detected.
Heating and electrical-related fires fell by a third between 2010 and 2019.
Cooking is still far and away the most common cause of house fires. If a home or apartment has sprinklers, and smoke detectors, and some of the other features mentioned in Walsh’s article, then the best thing you can do to avoid home fires is to pay attention in the kitchen.
Common causes of fires in kitchens include grease fires, which can explode if you intuitively throw water on them. That explosion can set fire to surrounding objects, and turn a flash in a pan into a room fire.
FIRE SAFETY: California Developer Builds First Neighborhood Where All the Homes Are Resistant to Wildfires
But even here, there is improvement. Between 2019 and 2023, there were 11% fewer fires and 50% fewer deaths as a result, due to cooking fires.
It pays to be aware. The National Fire Protection Association writes that while ranges and stovetops were responsible a little over half of all cooking-related house fires, those fires led to 88% of the resulting deaths. This would be as opposed to ovens, toasters, or other appliances.
CONSUMER PROGRESS: Bite-Proof Wetsuit Fabric Almost Entirely Prevents Shark Bite Flesh Wounds
Counterintuitively, gas ranges were less-prone to causing fires than electric ranges. Unattended cooking was by far the leading factor in cooking fires and cooking fire casualties, while combustible materials left near cooking areas, such as wrappers, towels, paper, potholders, or clothing, was the second leading factor.
In other words, if there’s one place in the house you should put a fire extinguisher, it’s the kitchen.
SHARE These Great Positive Trendlines On Fires And Fire-Deaths With Your Friends…
Good News in History, October 13
94 years ago today, Cristo Redentor, or Christ the Redeemer, opened to the public in the hills above Rio de Janeiro. Standing 98 feet high, and with arms stretching 92 feet wide, the statue was built on top of Mount Corcovado by engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. Christ the Redeemer differs considerably from its original design, as the initial plan was a large Christ with a globe in one hand and a cross in the other. Although the project organizers originally accepted the design, it later changed to the statue of today, with the arms spread out wide. READ more about the famous statue… (1931)
“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” – Gertrude Jekyll
Quote of the Day: “The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.” – Gertrude Jekyll
Photo by: Carles Rabada
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
3D Printed Aluminum Alloy Sets Strength Record on Path to Lighter Aircraft Systems
Incorporating machine learning, MIT engineers have developed a way to 3D print alloys that are much stronger.
The new printable metal can withstand high temperatures and is five times stronger than traditionally manufactured aluminum.
It’s made from a mix of aluminum and other elements that the team identified using a combination of simulations and machine learning, which significantly pruned the number of possible combinations of materials to consider to 40—before identifying an ideal mix.
The team then printed the alloy and tested the resulting material, soon confirming that, as predicted, the aluminum alloy was as strong as any manufactured today.
The researchers envision that the new printable aluminum could be made into stronger, more lightweight and temperature-resistant products, such as fan blades in jet engines. Fan blades are traditionally cast from titanium — a material that is more than 50 percent heavier and up to 10 times costlier than traditional aluminum.
“If we can use lighter, high-strength material, this would save a considerable amount of energy for the transportation industry,” says Assistant Carnegie Mellon University Professor Mohadeseh Taheri-Mousavi, who led the work at MIT.
“Because 3D printing can produce complex geometries, save material, and enable unique designs, we see this printable alloy as something that could also be used in advanced vacuum pumps, high-end automobiles, and cooling devices for data centers,” adds John Hart, who was head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.
AND GORGEOUS TOO: Wood Scraps Turned into Bulletproof, Fire-Resistant Superwood That’s ‘Stronger Than Steel’
Hart and Taheri-Mousavi provide details on the new printable aluminum design in a paper published in the journal Advanced Materials.
Micro-sizing
The new work grew out of an MIT class Taheri-Mousavi took in 2020 in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering where he learned to use computational simulations to design high-performance alloys using a mix of different elements.
His professor, Greg Olson, challenged the class to design an aluminum alloy that would be stronger than the strongest printable aluminum alloy, keeping in mind the smaller and more densely packed its microscopic constituents, the stronger the alloy would be.
Although the exercise failed to produce a winner in the class, it made Taheri-Mousavi wonder: Could machine learning do better?
“At some point, there are a lot of things that contribute nonlinearly to a material’s properties, and you are lost,” Taheri-Mousavi says. “With machine-learning tools, they can point you to where you need to focus, and tell you for example, these two elements are controlling this feature. It lets you explore the design space more efficiently.”
In the new study, she continued where Olson’s class left off.
The machine-learning approach revealed a recipe containing aluminum and five other elements that resulted in higher strength—even higher than what they could identify after simulating over 1 million possibilities without using machine learning.
MATERIAL GENIUS: World’s First All-Timber Wind Turbine Blades are Cheaper, Recyclable, Fire-Resistant and Stronger than Carbon Fiber
To physically produce this new strong, small-particle alloy, the team realized 3D printing would be the way to go instead of traditional metal casting, in which molten liquid aluminum is poured into a mold and is left to cool and harden.
“Here, 3D printing opens a new door because of the unique characteristics of the process—particularly, the fast cooling rate.”
The new alloy’s microstructure consisted of a higher volume fraction of small precipitates, and was stable at high temperatures of up to 400 degrees Celsius—a very high temperature for aluminum alloys.
“Our methodology opens new doors for anyone who wants to do 3D printing alloy design,” Taheri-Mousavi says. “My dream is that one day, passengers looking out their airplane window will see fan blades of engines made from our aluminum alloys.”
(Source: MIT News)
MacKenzie Scott Donates $42 Million to Expand College and Career Opportunities for Low-Income U.S. Students
A California-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing quality education and career opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds just received a “transformational gift” from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
She donated $42 million this week to the group ‘10,000 Degrees’ to assist in its mission of “supporting students to, through, and beyond college”.
In their history of nearly a half century, 10,000 Degrees has worked with more than 80,000 students and awarded more than $113 million in scholarships, trying to break the cycle of generational poverty in the U.S. and create a positive ripple effect in the lives of students and their communities for generations to come.
“We are deeply grateful for Ms. Scott’s confidence and investment in our mission and proven college success model,” said Kim Mazzuca, President and CEO of 10,000 Degrees.
“This extraordinary gift is not only a bold affirmation of the power of education, but it is a vital investment in our communities at a time when it’s needed most.”
Scott, who was formerly married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has been giving away her fortune by the billions to charities and nonprofits worldwide.
MORE BILLIONS FROM SCOTT:
• MacKenzie Scott Has Now Given Away $16.5 Billion with New Grants Announced
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Receives $122 Million Donation From Mackenzie Scott
• Girl Scouts Receive $84 Million Donation From MacKenzie Scott to Aid Recovery From Lack of Income During Pandemic
A media release said this new grant will allow 10,000 Degrees to address the educational opportunity gap by serving more students with college and financial aid advising, scholarships, and mentorship support from recent college grads, to help them navigate a pathway toward success.
“Our mission has always been to ensure that every student, no matter their background, has a real chance to achieve their potential and to live a healthy, happy and prosperous life,” said Mazzuca.
“Ms. Scott’s gift will have a profound and lasting impact – significantly increasing support for our students from their first step toward college through graduation and into meaningful careers,” said Guy Lampard, chair of the board of directors.
LEARNING THE LOST ARTS: Teens Learn the Lost Arts of Sewing and Ironing at New Summer Camp Taught By Local Grandmas Staving off Loneliness
“With this support, our students can build generational stability for themselves, their families and their communities, forever.”
REPORT ON THE GENEROSITY By Sharing The Amazing News on Social Media…
First Nature Reserve to Record 10,000 Species in UK–Thanks to Moth That Looks Like a Wasp
A nature reserve has become the first in UK to record 10,000 species, with the discovery of a unique moth that imitates a wasp.
The National Trust’s Wicken Fen, in Cambridgeshire, England, hit the total when a rare species of moth—the six-belted clearwing—was recorded on the reserve for the first time.
Named Bembecia ichneumoniformis, it has six yellow stripes on its black abdomen to mimic the appearance of a venomous wasp, which aids in warning off predators.
Recent finds at the National Nature Reserve include the formidable ant beetle, a scarce plant in the pea family called grass vetchling, and another moth—the evocatively-titled chamomile shark.
New bird records include a white-tailed eagle that roosted for one night in 2022 and a white stork that was seen several times in summer 2023.
“Reaching 10,000 recorded species is a proud achievement for everyone who has ever taken an interest in this special corner of the country,” said Alan Kell, a manager at the National Trust.
When the UK conservation charity National Trust bought Wicken Fen in 1899—for a paltry £10 ($15)— it was only two acres in size. But the nonprofit has spent 126 years expanding and caring for it, created a wildlife haven covering 2,026 acres.
“We believe it is now the most biodiverse recorded reserve in the UK,” said Kell.
“I never fail to be surprised by what we find here, and it is absolutely a case in point that if you give nature the opportunity and the space, it will do remarkable things.”
13 species that were new to science were discovered in the 20th Century on the fenland nature reserve, according to wildlife records that date back 200 years. But experts at the National Trust say it is during the last 25 years that records have really surged.
Breaking the record
Back in 1999 the National Trust decided to compile a central checklist of biodiversity at Wicken Fen.
Since then, the site has more than tripled in size, from 225 hectares to 820 hectares: an expansion which is credited with boosting the area’s abundance and diversity of wildlife.
Wicken Fen is now a certified home to species such as the glow-worm, fen nettle, water vole, cuckoo, silver barren moth, water scorpion, greater bladderwort, and the Norfolk hawker.
With over 10,000 different species recorded, supporters hope that number will continue to climb in the wake of a major new partnership with The Nature Recovery Project aiming to help restore vast tracts of lowland peat, both at Wicken Fen and elsewhere in the country which would offer critical benefits amid our climate crisis.
NATURE IS THE VICTOR:
• Beautiful Galápagos Rail Bird Rediscovered After 190 Years Following Island Restoration
• New National Park Expands Protection of Legendary ‘Asian Unicorn’ Home
• 500 Giant Tortoises Reintroduced to Four Galapagos Islands (LOOK)
“If the project can demonstrate that healthy, thriving peatlands can successfully coexist with profitable food production, we anticipate that this approach could be adopted widely across both existing and historically degraded peatlands,” said James Berry, Head of Strategy at The Nature Recovery Project.
“This would unlock a powerful pathway for stopping emissions from the nation’s largest natural emitter.”
“The more wildlife ‘corridors’ we can create, the greater chance we have of being able to support even more species—especially in this changing climate.”
APPLAUD the PEOPLE-POWER By Sharing Nature’s Victory on Social Media…
Locally Extinct for a Century, Bay Scallops Thriving Again on Virginia Shore of Chesapeake Bay
Bay scallops are making an incredible resurgence in coastal bays along Virginia’s Eastern Shore, according to a new survey.
The exponential population growth is the result of decades of dedicated seagrass restoration efforts that allowed scientists to reintroduce the species to its former home.
Locally extinct since the 1930s due to habitat loss, bay scallops are thriving again, with help from the College of William & Mary’s and VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL) in Wachapreague, Virginia.
The comeback could possibly set the stage for a future recreational fishery.
During the Bay Scallop Survey for 2025, the group routinely documented finding multiple scallops within a single square meter—something unimaginable just a few years ago.
Additionally, the researchers estimate the population will double in less than 18 months.
Virginians may one day be able to harvest local bay scallops for themselves, if the current moratorium on harvesting them along Virginia shores were lifted with the approval of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
“The restoration of bay scallops to their former range along the Virginian Eastern Shore represents a significant societal and ecological achievement,” said VIMS ESL Director Richard Snyder in a media release.
Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) once thrived in Virginia waters until an eelgrass wasting disease in the 1930s decimated their natural habitat. For approximately 90 years, the species was absent from the commonwealth’s coastal bays.
However, in 1997, William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS researchers launched a seed-based submerged aquatic vegetation restoration project, now considered the largest and most successful seagrass restoration in the world.
Early years showed relatively low, fluctuating numbers, but recently the population has grown exponentially and researchers say its upper limit remains unknown.
“It’s incredibly fulfilling to see this progress,” said Darian Kelley, a nursery manager at VIMS ESL who works closely with regional shellfish farmers.
BEAUTIFUL BAY RESTORED: World’s Largest Seagrass Restoration Project is a Virginia Success, Planting 600 Acres That Grow to Become 9,000
“The combined success is creating a more resilient and productive coastal ecosystem while potentially adding a new product to our state’s aquaculture industry.”
SEA BREEZES AND GOOD NEWS – Perfect For Sharing on Social Media…
“Love is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives the longest.” – Henry Van Dyke
Quote of the Day: “Love is the best thing in the world, and the thing that lives the longest.” – Henry Van Dyke
Photo by: Nathan Dumlao
With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?
Good News in History, October 12
80 years ago today, Desmond Doss became the only conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor after saving an estimated 75 men during the Battle of Hacksaw Ridge in the invasion of Okinawa. Doss refused to carry a weapon into combat because of his personal beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist against killing. He consequently became a medic assigned to the 307th infantry in the 77th infantry division. READ about his heroism… (1945)
Nobel Prize for Chemistry Awarded for Innovation Compared to Hermione’s Handbag in Harry Potter
While bestowing the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry last week, the winners were praised for their innovation, which one Nobel committee member compared to Hermione’s handbag from the Harry Potter novels.
The honored scientists developed materials that are full of microscopic holes that can trap and store chemicals.
The surface area properties are “unheard of”, according a Reuters report about the award presentation in Stockholm on Wednesday: “a porous material roughly the size of a sugar cube could contain as much surface area as a football pitch”.
“A small amount of such material can be almost like Hermione’s handbag in Harry Potter,” said Heiner Linke, the Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry at the announcement. “It can store huge amounts of gas in a tiny volume.”
It all started in 1989, when Richard Robson began testing the properties of atoms in a new way.
The international trio of Robson, Omar Yaghi, and Susumu Kitagawa eventually developed metal organic frameworks (MOFs)—crystal‑like structures made from metal ions and carbon‑based molecules.
“When combined, they bonded to form a well-ordered, spacious crystal,” the committee wrote. “It was like a diamond filled with innumerable cavities.”
The frameworks of tiny cavities can be designed for different purposes, from collecting clean water in dry desert air to locking away CO2 and toxic gases.
ALSO CHECK OUT: Life-Saving Antibiotics Breakthrough Uses Shapeshifting Chemistry that Won 2022 Nobel Prize
“This type of material can be created with almost unlimited variations, creating unending possibilities for the greatest benefit of humankind.”
For instance, they could filter harmful PFAS chemicals from drinking water or be used in next‑generation batteries.
The comparison to Hermione’s handbag was used because her enchanted bag could hold far more inside than its small size suggested, without getting heavier or losing shape.
LOOK: MIT Physicists Snap the First Ever Images of Atoms – Capturing Them in Their ‘Free-Range’ States
The three scientists from Kyoto University in Japan, Oxford in England, and the University of Melbourne, Australia will share prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor equally between them.
STUPEFY YOUR FRIENDS With This Chemistry Spell on Social Media…