“Artificial Sun” Lighting Via Old Satellite Dishes

Real sunlight is a beautiful thing, but due to the vagaries of Earth’s orbit and local weather systems, it’s not available all the time. [Matt] decided this wasn’t good enough, and set about building a rig to replicate the sun’s rays as closely as possible.

The great distance between the …read more

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Mean temperature of the universe is rising over billions of years

Earth isn’t the only place that’s heating up of late – the universe seems to be too. Astronomers at Ohio State University have taken the mean temperature of cosmic gas at different distances and ages, and found that it’s roughly 10 times hotter today t… Continue reading Mean temperature of the universe is rising over billions of years

Mean temperature of the universe is rising over billions of years

Earth isn’t the only place that’s heating up of late – the universe seems to be too. Astronomers at Ohio State University have taken the mean temperature of cosmic gas at different distances and ages, and found that it’s roughly 10 times hotter today t… Continue reading Mean temperature of the universe is rising over billions of years

Alphabet project uses light beams to bring broadband to remote regions

An Alphabet X innovation lab project has been working on a high-speed wireless optical communications network that uses beams of light instead of cables or radio waves, and folks in Kenya will be the first to benefit from the fruits of these labors.Con… Continue reading Alphabet project uses light beams to bring broadband to remote regions

Smart windows darken and become solar cells when heated

Windows are great for letting in light, but in summer months that comes with an unwanted side order of heat, causing many people to run the air conditioning non-stop. Now, researchers have developed windows that can change color automatically when heat… Continue reading Smart windows darken and become solar cells when heated

Shortest event ever measured lasts mere sextillionths of a second

Physicists in Germany have measured the shortest timespan ever recorded. The team measured the time it takes for a photon of light to travel the length of a hydrogen molecule, and found it to occur in just trillionths of a billionth of a second.Continu… Continue reading Shortest event ever measured lasts mere sextillionths of a second

Into the Belly of the Beast with Placemon

No, no, at first we thought it was a Pokemon too, but Placemon monitors your place, your home, your domicile. Instead of a purpose-built device, like a CO detector or a burglar alarm, this is a generalized monitor that streams data to a central processor where machine learning …read more

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Practical new 3D printing resin optimized for visible light

One method of 3D printing involves selectively exposing liquid resin to ultraviolet (UV) light, causing that resin to harden into a solid. Now, scientists have developed a new resin that works with safer, more energy-efficient visible light.Continue Re… Continue reading Practical new 3D printing resin optimized for visible light

Spacetime wave packets: New class of laser defies laws of light physics

Scientists have created a new class of laser beam that appears to violate long-held laws of light physics. These new beams, which the team calls “spacetime wave packets,” follow different rules of refraction, which could lead to new communication techn… Continue reading Spacetime wave packets: New class of laser defies laws of light physics