Instagram

Tuesday 30 August 2016

How to Install any Template on your Blogger Blog

With Google Blogger, you can either use the built-in template designs, or install a template from an outside source. Mom bloggers can find well-designed Blogger templates with a search engine. Blogger Templates, for example, has a great selection, is easy to use, and has good support from the site owners.


If you see links included in the template that you wouldn’t want on your blog, be sure to either remove them or use a different template.
Here’s how to install a Blogger template you’ve downloaded from another site:


  • Log in to Blogger, and on your Blogger Dashboard, click the Design link.
  • Click the Edit HTML tab.
  • Click the Download Full Template link and save it to your computer.
  • Make a note of the file name and where you saved it in case you need it later!
  • Unzip the template file you downloaded from another site.
  • Back on the Edit HTML page, click the Choose File button.
  • Navigate to where you saved the unzipped files on your computer, and double-click the one that ends in .xml.
  • Click the Upload button.

If you already have some existing widgets on your Blogger blog, you may get a warning message asking whether you want to keep them or delete them. If you want to preserve the work you’ve done before, click the Keep Widgets button. If you don’t need them anymore, click the Delete Widgets button.
When the upload is complete, you get a message at the top of the page that says Your Changes Have Been Saved.
  • Click the View Blog button to ensure that your blog looks the way you want it to look.
You may have to remove or move some page elements in order to get the template to display properly.
Some free Blogger templates you find on the web may be incompatible with the most recent version of Blogger. If this happens to you, you’ll either have to find someone very smart who knows how to edit XML, or you’ll have to find a different template to upload! You can also reinstall the template you downloaded as a backup, or use the Template Designer.

How to Get AdSense Account Approved for Blogspot with Little Trick


We all know that AdSense contextual ads are best-paying Ad program for Bloggers. Though, I have already shared my tutorial on: Create Adsense account but question remains the same: How to get Adsense account approval for BlogSpot bloggers, getting an AdSense approval is not that easy. Google AdSense have some strict account approval policies, and one of them is blog should be six months old. Though, it’s not always true, and if you have created a quality Website, you can get an approved AdSense account easily.
The major problem is for BlogSpot bloggers, for some reasons Google AdSense, doesn’t entertain BlogSpot bloggers. One of the most common reason BlogSpot bloggers get is Issue with page type.  One easy way to get AdSense account with a BlogSpot blog is grabbed a custom domain, create a professional Email address and apply for AdSense account. This works, in 70% of cases. But, in case if you don’t have money to spend on a domain, here is a free trick which will get you an AdSense account approval with co.cc domain.
There is a simple trick which you can use to get your AdSense account approved for Blogspot domain quickly.
If your BlogSpot account have sufficient number of post (minimum 20+) then it’s easy to get your AdSense account approved. If you have personal domain and host chances of AdSense approval are very high.
Now the question is:

How to get Adsense account approval for BlogSpot blog:

  • Buy a custom domain name.
  • Use Google apps to create a domain specific email address.
  • Add pages like About, Contact
  • Ensure you use a clean BlogSpot design.
  • Have atleast 10-15 well-written blog posts.
  • Ensure you don’t use copyright images. If you have copied images from Google search, go back & delete it from your blog.
  • Ensure your sidebar looks clean & professional.
  • Apply for AdSense & enjoy!
Even I got my AdSense account approved after almost 8 re-submission.

Monday 29 August 2016

Niantic is reversing bans on some 'Pokémon Go' accounts

Niantic is reversing bans on some 'Pokémon Go' accounts

But folks aggressively violating the app's terms of service will remain blocked.




Pokémon Go players who felt they were wrongly banned might get a reprieve. That's because developer Niantic has said that in its quest to block bots and data scrapers, some people who used third-party map apps to locate the virtual critters were wrongly blocked.
"Each end-user app can be used as a collection tool by the app creator, invisibly collecting and forwarding data to the app creator without the knowledge of the end user," Niantic writes. "These apps can have an effect similar to DDoS attacks on our servers."
The company says it's rearranged of few things in its back-end and can reverse bans on a "small subset" of accounts. That won't apply to accounts doing nothing but remotely accessing and capturing Pokemon, taking part in gym battles or grabbing supplies from Pokéstops. In fact, it sounds like bans for those terms-of-service-violating activities will become even more strict.
"Our main priority is to provide a fair, fun and legitimate experience for all players, so, aggressive banning will continue to occur for players who engage in these kinds of activities."
Source: Pokemon Go Live

Roku's next players reportedly deliver HDR, more 4K support

Roku's next players reportedly deliver HDR, more 4K support

And get ready for a whole new Roku naming scheme.


If you held off on last year's Roku 4, the company's next batch of media players might be for you. The big upgrade this time around is the addition of HDR support in the high-end "Roku Ultra" and "Roku Premiere Plus" (which replaces the Roku 3), Zats Not Funny reports from a few leaks. And, as you can probably tell, it looks like Roku is giving up on its numbered naming scheme in exchange for something more obtuse (I'm already dreading explaining the differences to confused shoppers).
While the Roku 4 was last year's only model to include 4K support, it looks like the Premiere (replacing the Roku 2), Premiere Plus and Ultra models will all include it this year. That makes sense, now that 4K TVs are getting significantly cheaper. At the same time, it makes the argument for the company's highest end player harder to accept. The Ultra will reportedly be the only model to include optical out and a remote control finder, but it sounds like the Premiere Plus with HDR and 4K will be best buy for most.
On the low-end, the $50 Roku 1 will be replaced by the Roku Express and Express Plus. It's unclear what will differentiate these models, but I wouldn't be surprised to find faster processors than before and a voice-controlled remote in the Express Plus. And, as Zats mentions, these models will likely be the only ones to retain analog RCA ports for connecting to old TVs.
Source: Engadget

Sunday 14 August 2016

Tesla preps an extra long-range battery for its electric cars

You could see 100D versions of the Model S and Model X in the near future.




Tesla has dropped hints that it's ready to extend the range of its electric cars (there was an allusion to a "P100D" hidden in firmware), but it now looks like that long-distance technology is getting closer to fruition.


Dutch regulators have approved 100D and P100D versions of both the Model Sand Model X, hinting that a 100kWh power pack might soon hit the streets. If the listings are accurate, the Model S would get a whopping 380 miles on a charge -- no mean feat when the 90D can 'only' manage 294 miles. The Model X would likely have a shorter range given that the existing SUV officially tops out at 257 miles, but it's reasonable to say that you'd get over 300 miles on a charge.
There's no official word on when you'd see 100D variants on the street, let alone how much they'll cost. They'll likely make the 60D seem like a bargain. Whatever price they'll carry, they'll bring Tesla one step closer to its dreams of cars that can drive cross-country (eventually, by themselves). And if history is any indication, the higher battery capacity will come along with a performance boost -- add Ludicrous Mode and both EVs could put even the better supercars to shame in terms of short-distance acceleration.

Saturday 13 August 2016

A computer program that can replicate your handwriting


Even the worst penmanship can be mimicked.




Handwriting is a skill that feels personal and unique to all of us. Everyone has a slightly different style -- a weird quirk or a seemingly illegible scrawl -- that's nearly impossible for a computer to replicate, especially as our own penmanship fluctuates from one line to the next. A team at University College London (UCL) is getting pretty close, however, with a new system it's calling "My Text in Your Handwriting." A custom algorithm is able to scan what you've written on a piece of paper and then reproduce your style, to an impressive degree, using whatever words you wish.

To capture your scrawl, the team will ask you to write on four A4-sized sheets of paper (as little as one paragraph can deliver passable results, however). The text is then scanned and converted into a thin, skeletal line. It's broken down by a computer and a human moderator, assigning letters and their position within a word. They also look for "splits," where the line changes from a letter into a "ligature," -- the extra bits you need for joined-up handwriting. Finally, there are "links" which indicate that two separate marks are part of the same letter, for instance when crossing a "t."
The algorithm then works to replicate your handwriting style by referencing and adapting your previously scanned examples. You will have written the same letter on a number of different occasion, so the computer will look for the one that works best for the word or phrase it's trying to sketch out. A degree of randomness is then applied to ensure that the same letters and combinations aren't used more than once (an easy way for humans to figure out if a computer has written something).
Once your written examples or "glyphs" have been selected, the computer will figure out the appropriate spacing in between each letter. The height of each character and where it sits on the line is also taken into consideration. Finally, the "ligatures" are added to the computer-generated piece, along with some basic texturing to mimic the pen and ink you were using.
The results are fairly believable. As an experiment, the team asked a group to decide which envelopes -- all seemingly handwritten -- were produced by a computer. They chose incorrectly 40 percent of the time.
"Up until now, the only way to produce computer-generated text that resembles a specific person's handwriting would be to use a relevant font," Dr Oisin Mac Aodha, a member of the UCL team said. "The problem with such fonts is that it is often clear that the text has not been penned by hand, which loses the character and personal touch of a handwritten piece of text. What we've developed removes this problem and so could be used in a wide variety of commercial and personal circumstances."
The ability to scan and interpret handwriting isn't new -- plenty of apps let you sketch with a stylus or finger, and then convert this into text. Similarly, it's possible for software to reproduce digital text in a variety of seemingly human, handwritten styles. But the ability to reproduce your personal penmanship -- with words and sentences you might not have shown the computer -- is unprecedented. It could be used to help elderly people who are starting to lose their writing ability, or translate handwritten text into new languages while keeping the personality of the author.
If you're wondering if this sort of technology could be used to forge signatures and documents, the answer is yes, it's possible. The team at UCL has stressed, however, that their system works both ways, meaning it could be used by law enforcers to spot computer-aided forgeries too. Still, it's best to be wary the next time someone tries to sell you an autograph.
Source: Engadget

SpaceX to start testing the engine that will take it to Mars


The engine is thrice as powerful as the one it currently uses.




SpaceX has recently inched closer to realizing its head honcho's -- that's Elon Musk, but you already know that -- ambitious Mars plans. It has sent its next-generation rocket engine, the one it's developing for the rocket that will ferry a spacecraft to the red planet, to its McGregor, Texas facility for testing. Company president Gwynne Shotwell made that revelation during the Small Satellite Conference in Utah. A spokesperson also confirmed to Ars Technica that the engine is being prepped for testing in the Lone Star State.
SpaceX hasn't revealed much about the engine yet. We know, however, that it's called "Raptor," and that it will power Falcon Heavy's successor, the reusable rocket SpaceX is building for its Mars Colonial Transporter project. Musk once said at a Reddit AMA that it's capable of producing 500,000 pounds of thrust at liftoff. That makes it thrice as powerful as the engines its Falcon 9 and Heavy rockets use and puts it on par with the Space Shuttle engine.
The CEO expects his Raptor-powered rocket to be able to lift off with a spacecraft that's 100 times the size of an SUV and carry up to 100 tons of cargo. It's important for manned missions bound for Mars to be able to carry huge amounts of supplies, since spacefarers on board face a long journey ahead of them.
SpaceX's goal is to launch its first manned flight to Mars as soon as 2024, and this latest development means that timeframe could be viable. According to Ars, rocket engine development can take up to seven years, and full-scale testing typically happens towards the end of its development. It's still unclear what kind of tests the company will do in Texas, though -- we'll just have to wait for the update Shotwell promised to reveal in the next few months.
Source: Engadget

Adidas rewards its medal-winning Olympians with 3D-printed shoes


These you can actually wear.

It's too early to tell whether 3D-printed footwear will ever be more than a gimmick. Still, you have to give credit to sportswear brands for trying something new, even if in some cases 3D printing is only used to make outsole prototypes. Last year, Adidas began showing the potential of the technology with concepts like Futurecraft 3D, a running shoe made partially out of 3D-printed materials. And now the company's taking that one step further: it created a ready-to-wear pair for its sponsored athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics. As its name suggests, though, the "3D-printed Winners Shoe" will be limited to those who win a medal in Brazil.
Gallery: Adidas 3D-printed Winners Shoe press images | 4 Photos

Unlike the Futurecraft 3D silhouette from a few months ago, this one features a black Primeknit upper and 3D-printed midsole. The heel counter is also 3D-printed, something we hadn't seen before. By integrating the heel counter into the midsole, Adidas says it was able to avoid the usual process of glueing or stitching in parts of the design. Most importantly, an Adidas spokesperson tells Engadget that the 3D-printed Winners Shoe has been fully tested and is approved for running in. Yes, you can wear them without worrying that they'll break before taking any steps.
Adidas hasn't shared details on a consumer model yet, but here's hoping regular folk have a chance to buy their own in the near future.
Source: Engadget

Thursday 4 August 2016

Freedom 251 Maker Starts Delivery of 65,000 Units to Customers





  • The Freedom 251 smartphone is priced at Rs 251
  • Second dispatch includes 65,000 customers
  • Over 7 crore customers registered for the Freedom 251


After the initial dispatch of 5,000 units, Indian company Ringing Bells on Monday announced it has started deliveries of 65,000 more Freedom 251 smartphone units across many states in India. These include West Bengal, Haryana, Himachal, Bihar, Uttarakhand, New Delhi, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
For those unaware, Ringing Bells announced the Freedom 251 smartphone in February this year, with a shocking price tag of Rs. 251. With that unbelievable price tag, the smartphone received as many as 7 crore registrations.

After much delay, the company managed to dispatch the first batch of 5,000 units last month. The only mode of payment is cash on delivery, and therefore it collects Rs.251 (plus delivery charges of Rs. 40) only once the smartphone is delivered. With the latest batch of 65,000 units, makes the total shipment figures go up to 70,000.
“We started the process of lottery few days back, and now we are dispatching the units to the people. We are elated with the response that we have got for the delivered units. It gives us immense pleasure when we see the satisfied reactions of people who got more than they wished for in terms of quality of our low-cost product,” the company spokesperson said.
The Freedom 251 budget Android smartphone touts a quad-core processor, a 4-inch display, apart from front and back cameras. The company looks to ship the Freedom 251 smartphone to 200,000 registered users at least, and then chalk out the roadmap for further production.
At an event last month, Ringing Bells announced two new budget Android smartphones – Ringing Bells Elegance and Ringing Bells Elegant – as well as four new feature phones, three power banks, and a 31.5-inch HD LED TV.


Monday 1 August 2016

Delphi will test its self-driving taxi service in Singapore

Delphi will test its self-driving taxi service in Singapore

Take me to work, car.



Uber may be talking about it, but automotive technology parts supplier Delphi is doing it. Today the company announced a partnership with Singapore to start a pilot program for an on-demand autonomous taxi service.
Before you think you can just jump in an autonomous car next time you're in Singapore, there are a lot of caveats.First, there are only six vehicles in the autonomous fleet. Second, the fleet will only be available along a four-mile route in a business park on the western edge of the city.
The pilot program will last three years with the first year dedicated to laying out the technological groundwork. The vehicles will be deployed on during the second year. Passengers will be chosen to test the system from a cross-section of the Singapore population. The system will work similar to ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber.
Glen DeVos, VP of Delphi's Services Business Unit said that the company is hoping to come up with a "last mile" solution by building out the entire ecosystem including the car, communications system between vehicles and the infrastructure, transactions, cloud services and security. " When the pilots done, we had completed the definition and the deployment that whole automated mobility on demand ecosystem," DeVos told Engadget.
Singapore and Delphi hope to transition the pilot into a operational service that launches in 2022. That's still a pretty far away, but it's another step to have fully autonomous vehicles on the road not just in Asia but around the globe.

Hyperloop One opens its first manufacturing plant

Hyperloop One opens its first manufacturing plant

Engineers are beginning to construct the components of DevLoop ready for 2017.



Hyperloop One has announced that it's opening its first manufacturing plant to build the future of high-speed transportation. Metalworks is a 105,000 square foot facility in the city of North Las Vegas where components for DevLoop, the first testbed for the platform, will be constructed. As well as housing the company's new propulsion lab, the location will also be used to solve some of the more practical engineering challenges the technology faces. Employees will work to design and build supporting columns, cradles and the joints that keep everything held tightly together.

The announcement will also help to bolster the credentials of North Las Vegas, which is becoming a big tech hub for promising new transportation firms. As well as Hyperloop One, officials have snagged investment from Faraday Future to build its new electric supercar factory in the region. In fact, Nevada is becoming a key battleground for transport businesses, since Tesla's Gigafactory is being established seven hours up the road outside Reno.
Of course, Hyperloop One is putting a brave face on while it suffers from a little bit of internal strife. Co-founder Kevin "Brogan Bam Brogan" Brogan has sued the firm, citing harassment and a potential death threat from the brother of co-founder Shervin Pishevar. The company has filed a counter-suit, saying that Brogan was responsible for causing internal strife and launching a "coup," to grab control of the company. Although, as co-founder, you'd think he already had control of the company, wouldn't you?
Watch the video here...
Source: Hyperloop One

NASA's new satellite will look for Earth-sized planets nearby

NASA's new satellite will look for Earth-sized planets nearby

It will blast off in 2017 or 2018.




The Kepler mission scopes out stars and galaxies thousands of light-years away to find exoplanets. NASA's upcoming planet hunter, however, will keep an eye on solar systems closer to home.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite or TESS will find planets by observing stars and looking out for shadows cast by transiting planets. It will be programmed to compute for a planet's size and the time it takes to orbit its star, because those are the information astronomers need to determine if it's habitable. Since Earth- and even super-Earth-sized planets are tiny, though, TESS will observe small bright dwarf stars only hundreds of light-years away.

The satellite is slated to blast off to space in 2017 or 2018 and is expected to observe 200,000 stars within its two-year lifespan. It has the power to detect other celestial bodies and cosmic phenomena, though, so NASA will also use it to observe supernovae, binary stars and even supermassive black holes.
Source: NASA

CBS and Showtime have two million internet-only subscribers

CBS and Showtime have two million internet-only subscribers

The number is 'about evenly split' among the two.




While CBS is busy licensing content to Netflix for display outside of the US and Canada, here its own streaming services are off to a good start. On today's earnings call, execs said CBS All Access and the streaming version of Showtime have combined to reach more than two million subscribers, with the number "about evenly split" between the two.

Read CBS Tweets here...

This is all well ahead of the upcoming All Access-exclusive Star Trek series, and in response to questions, the company stated that its service is helping to reach customers who get their TV only over the internet. The demographic is apparently "younger, skews slightly female...and consumes double the amount of content" as traditional viewers. The CBS digital news channel wasn't included in those numbers, but still had "record" views in June. CEO Les Moonves claimed Star Trek: Discovery will be profitable "even before it launches," which makes it less likely we'll see any changes made to the current strategy.

Kanye West wants Apple and Tidal to stop fighting over exclusives

Kanye West wants Apple and Tidal to stop fighting over exclusives

He'd really like to have a sit-down with Jay-Z and Tim Cook.



Kanye West may be best known on Twitter for starting feuds, but now he's trying to end one... and it's even a rivalry he helped create. In a flurry of four tweets, the rapper griped that the competition between Apple and Tidal over streaming music exclusives is nothing but a "dick swinging contest" that's "fucking up the music game." Yes, that's right -- the man who released his latest album as a Tidal exclusive (if only temporarily) now wants peace. He's even suggesting a meeting with Jay-Z, Tim Cook and other bigwigs to make it happen, and wishes that Apple would just buy Tidal to end the fighting once and for all.
It's just talk at the moment, and there's certainly no guarantee that Apple or Tidal will pull a Taylor Swift and bend over backwards to listen to what Kanye has to say. However, this still represents a big-name artist rebelling against the all-too-common trend of releasing albums through just one service, however briefly. It's not hard to see why he's changing his tune. Kanye's own The Life of Pablo saw a huge surge in demand the moment he ditched his Tidal exclusive, making it clear that fans wouldn't automatically follow him anywhere he went. He and other musicians may have little choice but to bite the bullet and go where the listeners are.
Read Kanye Wests tweets here...

HBO's 'Westworld' sci-fi series arrives October 2nd

HBO's 'Westworld' sci-fi series arrives October 2nd

You'll soon see how JJ Abrams and crew take on the Western-themed robot theme park.




JJ Abrams' and Jonathan Nolan's TV adaptation of Westworld hit its share of snags on the way to release (it was originally supposed to debut in 2015), but it's nearly here. HBO has confirmed that the robot-theme-park-gone-wrong show will debut on October 2nd at 9PM (both Eastern and Pacific). As before, the TV series isn't really a thriller in the vein of Michael Crichton's 1973 movie. Instead, it's more of a philosophical investigation into both simulated experiences and artificial intelligence. If you can do anything you want in a robotic world, what does that say about you? And how does AI grapple with questions of consciousness and self-awareness?
It's far from certain that the show will be a hit. However, it will at least have well-known producers and a big-name cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton, among others. More importantly, it's clear that Abrams, Nolan and HBO are taking the concept seriously -- it's a high-minded drama, not just an excuse to remake a classic sci-fi story.
Watch the official trailer here...

Google teams up with GSK to develop 'bioelectronic medicines'

Google teams up with GSK to develop 'bioelectronic medicines'

Galvani Bioelectronics' first project will look into the treatment of type 2 diabetes.



By forcing startups like Google X, Fiber and Nest to behave like companies and take financial accountability, Alphabet believes that its subsidiaries are more likely to invest in projects that will ultimately make it money. Being in the expensive healthcare business, Verily -- formerly Google Life Sciences -- often needs to speculate to accumulate, but for its latest venture, the company is dreaming big. It's teaming up with British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop bioelectronic medicines that can "harness electrical signals in the body to treat chronic disease."
Under the agreement, both companies will invest up to £540 million ($715 million) to form a new company, Galvani Bioelectronics. It's named after Luigi Aloisio Galvani, an 18th century Italian scientist who was one of the early pioneers of bioelectricity (he was also the guy who found that frogs legs twitch when exposed to an electric current). According to GSK's press release, it'll be headquartered in the UK, with a second research hub in San Francisco, and will primarily focus on the "research, development and commercialization" of bioelectronics.
GSK believes that biomedicines can treat conditions like arthritis and asthma, but one of Galvani Bioelectronics' first projects will focus on the development of "miniaturised precision devices" that can help remedy "inflammatory, metabolic and endocrine disorders" including type 2 diabetes. GSK will fuse its drug discovery and development prowess with Verily's expertise in developing tiny low power electronics. Initially, Galvani will employ 30 scientists, engineers and clinicians, who will utilise treatments developed by both parent companies, academic institutions and other R&D companies. They'll have to wait until the deal is approved by competition regulators before they do, but both parties expect that to happen before the end of the year.

Jack White's label played a vinyl record at 94,000 feet

Jack White's label played a vinyl record at 94,000 feet

It required some clever tech to keep playing on its ascent to the stratosphere.




Jack White's Third Man Records label is no stranger to using technological feats to draw publicity, but its latest feat is something truly special. The company recently teamed up with Students and Teachers in Near Space to become the first to play a vinyl record, the Carl Sagan-sampling "A Glorious Dawn," at the edge of space -- to be exact, in the stratosphere at 94,413 feet. As you might gather from the video (skip to 1:21:20 to see the maximum ascent), it involved a lot more than strapping a turntable to a high-altitude balloon. Key designer Kevin Carrico explains that there were quite a few technical considerations needed to keep the record spinning for as long as possible on its journey.

The biggest challenge may have been protecting the record itself. The stratosphere's very low air levels were certain to reduce the vinyl's insulation from extreme heat -- Carrico had to use both gold plating (a bit like Voyager 1's golden record) and a heat sink-like platter to keep the record distortion-free. He also need a flight computer that would stop playing the record when things got rough, in much the same way as a PC's hard drive stops when it detects a sudden drop. Even the phono cartridge and stylus had to be tough enough to survive the trip.

If you ask White, this wasn't so much a label promo as a bid to "inject imagination and inspiration" into the minds of music fans. Even if you don't believe him, though, the stunt could still serve as a helpful reminder that we humans frequently take Earth's creature comforts for granted. The only way you can enjoy many luxuries in space (or on less forgiving worlds) is to recreate familiar atmospheric conditions.
watch video here...

Deep space travel might play havoc with your heart

Deep space travel might play havoc with your heart

A study finds that Apollo astronauts have been more likely than most to die of heart disease.



Traveling deeper into space may carry some unanticipated health risks. Scientists have published a study noting that Apollo astronauts have died of heart disease at an unusually high rate -- of the 7 that passed away during the study, 43 percent fell to cardiovascular conditions. Only 11 percent of those deceased astronauts who stopped at low Earth orbit succumbed to heart disease, which is about on par with the 9 percent rate on the ground. There's a concern that the increased dose of radiation in deep space, however brief, is intense enough to mess with the functioning of cells that line blood vessels.
Before you ask: yes, the researchers are aware that the study is only covering a handful of people. It may take many more astronauts to reach a definitive conclusion. However, the outcome parallels what the team saw when subjecting mice to the same levels of radiation you'd get on a trip to the Moon. The irradiated rodents were disproportionately likely to suffer heart problems as they aged, just on a much shorter time scale.
This doesn't mean that humans will have to stay near Earth to avoid a premature death. The findings challenge the all-clear message from earlier studies, though, and may give space agencies a reason for pause as they prepare for human travel to Mars. Spacecraft and spacesuits may need extra protection to ensure that crews lead long, healthy lives.

Scientists turn CO2 into fuel with solar power

Scientists turn CO2 into fuel with solar power

Which could spell the end for traditional gasoline production.



Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago believe that they've perfected the art of photosynthetic solar cells. It's a technology that mimics a plant's ability to inhale carbon dioxide and, with water, convert it into glucose and oxygen. This system is capable of drawing in carbon dioxide and processing it into a synthetic fuel that could be used to power vehicles. Theoretically, this device could create a virtuous cycle where climate-altering carbon could be removed from the atmosphere and pumped back into cars.
The artificial leaf contains a pair of solar cells that power an infinitely more complex version of the electrolysis you learned about in high school science. Energy from the sun is used to catalyze a reaction with various obscure compounds like nanoflake tungsten diselenide (which is a transition metal dichalcogenide). Synthetic gas comes out of the other side, which can either be used directly by vehicles that can take it, or converted further into diesel.

But this isn't the first time we've seen artificial photosynthesis being used as a potential weapon in the war on climate change. Early last year, we saw a team from Berkeley using a similar process, albeit with genetically-modified E. coli bacteria at the heart of the system. That version didn't output synthetic gas but acetate, a building block of several compounds like biofuel, anti-malaria drugs and biodegradable plastics. Should UIC's newer process prove to be cost-effective, it could spell the end of traditional gasoline production as we know it. Instead, a network of these cells would be installed at a solar farm, creating fuel and reducing the quantity of atmospheric carbon dioxide at the same time. The only downside is that we'd still be re-releasing the deadly gas back into the atmosphere, but it's a decent stop-gap while we work on reducing our carbon emissions more permanently.