Latest news with #InterestingEngineering
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
EV manufacturer unveils new-age model with head-turning charging capabilities — here's how far it can go after a 10-minute plug-in
A Chinese automaker has unveiled a new line of SUVs capable of achieving long-range driving on a short charge comparable to filling a gas tank on a gas-powered car. The Deepal S09 comes in different versions, with the extended range 1.5 trim offering drivers 186 miles of range on a 10-minute charge, according to Interesting Engineering. Depending on the size of the tank, it generally takes about three to five minutes to fill up a gas-powered car. The development is another significant step forward by Chinese automakers, fueling a surge in EV sales in China. Despite high tariffs locking Chinese companies out of the international market, huge domestic sales mean China still has a 76% share of the global EV market, according to the Guardian. While it's very unlikely the S09 will ever reach American shores, these are still very encouraging developments for electric vehicle adoption. One of the American buyers' most significant sticking points about EVs is range anxiety. While research shows that consumers tend to overestimate concerns over range, charging a car in minutes will help address that issue. With much less maintenance required and a lower cost to charge, running an electric vehicle is much cheaper in the long run after the initial cost. Similarly, the environmental impact is much less, even considering the manufacturing process. Lithium mining does take a toll, but it is improving, and after about six months, or around 13,500 miles, an EV reaches its break-even point, per Reuters. The longer it stays on the road, the greater the returns to the environment. Faster charging is just one of the exciting developments in the EV sector. Battery technology is constantly improving, as are the maximum ranges of new vehicles entering the market. Keeping an older car running longer is still the best move for the planet, but when the time comes, there are substantial financial and environmental benefits to making that next car electric. If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Cost Battery range Power and speed The way it looks Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists achieve stunning energy breakthrough with tech borrowed from video games: 'A crucial technological innovation'
Scientists at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea developed an algorithm to improve the efficiency and stability of fusion energy, Interesting Engineering reported. The algorithm detects particle collisions in fusion energy reactors — which disrupt the fusion process — 15 times faster than previous detection methods. Fusion, the U.S. Department of Energy explains, is a form of nuclear energy. It differs from other forms of nuclear energy –– such as fission –– that require extractive uranium mining and produce radioactive waste. While fission generates energy by splitting atoms, fusion does so by combining them. This process of combining atoms does not create waste, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Two hydrogen atoms fuse into one helium atom in fusion, and this reaction occurs and generates energy on the sun, the U.S. Department of Energy describes. But producing this reaction on our planet requires an immense amount of pressure and extremely high temperatures, which is why fusion energy is still being researched and not yet available as power, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. While fusion energy needs further development, the scientists' breakthrough is a step toward application. The team used video game collision detection methods — which work by calculating the distance between two objects before they collide — as inspiration for the algorithm. The researchers applied and tested their algorithm on Virtual KSTAR, a digital replica of a fusion reactor called KSTAR in South Korea. They found that the algorithm reduced the calculations required to predict particle collisions in fusion reactors by 99.9%, Interesting Engineering reported, making the reactors more efficient and stable. The team hopes to further develop the algorithm and explore the use of supercomputers to make it even more efficient, according to Interesting Engineering. Fusion energy –– with breakthroughs such as the algorithm –– could provide a clean alternative to dirty energy, producing nearly 4 million times more energy per kilogram of fuel than coal or oil, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. "The collision detection algorithm we developed serves as a crucial technological innovation," Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology professor Eisung Yoon said. Should we be digging into the ground to find new energy sources? Definitely No way As long as it's not near me As long as it's clean energy Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Business Mayor
17-05-2025
- Science
- Business Mayor
Major US volcano predicted to erupt TOMORROW
Scientists have issued a stark warning about the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest, cautioning that it could erupt as soon as tomorrow. The Axial Seamount is a mile-wide underwater volcano that sits 300 miles off the coast of Oregon and more than 4,900 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. Researchers with the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative say there has been massive uptick in the number of earthquakes under the seamount, caused by magma pushing to the surface. According to William Wilcock, a professor and marine geophysicist at the University of Washington the seafloor has inflated to the level that it reached before the 2015 eruption. The swelling means that dangerously hot magma is building up beneath the surface. 'At the moment, there are a couple hundred earthquakes a day, but that's still a lot less than we saw before the previous eruption,' Wilcock explained. 'I would say it was going to erupt sometime later (this year) or early 2026, but it could be tomorrow, because it's completely unpredictable,' the marine geophysicist added. The Axial Seamount last erupted in 2015, triggering roughly 8,000 earthquakes, producing 400-foot-thick lava flows and causing the bottom of the ocean to sink nearly eight feet. The Axial Seamount is a mile-wide underwater volcano that sits 300 miles off the coast of Oregon and more than 4,900 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. One of Axial Seamounts many hydrothermal vents, which are part of a complex, sprawling network Scientists monitoring this volcano have detected a key sign that it is about to erupt: inflation of the seafloor. Pictured is the opening of the volcano The region has seen a sharp rise in the number of earthquakes in just the last month, with a major spike in activity recorded on April 13. Since May 6, the number of daily earthquakes under the seamount has been steadily rising. If Axial Seamount does blow within the next few days, it won't pose any threat human communities along the West Coast, experts say. It's too deep and too far from shore for people to even notice when it erupts, and it has no impact on seismic activity on land. However, the number of underwater quakes is expected to skyrocket during this event, rising from several hundred per day right now to 10,000 earthquakes within a 24-hour period as magma flows out of the seafloor volcano, according to Interesting Engineering. Mike Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, expressed excitement about the eruption, highlighting Axial Seamount as one of the world's best-monitored submarine volcanoes. 'This particular volcano is probably the best-monitored submarine volcano in the world,' he told Cowboy State Daily. 'It's fascinating and doesn't really pose a hazard.' Seismic activity at the Axial Seamount has been growing exponentially, with hundreds of daily earthquakes now being reported – signaling a pending eruption Situated along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a chain of undersea volcanoes extending between Oregon and Alaska, Axial Seamount is a young shield volcano – a broader volcano with a low profile. 'When Axial Seamount erupts, it'll look a lot like a Hawaiian lava flow eruption,' Poland said. 'It's not an explosive eruption, but calm effusions of lava flowing out of the caldera and across the seafloor.' Scientists warned last year that Axial Seamount was going to erupt by the end of 2025. 'Because it's had these three eruptions in the last 30 years, that's why we call it the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest, because most of the ones on land aren't active that frequently, and they spend a lot of their time slumbering, whereas Axial has a pretty active magma supply,' Chadwick told local CBS affiliate KOIN 6 News. 'So, if it's not erupting, it's inflating and getting ready for the next one. And so that's why we're kind of monitoring what's happening to it all the time.' Eruptions from Axial Seamount were recorded in 1998, 2011, and 2015, and the volcano has undoubtedly erupted numerous times prior to those events, according to Poland. In November 2024, Oregon State University geophysicist William Chadwick started investigating the volcano when he noticed its surface had swelled to nearly the same height it reached before its last eruption 10 years ago. The swelling that occurred prior to the 2015 eruption allowed Chadwick and his colleagues to predict that event. This massive underwater volcano sits 300 miles off the coast of Oregon and more than 4,900 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean This time, their observations told them that Axial Seamount would erupt before the end of 2025. 'Based on the current trends, and the assumption that Axial will be primed to erupt when it reaches the 2015 inflation threshold, our current eruption forecast window is between now (July 2024) and the end of 2025,' the researchers reported. They also found that seismic activity at Axial Seamount had increased, with hundreds of earthquakes generated around the volcano per day and earthquake swarms greater than 500 per day. Frequent, small earthquakes like these can signal that magma locked beneath the ocean floor is creeping closer to the surface. The team shared their findings at the annual American Geophysical Union conference in December 2024. Wilcock noted that the first sign that an eruption from this volcano is imminent would be a sharp increase in the number of earthquakes around it – which the area is now experiencing. 'That period lasts about an hour, and then the magma reaches the surface,' Wilcock said in a statement last month. After that, 'the seismic activity dies down pretty quickly over the next few days, but the eruption will continue slowly for about a month,' he added. This impending eruption will be a major research opportunity for Wilcock and other scientists, who plan to use a suite of high-tech instruments to monitor the eruption from start to finish. The University of Washington's College of the Environment hosts one of the largest underwater observatories in the world, comprised of networks of sensors along the seafloor and throughout the ocean waters. In November 2024, Oregon State University geophysicist William Chadwick started investigating the volcano when he noticed its surface had swelled to nearly the same height it reached before its last eruption 10 years ago The volcano is located off the coast of Oregon. Pictured is a quaint town in the state When Axial Seamount finally erupts, Wilcock and his colleagues will use this array to gather data and images of the event as it unfolds. Even though Axial is not a dangerous undersea volcano, the forecasting capabilities scientists have gained from studying it could help them predict eruptions from those that are. For example, in January 2022, an extremely powerful eruption of the Hunga underwater volcano in the Tonga archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean triggered a tsunami that caused an estimated $90 billion in damages. This massive wave impacted California, Hawaii, and parts of Canada, Chile, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico and Peru. The West Coast won't have to worry about Axial causing an event like that. But its eruption will provide an opportunity for scientists to learn more about how these powerful geological structures work – and now it could come at any time.
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Underwater volcano ready to erupt off the West Coast, scientists warn
The most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest could erupt as soon as tomorrow, scientists warn. The Axial Seamount is a mile-wide underwater volcano that sits 300 miles off the coast of Oregon and more than 4,900 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. It last erupted in 2015, triggering roughly 8,000 earthquakes , producing 400-foot-thick lava flows and causing the bottom of the ocean to sink nearly eight feet. 'At the moment, there are a couple hundred earthquakes a day, but that's still a lot less than we saw before the previous eruption,' Wilcock explained. 'I would say it was going to erupt sometime later (this year) or early 2026, but it could be tomorrow, because it's completely unpredictable,' the marine geophysicist added. The region has seen a sharp rise in the number of earthquakes in just the last month, with a major spike in activity recorded on April 13. Since May 6, the number of daily earthquakes under the seamount has been steadily rising. If Axial Seamount does blow within the next few days, it won't pose any threat human communities along the West Coast, experts say. It's too deep and too far from shore for people to even notice when it erupts, and it has no impact on seismic activity on land. However, the number of underwater quakes is expected to skyrocket during this event, rising from several hundred per day right now to 10,000 earthquakes within a 24-hour period as magma flows out of the seafloor volcano, according to Interesting Engineering. Mike Poland, a scientist at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, expressed excitement about the eruption, highlighting Axial Seamount as one of the world's best-monitored submarine volcanoes. 'This particular volcano is probably the best-monitored submarine volcano in the world,' he told Cowboy State Daily. 'It's fascinating and doesn't really pose a hazard.' Situated along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a chain of undersea volcanoes extending between Oregon and Alaska, Axial Seamount is a young shield volcano - a broader volcano with a low profile. 'When Axial Seamount erupts, it'll look a lot like a Hawaiian lava flow eruption,' Poland said. 'It's not an explosive eruption, but calm effusions of lava flowing out of the caldera and across the seafloor.' Scientists warned last year that Axial Seamount was going to erupt by the end of 2025. 'Because it's had these three eruptions in the last 30 years, that's why we call it the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest, because most of the ones on land aren't active that frequently, and they spend a lot of their time slumbering, whereas Axial has a pretty active magma supply,' Chadwick told local CBS affiliate KOIN 6 News. 'So, if it's not erupting, it's inflating and getting ready for the next one. And so that's why we're kind of monitoring what's happening to it all the time.' Eruptions from Axial Seamount were recorded in 1998, 2011, and 2015, and the volcano has undoubtedly erupted numerous times prior to those events, according to Poland. In November 2024, Oregon State University geophysicist William Chadwick started investigating the volcano when he noticed its surface had swelled to nearly the same height it reached before its last eruption 10 years ago. The swelling that occurred prior to the 2015 eruption allowed Chadwick and his colleagues to predict that event. This time, their observations told them that Axial Seamount would erupt before the end of 2025. 'Based on the current trends, and the assumption that Axial will be primed to erupt when it reaches the 2015 inflation threshold, our current eruption forecast window is between now (July 2024) and the end of 2025,' the researchers reported. They also found that seismic activity at Axial Seamount had increased, with hundreds of earthquakes generated around the volcano per day and earthquake swarms greater than 500 per day. Frequent, small earthquakes like these can signal that magma locked beneath the ocean floor is creeping closer to the surface. The team shared their findings at the annual American Geophysical Union conference in December 2024. Wilcock noted that the first sign that an eruption from this volcano is imminent would be a sharp increase in the number of earthquakes around it - which the area is now experiencing. 'That period lasts about an hour, and then the magma reaches the surface,' Wilcock said in a statement last month. After that, 'the seismic activity dies down pretty quickly over the next few days, but the eruption will continue slowly for about a month,' he added. This impending eruption will be a major research opportunity for Wilcock and other scientists, who plan to use a suite of high-tech instruments to monitor the eruption from start to finish. The University of Washington's College of the Environment hosts one of the largest underwater observatories in the world, comprised of networks of sensors along the seafloor and throughout the ocean waters. When Axial Seamount finally erupts, Wilcock and his colleagues will use this array to gather data and images of the event as it unfolds. Even though Axial is not a dangerous undersea volcano, the forecasting capabilities scientists have gained from studying it could help them predict eruptions from those that are. For example, in January 2022, an extremely powerful eruption of the Hunga underwater volcano in the Tonga archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean triggered a tsunami that caused an estimated $90 billion in damages . This massive wave impacted California, Hawaii, and parts of Canada, Chile, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico and Peru. The West Coast won't have to worry about Axial causing an event like that. But its eruption will provide an opportunity for scientists to learn more about how these powerful geological structures work - and now it could come at any time.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers make breakthrough on experimental device that will get hotter than the sun: 'It provides energy and cooling media'
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in France is inching closer to completion with the delivery of essential magnetic components from China for its fusion reactor. The Correction Coil In-Cryostat Feeder is the last and most important of many massive components in the reactor's magnetic feeder system, according to Interesting Engineering. The device was developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Plasma Physics, and, according to the institution, it consists of nine sets of half-ring structures measuring approximately 52 feet wide and 10 feet high. Per the news report, ITER is jointly funded by the European Union, China, the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, and Russia, all working together to unlock nearly unlimited amounts of clean and sustainable energy. Fusion is the process of harvesting energy released when two nuclei in a superheated plasma combine to form a new atomic nucleus. The energy and pressure required to heat the plasma are immense, even exceeding temperatures in our sun, where fusion naturally occurs. Although the success of human-made fusion reactors is still mostly theoretical, scientists are hopeful that this energy source is nearing viability. According to ITER, "Fusion research has increased key fusion plasma performance parameters by a factor of 10,000 over 60 years; research is now less than a factor of 10 away from producing the performance needed for a fusion power plant." The process does not emit harmful pollutants or long-lived radioactive waste and uses Earth-abundant deuterium and tritium as fuel. If successful, fusion reactors could complement solar and wind energy, pushing society further toward its sustainability goals. The ITER magnetic feeder system is known as the "lifeline" of the reactor's magnetic assembly, and Lu Kun, deputy director of ASIPP, explained how crucial it is to the project in a press release from the school. "It provides energy and cooling media to the fusion reactor magnets, sends back critical control signals, and also acts as a discharge channel to safely release stored magnet energy," Kun said. Other fusion reactor projects are making progress with incremental improvements to their design. China's Huanliu-3 reactor employs real-time data tracking to help fine-tune internal processes, while scientists at the UK Atomic Energy Authority successfully produced fusion-grade steel that can withstand the temperatures needed in these reactors. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
