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Despite decades of searching distant planets and stars for alien life we’re still empty handed. Turns out, we may have been looking in all the wrong places. And the answers could be closer than we thought. Life could be right next door — floating in the lower clouds of Venus.

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Following is the transcript of the video:

Despite decades of searching distant planets and stars for alien life we’re still empty handed. Turns out, we may have been looking in all the wrong places. And the answers could be closer than we thought.

Life could be right next door — floating in the lower clouds of Venus! Turns out, Venus has some mysterious dark patches that might be swarms of alien microorganisms. Scientists have known about these patches for nearly a century.

They first gained attention because they changed shape so often. Morphing from small patches to giant blobs over a matter of days. Sort of like a lava lamp.

Rakesh Mogul: “You ever took a lava lamp when it fully warmed up. These patches and blobs are always floating around and they change shapes. They get long, they get short, they break up and get back together it's sort of like that.  At least to me, it seems like that. What the Venus clouds look like.”

For decades, no one could come up with a convincing explanation of what was really going on. Then, in 1967, famed astronomer Carl Sagan suggested the clouds could support alien life. And now a team of scientists have new evidence to back this idea.

Rakesh Mogul: “They are these big splotches that are 3-Dimension but they’re hard to see in three dimensions and they just move around. So I think if you were inside an ocean and you looked at a bloom from the bottom it would look the same way.”

This behavior reminded the scientists of algal blooms. You know ... they’re those green mats in lakes and oceans. And they’re teeming with bacteria. Interestingly enough, they grow and change shape similar to the patches on Venus. But the scientists needed more to go on than shapes alone. They needed proof that bacteria like this could theoretically exist in Venus’s clouds which, at first glance, don’t look all that inviting. They’re not made of water ice like the clouds on Earth. Instead, they contain toxic sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid. 

Digging deeper, the scientists found what they were looking for in India. A special type of bacteria. The bacteria could withstand highly acidic environments AND stay aloft in clouds on Earth. It’s a big stretch to say these bacteria could survive on Venus but it’s not hard to imagine how the similar environment in Venus’ clouds might harbor some form of life.

After all, Venus wasn’t always the pressurized oven we know today with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead and pressures 90 times greater than sea level on Earth. If you rewind about 2 billion years patterns on Venus’ surface suggest the planet once harbored vast oceans. Which may have spawned life in the early solar system. And perhaps that life found a safe haven in the cooler, acidic clouds after Venus became the hellish hothouse we know today.

Now, the scientists aren’t saying there are definitely aliens on Venus.

Rakesh Mogul: “The number one choice right away should be something that’s not biology. So for decades it's been what are the, non-biology or abiotic reasons that could explain these contrasts.”

But as more non-biology explanations are ruled out a biological answer still looms on the horizon.

Rakesh Mogul: “Something in the atmosphere is perpetually in the clouds.”

Ultimately, solving this mystery will require a trip to Venus. Right now, NASA has its sights set on more distant water worlds like Europa and Enceladus. But, perhaps one day, we’ll skip over next door and see if anyone’s home.

Linear friction welding welds materials together using heat from friction. After placing two materials into a welding machine they are then pushed tightly together. One of the two materials moves quickly against the other, causing them to melt from the heat produced, combining them. The process is capable of combining materials together extremely quickly, sometimes in as little as a second. 

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This huge seacraft is developed by Swiss company PlanetSolar, who wanted to create a vessel which was environmentally friendly and produced zero-emissions. Developed in 2010, the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is the largest solar-powered boat ever built. Its 500 solar panels can provide 120 kilowatts of energy, allowing the ship to travel around 5 knots. 

The boat has now been donated to the Race for Water Foundation, who will now use the ship as a laboratory for scientific missions to raise awareness about alternative energy solutions. 

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Blastrac makes a machine that scrapes tile and other floor coverings off the ground with ease. The machine comes in three different styles for residential and commercial spaces. Blastrac also creates machines for other steps in the floor replacement process.

See more from Blastrac: https://www.blastrac.com/

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This machine replaces railway ties, all without having to remove any of the railway track. Railroad tracks are made of three parts: the long steel rails that the trains run on, railway ties and track ballast—which are the stones in between the tracks. The machine uses a tie changer, which is capable of removing ballast on the tracks. This allows it to grab the railway ties for replacing. The ties are attached back to the track using fastening clips and then the ballast is smoothed back out. 

See more from RF-Systems: http://www.rf-system.se/index.php/en/

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Celluveyor is an omnidirectional conveyor belt that consists of small hexagonal cells capable of moving products in any direction. Operators set a product's course by using special software installed on a tablet. The conveyor belt is most suited for smart warehouses and assembly lines.

See more from Celluveyor: http://www.celluveyor.com/en/

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McDonald's. Arby's. Wendy's. Burger King. Jack in the Box. In-N-Out and more all use the color red heavily in their logos, why? The answer goes back thousands of years.

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Following is the transcript of the video:

Hmmmm... These companies have something in common. Can you spot it?

Well, besides all being fast food chains… They’re all red. And it's not a coincidence. Color is one of the many tactics companies use to connect with customers. And if swearing off fast food wasn’t hard enough, those colorful red logos might make it even harder to ignore.

The average human can see ten million colors, but red is special. Turns out, it’s one of the first colors our ancient ancestors thought important enough to name. Back before alphabets and writing, early human languages were surprising… uncolorful. There were words for “black” and “white’ and “red” but not much else. In fact, blue didn’t show up until thousands of years later in 200 A.D.

As a result, we have a deeper connection to red than any other color on the spectrum and we react to it in certain ways that actually play to fast food companies’ advantage. For starters, researchers have found that red can evoke a sense of urgency. On top of that, it also has an innate ability to wet our appetites. And when you pair those two together you’ve got the perfect recipe to attract hungry customers who want food, fast.

So that red logo isn’t just a welcoming sign it’s a sly seduction for your brain. Now, it’s unclear why red makes us feel this way. But perhaps it has something to do with where the word comes from. Many ancient languages, including Hebrew and from tribes of New Guinea, first named red from their word for “blood.”

For example, red in Hebrew looks like this אָדוֹם and is pronounced “ah-dohm,” while blood looks like דָם and pronounced “dahm.” But red’s bloody beginning has transformed over millennia. During medieval times, for example, red was worn by royals as a status symbol. And today, brides in many parts of India are married in red dress.

In fact, red is one of the few colors today that cultures all over the world view positively. And it’s no wonder companies dedicate so much thought to their logos. After all, we’re a visual species. Despite having five senses, 80% of the information our brains process on a daily basis comes from our eyes.

And according to marketing company WebPageFX, nearly 85% of consumers say the main reason they choose one product over the other is color. Another 80% said that colors are what give brands that memorable stamp of recognition.

Just think what McDonald’s would look like in blue, green, or pink! It’s just not the same, right?

A group of college engineering students designed a box that can deliver supplies to natural disaster victims. It's called the Dazzle Box and could save lives. It comes in a unique shape and colorful camouflage that makes the container stand out in any situation. It also won this year's 3M Disruptive Design Challenge.

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Getting stuck by lightning is rough. It can burn hotter than the sun, scar your body, and even blow off your clothes. Even worse, it kills about 47 Americans per year. Although 90% of those struck survive, it's still worth knowing how to avoid getting a heavy dose of sky electricity.

Following is the transcript of the video:

Contrary to popular belief, lightning strikes aren’t always a death sentence. In fact, about 90 percent of people in the US who are struck actually survive.

Still, victims rarely walk away unscathed, and the damage can be permanent.

Lightning triggers 75,000 forest fires in the US each year and can split entire trees down the middle in a split second.

So it’s frightening to imagine what it does inside a human body.

The good news is that you won’t get cooked Wile E Coyote-style, but it can still do damage.

For starters, lightning carries between 1 to 10 billion joules of energy — enough to power a 100-watt bulb for at least 3 months. When that amount of electricity enters your body,  it short-circuits the small electrical signals that run your heart, lungs, and nervous system.

This can lead to cardiac arrest, seizures, brain injury, spinal cord damage, and even amnesia.

But electricity isn’t your only problem. Lightning is blisteringly hot. In under a second, it can heat the surrounding air to temperatures 5X hotter than the sun’s surface.

This causes a rapid expansion of air, which leads to a shock wave that we hear as thunder.

It has been calculated that someone standing within 30 feet of a lightning strike point can experience a blast wave equivalent to a 5kg TNT bomb (Blumenthal).

The intense heat, light, and electricity can also damage your eyes. In fact, it can bore holes in your retina and can cause cataracts within days or weeks.

Other side-effects of lightning can include impotence in men and overall decreased libido. That’s just what happens on the inside!

As the lightning moves toward the surface, it can force red blood cells out of your capillaries, into your epidermis….like a bruise. These intricate designs are called Lichtenberg figures.

The intense temperatures can also heat up any metal you might be wearing, causing third-degree burns and can also rapidly vaporize the rainwater or sweat on your skin. The resulting steam explosion may blow off your clothes and shoes leaving you nearly naked!

On average 47 people in the US are killed by lightning each year. So, you might be wondering, “How do I make sure I’m not that guy?”

For starters, check weather forecasts ahead of time, and stay indoors during a storm. But if you’re stuck outside, avoid isolated trees, poles, and open fields, and run as fast as you can towards safety.

You’re best off in a developed building or a hard-topped metal vehicle. So stay calm and just remember: “When thunder roars go indoors!”

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#Lightning #Weather #TechInsider

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What Happens When You're Struck By Lightning? | The Human Body

Naked Prosthetics custom-makes prosthetics that help give amputees motor function and protection. Specifically developed for those with finger loss, these prosthetics mimic natural finger motion by working in cohesion with the remaining fingers. Naked Prosthetics makes the fingers through a combination of 3D printing and machinery.

See more from Naked Prosthetics: http://www.npdevices.com/patients/mcp...

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2017 was the third hottest year on record and as temperatures continue to rise some of America's cities are looking for ways to cool down. In Los Angeles, pavement company GuardTop is coating streets white to help combat climate change.

See more from GuardTop: https://guardtop.com/

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Following is the transcript of the video:

Manny Ocbazghi: 2017 was the third hottest year on record. And based on recent trends, it's not getting cooler any time soon. Some researchers are asking, how can we stay cool? Especially in our cities. They're typically hotter than rural areas. But why?

You can thank the urban heat island effect. On hot summer days, roofs, buildings and other urban surfaces can heat up to 90 degrees hotter than the air. This creates islands of heat. One of the biggest contributors to those islands, dark surfaces. Dark surfaces absorb all wavelengths of light and converts them to heat. So the surface gets warm. It's why your mom told you not to wear black during a heatwave. Surface temperatures can reach up to 150 degrees. And since asphalt is an insulator, it traps that heat over the course of the day. Then at night when the air is cooler, the heat radiates away. Lighter surfaces, on the other hand, absorb fewer wavelengths and reflect the rest. That way, all that energy isn't absorbed. And surface temperatures won't rise as much.

So, would coating our streets white help cool down our cities? Enter Jeff Luzar, he's the Vice President of Sales for GuardTop, a pavement company looking to cool off LA. Their solution? Coat the streets white.

Jeff Luzar: We're seeing temperature difference right now of about, anywhere from about nine to 10 degrees, but again, the temperatures are pretty cool outside right now.

Ocbazghi: When it's hotter though, Jeff says the pavement could be up to 30 degrees cooler with the white coat.

Luzar: Some of the pilot programs that we've done last year with the Bureau of Streets and Services LA City, I know they are, as well as we are, taking a look at the surfaces, making sure they're holding up, making sure they're still doing what we said they were gonna do. And they are. And some of the neighbors are saying they do feel a little difference and this and that. If we can lower the temperatures by the ambient temperature outside by degree or two, it means a lot.

Ocbazghi: That may not seem like a lot but a report by the Environmental Protection Agency suggests that a one and half degree change could make a huge difference. Los Angeles could save over $100 million per year in energy savings and smog reductions. But what is the coating made of? Most other pavements use coal tar. Some studies have been done and that where it's showing that it could have some carcinogenic effects. But GuardTop says that its coating is made from recycled materials that don't have carcinogenic additives.

Of course LA isn't the only warm city in the world. Other US cities are also considering coating their streets like Las Vegas. But officials there worry that it won't stick due to an oily road mix it uses to combat dry climate. And in New York City, volunteers have painted seven million square feet of rooftops white, but that's only 1% of the potential roof area. It's clear that there's still a lot of work to be done.

Luzar: I was never a big climate guy until we started getting into this product but when you see what differences one degree can make in climate change, it makes quite a bit of difference.

At its 2018 I/O developer conference, Google showed off some updates coming to Google Home and Assistant. One feature — Google Duplex — can make phone calls for you and talk to the person on the other end to schedule appointments and make reservations. Google says the feature will roll out as an experiment over the coming weeks.

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