Canadian company to build plant that will remove CO2 from atmosphere — convert it to fuel

The Bill Gates-backed venture promises to remove CO2 from the atmosphere at a rate of under $100 per tonne.

Carbon Engineering
Surprising Science
  • Negative emissions technologies remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it or convert it to fuel.
  • In addition to capturing carbon, Carbon Engineering also converts stored carbon into a fuel that can be used by everyday vehicles.
  • The ability to profit from carbon capture and conversion will surely help make these kinds of technologies more cost-effective.
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China refutes U.S. claim that it's pushing space 'arms race'

"Here I want to remind all of you of a fact that the U.S. publicly defines outer space as a new battlefield," a Chinese foreign minister said.

U.S. Air Force
Politics & Current Affairs
  • A Chinese foreign minister refuted U.S. claims that China and Russia are developing space weaponry.
  • China and Russia have recently ramped up cooperation on space programs.
  • Meanwhile, the U.S. has been skeptical of both nations, arguing that they're likely developing an array of space weapons.
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Spaceflight reactivates herpes virus in astronauts

A NASA-led study suggests the stress of spaceflight seems to trigger various types of herpes to reactivate in astronauts.

Surprising Science
  • The study examined saliva, blood and urine obtained from astronauts who went on short- and long-term space missions.
  • The results showed that virus reactivation rates in these astronauts were much higher than controls.
  • Spaceflight seems to weaken the immune system, enabling these once-dormant viruses to reactivate and potentially cause serious health problems.
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Why is 18 the age of adulthood if the brain can take 30 years to mature?

Neuroscience research suggests it might be time to rethink our ideas about when exactly a child becomes an adult.

Mind & Brain
  • Research suggests that most human brains take about 25 years to develop, though these rates can vary among men and women, and among individuals.
  • Although the human brain matures in size during adolescence, important developments within the prefrontal cortex and other regions still take pace well into one's 20s.
  • The findings raise complex ethical questions about the way our criminal justice systems punishes criminals in their late teens and early 20s.
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