Technologies

Steakholder Foods, which grew out of Israeli startup MeaTech 3D, has announced a public tasting of synthetic wagyu beef for later this year. It is reported that they have managed to produce an analog of the “omakase” variety that surpasses the original in all parameters. But the main thing is that such synthetic meat is actually meat, and its properties can be varied to suit any needs.

The technology is based on the creation of “bioinks,” a semi-liquid material that can be filled into a 3D printer to print the desired structure. Biocornyls are made up of muscle fragments and fat cells grown from an animal’s stem cells. That is, it is a complete beef, initially separated into components for ease of use in 3D printing.

Steakholder Foods says it can not only reproduce the characteristic marble pattern of wagyu, but also make the meat even better. For example, they can achieve a perfect distribution of meat and fat in each piece. Or, on the contrary, to increase the nutritional value of the meat, to make it more beautiful, to adapt the appearance to create a new dish. Instead of searching the cow carcass for a suitable piece, the chef of the future will set a program for the 3D printer and immediately get what he is looking for.

Pages: 1 2

A team of engineers led by Gang Wang from the University of Alabama has created a curious version of a triboelectric generator that uses the simplest of components. Essentially, they are either trash or items that can be bought for a nominal sum at any hardware store. Plastic film, adhesive tape and two plates of aluminum – such a primitive device made 400 LEDs glow at once.

This is their second prototype, and it is 47% more efficient than the previous one. The plastic and adhesive tape are freely located between the metal plates, and the compression and separation of the latter generates electric charge. The advantage of the system is that the amount of charge directly depends on the pressure force, so it is possible to assemble generators of different power and size. The prototype achieved a power density of 170 W per square meter.

Pages: 1 2

Ralph Appelbaum Associates has completed work on the installation of the original “Lift 109” elevator, which is located inside the giant chimney of an ancient coal-fired power station. Over its nearly century-long history, the Battersea Power Statio, believed to be the largest brick building in Europe, has become one of London’s most famous landmarks. The art deco structure has been captured in hundreds of works of art, and after the station itself closed, it was turned into an interactive museum.

Pages: 1 2

Initially, iodine is added to pure water, which significantly reduces its conductivity. The water is passed through a special nozzle to produce a flat liquid jet several microns thick. A laser is fired into this jet, which knocks out the iodine ions, resulting in a dramatic increase in the conductivity of the water. A second laser “reads” this change and determines which of the two positions the system is in. In this way, the operation of a classical semiconductor is mimicked.

Pages: 1 2

For the average person, time flows in a measured fashion, and most people give little thought to how it can affect their lives. However, it is worth knowing that time on our planet is measured in two systems – UTC and GPS. UTC time is somewhat “behind” GPS time. In order to equalize both systems, since 1972 the practice of adding so-called leap seconds has been widely used. A leap second refers to a one-second adjustment applied to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to account for the difference between accurate atomic time and inaccurate observed solar time, which varies due to irregularities and long-term slowing of the planet’s rotation.

The General Conference on Weights and Measures recently decided to abandon it. This decision is a historic one. On the practical side, the adoption of the new norm will help avoid problems in industries such as telecommunications, communications, and navigation, where the continuous flow of time is extremely important. The decision, for which representatives of 59 countries voted, will come into force in 2035 or earlier if a number of conditions are ensured. Russia voted against it – the Russian delegation insisted that it should take effect from 2040.

Pages: 1 2