Science News

World can eliminate fossil fuel use by 2090

London, Oct 28 : A new study has said that the world could eliminate fossil fuel use by 2090, saving 18 trillion dollars in future fuel costs and creating a 360 billion dollars industry that provides half of the world’s electricity.

According to a report in New Scientist, the study was undertaken by the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and environmental group Greenpeace.

The study is one of few reports to look in detail at how energy use would have to be overhauled to meet the toughest scenarios for curbing greenhouse gases outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“Renewable energy could provide all global energy needs by 2090,” according to the study, entitled “Energy (R)evolution.”

Why Neanderthals had big noses

London, Oct 28 : Anthropologists have suggested that Neanderthals had big noses because of the degree to which their face used to jut forward, indicating that the odd feature was a fluke of evolution, not some grand adaptation.

The Neanderthal nose has been a matter of befuddlement for anthropologists, who point out that modern cold-adapted humans have narrow noses to moisten and warm air as it enters the lung, and reduce water and heat loss during exhalation.

Big noses tend to be found in people whose ancestors evolved in tropical climates, where a large nasal opening helps cool the body.

But Neanderthals go against this trend, according to Tim Weaver, a palaeoanthropologist at the University of California, Davis.

Astronauts wouldn’t need to wear spacesuits in NASA’s new Moon rover

Astronauts wouldn’t need to wear spacesuits in NASA’s new Moon roverLondon, Oct 28 : NASA has unveiled a new lunar rover that aims to transform space exploration by allowing astronauts to roam large distances without cumbersome spacesuits when they return to the Moon by 2020.

According to a report in New Scientist, a team of scientists is testing the Small Pressurized Rover Concept vehicle, which resembles a small, futuristic recreational vehicle mounted on six sets of wheels. 

Cameras can be the best dust-busters

London, Oct 27 : Monitoring dust levels in darkened tunnels often poses a big challenge, but now all one needs to do is take a picture with a flash camera to measure the dust, say scientists.

Dust has been found to cause throat and lung irritation for tunnel and mine workers. It can even lead to long-term serious health problems.

Masato Shinji at Yamaguchi University in Japan has claimed that one can easily measure the dust via a camera, simply by taking a flash photograph, reports New Scientist magazine.

The image produced by the camera shows the dust specks as white dots, which are easy to count with the help of software.

Vikings preferred to groom themselves rather than loot

London, Oct 27: A new study by researchers at Cambridge University in the UK is trying to change the traditional view of Vikings as “illiterate warring thugs”, and recast them as “new men” with an interest in grooming, fashion and poetry.

According to a report in the Telegraph, academics claim that the old stereotype is damaging, and want teenagers to be more appreciative of the Vikings’ social and cultural impact on Britain.

They said that the Norse explorers, far from being obsessed with fighting and drinking, were a largely-peaceful race who were even criticized for being too hygienic.

Biofuel-powered aircraft will take to the skies in three years

London, Oct 27: The Boeing Company, which is a major aerospace and defense corporation, has said that biofuel-powered aircraft could be carrying millions of passengers around the world within three years.

According to a report in the Guardian, Darrin Morgan, an environmental expert at the US jet manufacturer, said that the group was expecting official approval of biofuel use in the near future.

“The certification will happen much sooner than anybody thought,” he said. “We are thinking that within three to five years, we are going to see approval for commercial use of biofuels - and possibly sooner,” he added.

Morgan added that the aircraft will not require modification to operate on a blend of biofuel and kerosene.

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