Potential Power Sources and Anti-Aging Advances
While hydrogen is certainly in the running for the next energy source for cars, it’s not alone. I’d like to do a quick follow up on my talk about alternative energy sources for cars in this post with the news that fuel cells are still vying to become the next generation power behind automobiles.
A number of groups (including professors at MIT, Stanford, and Harvard and MIT spinoff Lilliputian Systems) are contributing research in hopes of making fuel cells the wave of the future. If the comments after the article are any judge, a slight rift between hydrogen supporters and fuel cell enthusiasts may be developing (or has already arisen). I think this can only help spur on the development of these new technologies. As competition builds, oftentimes so too does innovation.
Sticking with the power theme, nuclear power is heading downhill and the number of operational nuclear power plants has decreased over the last half decade. What was once a viable alternative power source to reduce pollution from fossil fuels ultimately did not pan out, so what will take its place? Will we go back to fossil fuels or will another power source arise?
One possibility is space-based solar power. Satellites would be launched into Earth’s orbit, gather solar power, and feed it back down to Earth. This possibility has been around for a number of years, as NASA evaluated the prospect back in 1995 . Almost a decade later, we’ve progressed technologically and have a need for such a power source more than ever. Japan has indicated its intention of getting a fully functional solar power satellite into Earth’s orbit by 2040. I just hope the U.S. hasn’t put off exploring this possibility because of NASA’s low standing on the political totem pole.
Some great news on the anti-aging front recently for all you baby-boomers out there. Research has begun attempting to isolate genes that slow down the aging process. This is a very new field and we shouldn’t expect miracles overnight, but promising research is certainly occurring. (Note: I tried the life expectancy calculator at the end of the article and wasn’t very impressed with it. Then again, it’s near impossible to build an accurate predictor of such a variable thing as life expectancy.)
