Comment Waste (Score 1) 40
Molten salt reactors could provide ships with highly efficient, low-maintenance nuclear power
And when it's spent, we'll just dunp it in the ocean. Because it's just salt!
Submission + - Fish-inspired filter removes 99% of microplastics from washing machine wastewate (techxplore.com)
schwit1 writes: Some fish feed by means of filtration; these include, for example, mackerel, sardines, and anchovies. They swim through the water with their mouths open and sift out the plankton with their gill arch system. "We took a closer look at the construction of this system and used it as the model for developing a filter that can be used in washing machines," says Blanke, who is a member of the transdisciplinary research areas Life & Health and Sustainable Futures at the University of Bonn.
During their evolution, these fish have developed a technique similar to cross-flow filtration. Their gill arch system is shaped like a funnel that is widest at the fish's mouth and tapers towards their gullet. The walls of the funnel are shaped by the branchial arches. These feature comb-like structures, the arches, which are themselves covered in small teeth. This creates a kind of mesh that is stretched by the branchial arches.
The filter element in the center imitates the gill arch system of the fish. The filter housing enables periodic cleaning and installation in washing machines.
"During food intake, the water flows through the permeable funnel wall, is filtered, and the particle-free water is then released back into the environment via the gills," explains Blanke. "However, the plankton is too big for this; it is held back by the natural sieve structure. Thanks to the funnel shape, it then rolls toward the gullet, where it is collected until the fish swallows, which empties and cleans the system."
This principle prevents the filter from being blocked—instead of hitting the filter head-on, the fibers roll along it toward the gullet. The process is also highly effective, as it removes almost all of the plankton from the water. Both are aspects that a microplastic filter must also be able to deliver. The researchers thus replicated the gill arch system. In doing so, they varied both the mesh size of the sieve structure and the opening angle of the funnel.
"We have thus found a combination of parameters that enable our filter to separate more than 99% of the microplastics out of the water but not become blocked," says Hamann. To achieve this, the team used not only experiments but also computer simulations. The filter modeled on nature does not contain any elaborate mechanics and should thus be very inexpensive to manufacture.
The microplastics that it filters out of the washing water collect in the filter outlet and are then suctioned away several times a minute. According to the researcher, who has now moved to the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, they could then, for example, be pressed in the machine to remove the remaining water. The plastic pellet created in this manner could then be removed every few dozen washes and disposed of with general waste.
During their evolution, these fish have developed a technique similar to cross-flow filtration. Their gill arch system is shaped like a funnel that is widest at the fish's mouth and tapers towards their gullet. The walls of the funnel are shaped by the branchial arches. These feature comb-like structures, the arches, which are themselves covered in small teeth. This creates a kind of mesh that is stretched by the branchial arches.
The filter element in the center imitates the gill arch system of the fish. The filter housing enables periodic cleaning and installation in washing machines.
"During food intake, the water flows through the permeable funnel wall, is filtered, and the particle-free water is then released back into the environment via the gills," explains Blanke. "However, the plankton is too big for this; it is held back by the natural sieve structure. Thanks to the funnel shape, it then rolls toward the gullet, where it is collected until the fish swallows, which empties and cleans the system."
This principle prevents the filter from being blocked—instead of hitting the filter head-on, the fibers roll along it toward the gullet. The process is also highly effective, as it removes almost all of the plankton from the water. Both are aspects that a microplastic filter must also be able to deliver. The researchers thus replicated the gill arch system. In doing so, they varied both the mesh size of the sieve structure and the opening angle of the funnel.
"We have thus found a combination of parameters that enable our filter to separate more than 99% of the microplastics out of the water but not become blocked," says Hamann. To achieve this, the team used not only experiments but also computer simulations. The filter modeled on nature does not contain any elaborate mechanics and should thus be very inexpensive to manufacture.
The microplastics that it filters out of the washing water collect in the filter outlet and are then suctioned away several times a minute. According to the researcher, who has now moved to the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, they could then, for example, be pressed in the machine to remove the remaining water. The plastic pellet created in this manner could then be removed every few dozen washes and disposed of with general waste.
Submission + - Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man's Meta Smart Glasses on Subway (yahoo.com) 1
know-nothing cunt writes: She was mad as hell and wouldn't take it anymore.
Comment Re:The old auto makers are fucked. (Score 1) 254
If intelligent life is too complex to evolve on its own, who designed God?
Priests and shamans.
Comment Beloved neighborhood cat (Score 1) 169
just weeks after another Waymo killed a beloved neighborhood cat.
It's not ever day that you read such obviously biased, agenda-ridden crap.
Wow, a new low.
Comment Re:Wow! (Score 1) 201
Gen-Z seem to be a bit body smarter.
Visiting Spain & Portugal a lot lately.
Pretty much everyone of all ages - including cops - is wearing ink.
I, with my virgin skin, was definitely in a very small minority.
Comment Re:Boomerang gangs (Score 2) 237
...will spring up and brake windows
Possibly break them, too.
Comment Re:Ok but then what? (Score 1) 237
Any folks in Australia can describe what social activities for bored teens?
Sex, sex, sex.
Comment Re:Not a Problem, an Opportunity (Score 1) 237
Simple. They will experiment with sex, like we used to.
Submission + - Oracle's credit status under pressure (latimes.com)
Bruce66423 writes: 'A gauge of risk on Oracle Corp.’s debt reached a three-year high in November, and things are only going to get worse in 2026 unless the database giant is able to assuage investor anxiety about a massive artificial intelligence spending spree, according to Morgan Stanley.'
First sign of the boom's inevitable collapsing?
First sign of the boom's inevitable collapsing?
Comment Re:American influencers. I don't watch them !! (Score 1) 108
I am so glad that I don't follow 'influencers'. Of any nationality.
Comment Re:What I've been telling colleagues... (Score 1) 289
I've been calling it 'predictive typing on steroids.'
Comment Re: Really? (Score 1) 289
Funny, but the entire human population spends most of their time not "thinking."
And ingesting substances to help them "not thinking."
I guess that thinking ain't all it's cracked up to be.
Submission + - Top MAGA Influencers Accidentally Unmasked as Foreign Trolls 4
Nicholas Grayhame writes: The Daily Beast reports: Elon Musk’s social media site X has rolled out a new feature in an effort to increase transparency—and unwittingly revealed that many of the site’s top MAGA influencers are actually foreign actors. The new “About This Account” feature, which became available to X users on Friday, allows others to see where an account is based, when they joined the platform, how often they have changed their username, and how they downloaded the X app. Upon rollout, rival factions began to inspect just where their online adversaries were really based on the combative social platform—with dozens of major MAGA and right-wing influencer accounts revealed to be based overseas....
Dozens of major accounts masquerading as “America First” or “MAGA” proponents have been identified as originating in places such as Russia, India, and Nigeria. In one example, the account MAGANationX—with nearly 400,000 followers and a bio reading “Patriot Voice for We The People”—is actually based in Eastern Europe. An Ivanka Trump fan account, IvankaNews, has 1 million followers and frequently posts about the dangers of Islam, the threat of illegal immigration and support for Trump. That account is based in Nigeria. ...
Donald Trump and several close associates were investigated for conspiracy or coordination with Russia during the 2016 election. Two of Trump’s campaign members were indicted. Certain content creators are paid for tweets that drive engagement on the site formerly known as Twitter, which gives them a financial incentive to cash in on the divisive nature of U.S. politics. For those in countries like Nigeria or Bangladesh, the American dollars paid by X for their work can make a big difference to their lives. X payouts are calculated on the basis of engagement from verified premium accounts with content on X.
Dozens of major accounts masquerading as “America First” or “MAGA” proponents have been identified as originating in places such as Russia, India, and Nigeria. In one example, the account MAGANationX—with nearly 400,000 followers and a bio reading “Patriot Voice for We The People”—is actually based in Eastern Europe. An Ivanka Trump fan account, IvankaNews, has 1 million followers and frequently posts about the dangers of Islam, the threat of illegal immigration and support for Trump. That account is based in Nigeria.
Donald Trump and several close associates were investigated for conspiracy or coordination with Russia during the 2016 election. Two of Trump’s campaign members were indicted. Certain content creators are paid for tweets that drive engagement on the site formerly known as Twitter, which gives them a financial incentive to cash in on the divisive nature of U.S. politics. For those in countries like Nigeria or Bangladesh, the American dollars paid by X for their work can make a big difference to their lives. X payouts are calculated on the basis of engagement from verified premium accounts with content on X.
Comment Re:Learned something today (Score 1) 52
disproportionately harming the Asian community.
Yeah, I'm not getting this either. That's a lot of rice cookers going ever day to spike the usage that much.
Slashdot Top Deals
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. - Edmund Burke
