Artificial ‘leaf’ could beat real plants at converting sunlight

Natural photosynthesis is considered a good target for solar energy conversion, but it’s already considered old hat. Harvard scientists have developed a leaf-like system that should be more effective at converting solar energy than plants themselves. The technology boils down to a jar of bacteria (Ralstonia eutropha), a cobalt water-splitting system and a pair of electrodes. When you send electricity through this partly biological system, the electrodes turn the water into hydrogen gas that you can use for fuel and carbon-based materials. It’s only 10 percent efficient, but that’s better than the widely established 8 percent baseline for real-world performance.

The big obstacle? It’s not certain how well this bionic technology would work once put into practice. Researchers note that they still have to find a way to connect the system to solar cells. Also, there’s the not-so-small matter of how it works in differing climates. This technique would thrive in a temperate environment, but it wouldn’t last in extreme temperatures. If it does pan out, however, it could give developing regions a cheap, eco-friendly way to not only produce energy, but store it at times when the Sun won’t cooperate.

Via: Christian Science Monitor

Source: Science

Snowden did more to raise NSA concerns than officials claimed

For the longest time, US officials denied that Edward Snowden made serious attempts to raise concerns about NSA surveillance activities before he took off with classified data. There was only evidence of one not-so-worrisome email, they said. However, it’s now clear that this isn’t the whole story. Documents obtained by Vice News (and published by the NSA) show that Snowden likely did more to raise concerns with the NSA than officials claimed. While there’s no smoking gun, two out of three previously unmentioned Snowden interactions with the Oversight and Compliance Office involved disputes over an open-book test on foreign intelligence gathering. The findings suggest that Snowden might have disagreed with the test’s interpretation of the law, which would be in sync with the previously released email.

Internal conversations also show that there was a rush to put out the one-email story, even when it wasn’t certain that this was the extent of Snowden’s contact. Officials discovered those extra discussions mere hours after its official response went out, and didn’t bring them up until now. Moreover, the NSA’s assertion that Snowden had clear paths to report concerns wasn’t entirely true. It’s not certain that he took an oversight training course before leaving, or that contractors like him could safely blow the whistle without facing reprisals. One of the suggested options for reporting concerns, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Office, was created in response to Snowden’s leaks. He couldn’t talk to a division that didn’t exist, could he?

The uncovered details still fall well short of Snowden claims. He says he reported “problematic” NSA programs to “more than 10 distinct officials” who did nothing, and there’s no hard evidence that this occurred. However, Snowden maintains that the agency is being “intentionally deceptive” with public releases — it’s allegedly withholding email from before 2013, any online chat transcripts (such as for Jabber, IRC and Lync) and testimony from his coworkers at the time. There’s no way to verify that he’s right without official documents. If there is a grain of truth to what he’s saying, though, it’d hint that the NSA is once more trying to discredit Snowden by releasing only a fragment of its data.

#NSA is excluding from FOIA: Pre-2013 email discussions; ANY Jabber, IRC, & Lync transcripts; colleague testimony. Intentionally deceptive.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) June 5, 2016

Source: Vice News, NSA (PDF)

Bose goes wireless with the QuietComfort 35 headphones

Ever since the first QuietComfort headphones, released in 2000, Bose has offered consumers noise-cancelling tech that’s second to none. This, along with excellent audio quality, made QuietComforts become best sellers in the market. But Bose knows it needs to keep evolving, and what better way to do so than by making its latest flagship headphones wireless. Enter the QuietComfort 35. Design-wise, the new model is quite similar to the previous one (QC25), sporting a sleek and minimalist look with your choice of black or silver finish.

During our demo, Bose engineers emphasized that the key was to not give up audio quality over the added wireless functionality. And I’m happy to report they succeeded, albeit my impressions are based on a controlled setting — I listened to simulated subway noises and a few songs inside a New York City building. Still, it doesn’t take much to realize the potential of the QuietComfort 35. Bose says there are “night and day” improvements to the sound, designed to make sure that music is crystal clear whether you’re listening at a low, mid or high volume.

Noise-cancelling works like a charm too, thanks to the combination of built-in microphones and a digital chip that sense the noise around you and block it accordingly. What’s more, Bose claims the Bluetooth-powered QuietComfort 35 have 20 hours of battery life, or up to 40 if you use the included 3.5mm cable. If at any point the headphones run out of power, you can continue to use them — the only thing you’ll miss is the noise-cancelling. All in all, everything we mentioned above makes for a very intriguing package.

The QuietComfort 35 will hit stores June 5th for $349.

If you’re more of an earbuds person, Bose has something for you as well. The company also introduced the QuietControl 30, a set of wireless in-ear headphones with up to 10 hours of full active noise cancelation. Most importantly, they feature what Bose is calling “controllable noise cancellation,” which lets you adjust noise-cancelling levels via the company’s Connect app or, better yet, directly from the in-line remote control. Unfortunately, the QuietControl 30 won’t be available until September for $299.

To round up today’s theme, Bose announced new wireless SoundSport earbuds. Like the QuietComfort 35, these are going to be available on June 5th for $149. A $199 version with a heart rate monitor (pictured above in red) is also being developed, but that won’t go on sale anytime soon — fall, we’re told. The benefit of the more expensive model is that it’s able to send data to fitness apps like Runkeeper, in case you enjoy keeping track of workout sessions on a regular basis.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: The first freeform 3D-printed house

After 20 years of construction, Switzerland just completed the world’s longest and deepest rail tunnel. The 35-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel runs 1.5 miles under the mountains connecting northern and southern Europe. In other transportation news, Paris just banned all cars made before 1997 in a bid to reduce air pollution. Tesla’s battery Gigafactory is set to host its grand opening on July 29th, while a new report claims that Volkswagen is spending $15.5 billion to build a gigantic battery factory of its own. Consumer Reports ranked the Toyota Prius as the car with the best gas mileage it has ever tested, and Ford announced that the Fusion Energi can travel further than any other plug-in hybrid on the market.
Chile’s central grid has quadrupled its solar capacity since 2013, and now the nation is generating so much solar energy that it’s giving it away for free. Meanwhile, the world’s newest sovereign nation is taking shape between Croatia and Serbia, and it could be powered entirely by algae. In other energy news, China added half of all new wind power installed in 2015, and the world’s largest commercial rooftop solar array was installed atop a shopping mall in the Philippines.

3D printing technology started small, but now it’s being used to print entire houses. This week Chicago-based architecture firm WATG unveiled plans for the world’s first freeform 3D-printed house. In the Netherlands, a team of designers has developed a sturdy modular home made from 24 layers of cardboard that can be assembled in a single day. And we explored why round houses are able to withstand hurricanes that destroy traditional homes. Finally, in wearable tech news, MIT researchers developed a way to 3D print programmable “fur” that could be used in textured surfaces, and London’s Science Museum hosted a space-inspired fashion show.