floating | Common News Update

Sep142020 by adminNo Comments

Is there life floating in the clouds of Venus?

Science

It's an extraordinary possibility - the idea that living organisms are floating in the clouds of Planet Venus.But this is what astronomers are now considering after detecting a gas in the atmosphere they can't explain.That gas is phosphine - a molecule made up of one phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms.On Earth, phosphine is associated with life, with microbes living in the guts of animals like penguins, or in oxygen-poor environments such as swamps.For sure, you can make it industrially, but there are no factories on Venus; and there are certainly no penguins.So why is this gas there, 50km up from the planet's surface? Prof Jane Greaves, from Cardiff University, UK and colleagues are asking just this question.They've publis...

May242019 by adminNo Comments

China unveils prototype of high-speed floating train

World

May 24 (UPI) -- A leading Chinese train builder has unveiled a working prototype of a magnetic-levitation, of maglev, train it says can carry passengers at speeds up to 373 mph. The train, with five passenger cars, left its production facility in Qingdao Thursday. Certifications for use and potential sales are expected within two years. The train uses maglev technology, by which magnets keep the train hovering less than two inches above the rails. Instead of wheels in constant contact with the track, the train rides on a cushion of air. The China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, the world's largest supplier of rail equipment, said its train will offer a smooth ride at near-airline speeds. Ding Sansan, deputy chief engineer of CRRC, said a trip from Beijing to Shanghai will take three a...

Jun292018 by adminNo Comments

IBM to send 'friendly' floating robot head named CIMON to International Space Station

Technology

An 11-pound, artificially-intelligent, floating robot head is being sent to the International Space Station (ISS) this week to assist astronauts there, IBM executives announced today. The astronaut assistant is named CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion) is the product of a joint project between the German Aerospace Center, Airbus, and International Business Machines Corporation, better known as IBM. The group project developed and integrated artificial intelligence (AI) components into CIMON and have been training it to demonstrate a personality. CIMON is scheduled to be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket bound for the ISS on June 29 at 5:41 am EST, and is set to arrive there on Monday, July 2 - when it will join the Horizons mission as an astron...

Aug82017 by adminNo Comments

IRDAI cautious on PEs floating insurance companies

Finance

MUMBAI: Startups aspiring to be in the insurance space with private equity (PE) backing will need a `fit and proper promoter' -who has the ability to invest capital for long-term growth, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has said. The statement comes at a time when the insurance regulator has received two proposals with majority funding from PEs. “We have received a co uple of proposals from private equity companies. We have not made up our mind.We would like to see the face of the person investing and whether he is in a position to support the company for a longer term of 8-10 years. Whether the person is fit and proper? Or whether there is someone hiding behind a fund?“ said IRDAI chairman T S Vijayan. He was responding to a query at the 19th CII Insu ...

Jul232017 by adminNo Comments

World's first floating wind farm emerges off coast of Scotland

Technology

The world's first full-scale floating wind farm has started to take shape off the north-east coast of Scotland.The revolutionary technology will allow wind power to be harvested in waters too deep for the current conventional bottom-standing turbines used.The Peterhead wind farm, known as Hywind, is a trial which will bring power to 20,000 homes. Manufacturer Statoil says output from the turbines is expected to equal or surpass generation from current ones.It hopes to cash in on a boom in the technology, especially in Japan and the West coast of the US, where waters are deep."This is a tech development project to ensure it's working in open sea conditions. It's a game-changer for floating wind power and we are sure it will help bring costs down," said Leif Delp, project director for Hywind...