Free Republic

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) National Ignition Facility (NIF) recorded the first case of ignition on August 8, 2021, the results of which have now been published in three peer-reviewed papers. Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the Sun and other stars: heavy hydrogen atoms collide with enough force that they fuse together to form a helium atom, releasing large amounts of energy as a by-product. Once the hydrogen plasma "ignites", the fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining, with the fusions themselves producing enough power to maintain the temperature without external heating. Ignition during a fusion reaction essentially means...

The National Ignition Facility uses a powerful laser to heat and compress hydrogen fuel, initiating fusion. An experiment suggests the goal of "ignition", where the energy released by fusion exceeds that delivered by the laser, is now within touching distance. Harnessing fusion, the process that powers the Sun, could provide a limitless, clean energy source. In a process called inertial confinement fusion, 192 beams from NIF's laser - the highest-energy example in the world - are directed towards a peppercorn-sized capsule containing deuterium and tritium, which are different forms of the element hydrogen. This compresses the fuel to 100 times...

Love Trumps Hate! Love Trumps Hate!” This mantra has been riccocheting noisily through our streets for the past several months, usually interspersed with other anti-Trump chants including: “Not My President!”; “No Trump! No Fear! Refugees Are Welcome Here!”; and “No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!" So chanted the belligerent throngs of Disrupt J20, as they engaged in KKK/Fascist-style tactics and linked arms to illegally block American citizens — men, women, young people, and children, including military servicemen in uniform — who had journeyed to Washington, D.C. on January 20 to peacefully attend the inauguration of President Donald John Trump. “Love Trumps...

Today I sent the following letter to Dr. Gretchen Green, the Acting Chair of the National Women's History Museum: We ask the National Women's History Museum (NWHM) to withdraw its planned award to General Motors CEO Mary Barra. As you know, Barra is scheduled to receive the Katharine Graham Living Legacy Award on November 17 as part of your annual de Pizan Honors at The Mead Center for American Theater at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. Barra has indeed made history - of the wrong kind. Just three months ago, she sat in front of Congressional Committees and desperately tried...

It's detonation vs deflagration. More slow motion at http://bit.ly/chemslomo More chemistry at http://www.periodicvideos.com/Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/periodicvideosAnd on Twitter at http://twitter.com/periodicvideosFrom the School of Chemistry at The University of Nottingham: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/chemistry... Periodic Videos films are by video journalist Brady Haran: http://www.bradyharan.com/ Brady's other channels include:http://www.youtube.com/sixtysymbols (Physics and astronomy)http://www.youtube.com/numberphile (Numbers and maths)http://www.youtube.com/DeepSkyVideos (Space stuff)http://www.youtube.com/nottinghamscience (Science and behind the scenes)http://www.youtube.com/foodskey (Food science)http://www.youtube.com/BackstageScience (Big science facilities)http://www.youtube.com/favscientist (Favourite scientists)http://www.youtube.com/bibledex (Academic look at the Bible)http://www.youtube.com/wordsoftheworld (Modern language and culture)http://www.youtube.com/PhilosophyFile (Philosophy stuff) Thanks to Destin from smartereveryday for helping us out!!!

As if evidence of the state’s fiscal straits wasn’t stark enough, consider Assembly Bill 91, which would create pilot project in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Tulare counties where persons convicted of drunk driving would be required to install an interlock device on their vehicles. New Mexico, Texas, Washington, among other states, use the devices which the bill’s author, Assemblyman Mike Feuer, a Los Angeles Democrat, says can reduce DUI recidivism by as much as 95 percent. The length of time the device would stay on a vehicle varies depending on the number of offenses. A first offense would require...

CALI (AFP) – After a three-year slog Colombian scientists have revved up a car that runs on yucca-derived ethanol, spurring hopes that the Latin American staple could be transformed into an abundant fuel. Boffins at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) have adopted a commercial car to run on hydrated ethanol, based on yucca -- a carbohydrate-rich plant root that is also known as cassava or manioc. The vehicle has clocked up 700 kilometers (435 miles) without major hitches CIAT said. The tuber is more commonly found on plates in low-land and tropical regions of Latin America, where it...

At a cost of $3.5 billion and more than a decade of work, the 192 laser beams are billed as the most powerful in the world.Scientists working at the National Ignition Facility of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, have built the most powerful laser in the world, capable of simulating the energy force of a hydrogen bomb and the sun itself. “The system already has produced 25 times more energy than any other laser system,” said NIF Director Ed Moses. The Energy Department is expected to announce Tuesday that it has officially certified the National Ignition Facility, which...

HOW TO START YOUR CAR WITH A DOG (A breakdown patrol man who came to the rescue of a woman motorist has managed to get her car started using her dog.) How do you start a car with a dog? I guess you can stick its tail in the ignition and see if it starts or maybe attach the car to the dog like a rickshaw and pop it into gear when it gets rolling fast enough. What other solutions could there be? (Juliette Piesley, 39, had changed the battery in her electronic key...