Lifeboat Foundation

A “perfect storm” of several crises, such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, mean many nations are “knocking on famine’s door,” Beasley said.

A small group of ultra-wealthy individuals could help solve world hunger with just a fraction of their net worth, says the director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme.

Billionaires need to “step up now, on a one-time basis”, said David Beasley in an interview on CNN’s Connect the World with Becky Anderson that aired Tuesday — citing specifically the world’s two richest men, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

Continue reading “2% of Elon Musk’s wealth could solve world hunger, says director of UN food scarcity organization” »

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As someone who rides, reviews, and covers news on electric motorcycles, I hear the same thing all the time: “I’d love an electric motorcycle, but they’re all so expensive. Maybe when prices come down.”

And I get it. Electric motorcycles really are expensive. Zero’s flagship electric motorcycles cost $20,000. LiveWires are a couple thousand more. And Energicas are a couple thousand more than that. But somehow a little-known, highway-capable electric motorcycle popped up in North America for just US $5,990, and it seems like no one noticed. I’m talking about the Kollter ES1 electric motorcycle.

Continue reading “North America’s most affordable 70+ mph electric motorcycle is already here and no one noticed” »

Circa 2019 😃

“SolarStratos has an opportunity to push the limits of what we think is humanly possible and prove that renewable energy has the capacity to power our lives while preserving our planet. We are fortunate to energize SolarStratos with SunPower’s industry-leading solar technology and look forward to further showcasing the value of innovative and reliable solar solutions for the world to see.”

The company is also changing the way the whole world thinks about renewable energy…at least, that is their goal. SunPower doesn’t just want to power buildings and farms. They want to use their durable and efficient solar panels for all the types of applications available. They believe that anything that can and needs to be powered, should be powered by natural sources, like the sun.

Continue reading “This Airplane Will Fly Into The Stratosphere On SunPower Without Using A Drop Of Fossil Fuels” »

I wonder how general this is. Interesting application of AI.

Electric vehicles have the potential to substantially reduce carbon emissions, but car companies are running out of materials to make batteries. One crucial component, nickel, is projected to cause supply shortages as early as the end of this year. Scientists recently discovered four new materials that could potentially help—and what may be even more intriguing is how they found these materials: the researchers relied on artificial intelligence to pick out useful chemicals from a list of more than 300 options. And they are not the only humans turning to A.I. for scientific inspiration.

Creating hypotheses has long been a purely human domain. Now, though, scientists are beginning to ask machine learning to produce original insights. They are designing neural networks (a type of machine-learning setup with a structure inspired by the human brain) that suggest new hypotheses based on patterns the networks find in data instead of relying on human assumptions. Many fields may soon turn to the muse of machine learning in an attempt to speed up the scientific process and reduce human biases.

Continue reading “AI Generates Hypotheses Human Scientists Have Not Thought Of” »

3D solar towers circa 2016.

Improving Efficiency

Most solar panels are placed flat on rooftops because they are designed to harness solar energy when the sun is directly overhead. However, when the angle of the sun’s rays hitting the panel changes, traditional panels quickly become less efficient.

Continue reading “MIT Is Building 3D Solar Towers, and So Far They Have Achieved Phenomenal Results” »

The Team Seas event is live. For every $1 raised they will remove 1 pound of plastic from the ocean. Please support this event by watching supporting videos and material and donating.

In a press statement, EdisonFuture said the EF1-T, as well as a van version of the vehicle called the EF1-V, feature “a uniquely designed solar mosaic technology that provides a stunning visual signature while also harnessing the power of the sun to recharge the batteries, enabling work vehicles to continuously charge while in the field.”

Bizarrely, as far as we can tell, the automaker hasn’t actually released any information regarding the battery size, range, or solar charging specifications of the EF1-T, though a prototype of the vehicle is due to go on display at the LA Auto Show in mid-November, so we may learn more information then. EdisonFuture also said it will begin accepting reservations for the pickup during the show.

Continue reading “China’s New EV Truck Recharges While Driving. With a Retractable Solar Roof?” »

Like weather forecasting, disease forecasting needs to be statistical.

While we cannot predict in advance exactly how many hurricanes will occur this year or how bad they will be, we know with great confidence that climate change is a risk factor increasing the frequency and severity of hurricanes. Our knowledge of this and all the other risk factors for hurricanes allows us to make a statistical prediction for the coming season.

Similarly, we have known for decades that ther… See more.

Continue reading “Can Future Epidemics Be Predicted?” »