The Lumpen Proletarian

Robotic gardening: MIT course creates robot-tending tomatoes

(PhysOrg.com) -- In the middle of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) sits a platform of fake grass with tomato plants nestled in terra cotta pots, growing under the light of an artificial sun. But this urban, indoor garden has a twist: the caretakers of the plants are entirely ...

Study suggests salt might be 'nature's antidepressant'

Most people consume far too much salt, and a University of Iowa researcher has discovered one potential reason we crave it: it might put us in a better mood.

TG Daily - MIT's revamped Li-ion batteries fully recharge in seconds, not hours [via claudio]

TG Daily, MIT's revamped Li-ion batteries fully recharge in seconds, not hours

Energy Dept. Said to Err on Coal Project - NYTimes.com
The Energy Department made a $500 million math error a year ago when it withdrew its support from a “near-zero emissions” coal plant in Illinois.

Obama Wants Global Financial Plan - NYTimes.com

President Obama called on foreign governments to increase their domestic spending to stimulate their economies and asked for greater coordination of regulatory oversight.

New super-bouyant material: Life preserver might float a horse

Here's a story that might float your boat: Researchers in China are reporting the development of miniature super-bouyant boats that float so well that an ordinary life preserver made from the same material might support a horse without sinking.

Physicist develops battery using new source of energy

Researchers at the University of Miami and at the Universities of Tokyo and Tohoku, Japan, have been able to prove the existence of a 'spin battery,' a battery that is 'charged' by applying a large magnetic field to nano-magnets in a device called a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). The new technology ...

New Battery Could Recharge in Seconds | Wired Science from Wired.com [further information about the claudio supplied link]

A new battery material that recharges 100 times faster than the lithium-ion in your laptop has been revealed by researchers at MIT. The discovery could lead to cellphone-sized batteries that

Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline - Photo Essays - TIME

Two French photographers immortalize the remains of the motor city on film Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre.

Dr. Charles Lieber Dies at 78; Worked to Legitimize Study of Alcoholism - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com
Mr. Lieber upset scientific dogma by showing that alcohol in excess can cause cirrhosis despite an adequate diet.

U.N. report: Forestry can create 10 million jobs - CNN.com

The United Nations is urging countries to invest in green jobs working with "sustainable forest management" to address the growing problem of unemployment worldwide.