Artificial Intelligence and Fusion Reactors

Scientists in China achieved a major breakthrough that could help unlock nearly unlimited clean energy via fusion.


They hope to do so by solving one of the biggest challenges for fusion reactors, as Interesting Engineering explained. That is the puzzle of measuring the ultrahot plasma, which creates fusion reactions quickly and accurately in real time. Having faster data will help optimize fusion performance and maintain reactor stability.


The research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science used neural networks powered by artificial intelligence. Neural networks leverage pattern recognition and advanced calculation abilities that allow them to quickly generate measurements, per Interesting Engineering.


The scientists enlisted two neural network models to measure two critical parameters of the plasma: ion temperature and rotation velocity. The results were impressive and bode well for future applications to harness fusion power.          READ MORE...

China's Mach 4 Passenger Jet

Two decades after the iconic Concorde was retired, a Chinese aircraft designed to travel twice as fast as the Anglo-French plane has successfully completed its test flight.

The Beijing-based company Space Transportation announced on October 27 that its Yunxing prototype, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 4—twice the speed of the Anglo-French Concorde—completed a successful test flight on October 26, according to Chinese media.

The company said that Yunxing’s advanced aerospace design is tailored for high-speed, efficient travel. Designed for vertical take-off and landing, the jet aims to reach altitudes exceeding 20,000 meters (65,600 feet).         READ MORE...

China's Cargo Drone

An unmanned cargo aircraft developed by Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co. takes part in a maiden flight at an airport in Zigong, Sichuan province, China August 11, 2024. 

BEIJING, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Engineers sent China's biggest-yet cargo drone on a test run over the weekend while a helicopter taxi took to the skies on a soon-to-open 100-km (62-mile) route to Shanghai, laying new milestones for the country's expanding low-altitude economy.

Packing a payload capacity of 2 metric tons, the twin-engine cargo drone developed by state-funded Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co took off in southwestern Sichuan province on Sunday for its inaugural flight that lasted approximately 20 minutes, state media reported.     READ MORE...

Toroidal Electromagnetic Pulses

Toroidal electromagnetic pulses can be generated using a device known as a horn microwave antenna. 

This electromagnetic “vortex cannon” produces skyrmion topological structures that might be employed for information encoding or for probing the dynamics of light–matter interactions, according to its developers in China, Singapore and the UK.

Examples of toroidal or doughnut-like topology abound in physics – in objects such as Mobius strips and Klein bottles, for example. It is also seen in simpler structures like smoke rings in air and vortex rings in water, as well as in nuclear currents. 

Until now, however, no one had succeeded in directly generating this topology in electromagnetic waves.     READ MORE...

China Developing High Quality Robots

A humanoid robot showcases its ability to run at the 2024 World Robot Conference held in Beijing, August 22, 2024. (Photo by Chen Xiaogen/People's Daily Online)



The 2024 World Robot Conference was recently held in Beijing. Nearly 170 Chinese and foreign robot enterprises joined the 2024 World Robot Expo, part of the World Robot Conference, unveiling more than 600 innovative products, including 27 humanoid robots.

In recent years, the Chinese robot industry has experienced rapid growth, integrating deeply into people's daily work and life. China has become the world's largest market and producer of robots.

Recently, humanoid robot Walker S Lite developed by UBTECH Robotics Corp., Ltd., a leading robotics firm based in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, completed training at the 5G smart factory of Chinese electric vehicle brand Zeekr in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang province, after working three weeks alongside its human counterparts. With a maximum load of 15 kilograms, it can assist workers in carrying work bins.  READ MORE...

China's Robot CON

BEIJING, Aug 26 — As China seeks to race ahead in humanoid robot development, its supply chains showcased cheaper and innovative parts at the world robot conference in Beijing, but some executives warn the industry has yet to improve product reliability.

Wisson Technology (Shenzhen), known for its flexible robotic manipulators, doesn’t depend on motors and reducers – transmission devices commonly used in robotics – but instead uses 3D-printed plastics and relies on pneumatic artificial muscles to power its robots.     READ MORE...

Quantum Time Flip

It’s been 35 years since Cher first wanted to turn back time, but it turns out that quantum mechanics might have allowed for this wild reversal all along. In new research, scientists from China and Hong Kong show that—in certain quantum systems—the time variable can be reversed by creating a double superposition (one each in opposite directions) and still bear out valid results. 

What results from this little bit of quantum trickery is both an input and output that are considered indefinite, meaning that either one can be the input or the output. Basically, the after can go before the before. The peer-reviewed research appears in the journal Physical Review Letters.

In our day-to-day lives, we perceive time as marching inexorably forward, and that means many processes aren’t easily reversible. You can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, so to speak—it’s a lot more difficult to reset an object back to its original state than it is to change it in the first place. This is called time’s arrow, and we believe it’s partly caused by the fact that our universe has been ever-expanding since the Big Bang.     READ MORE...

China's Solar Panels

China is printing solar panels like newspapers: they’re not normal, and it’s bad news for America

Archimedes predicted the end of solar panels with this invention: 1,000 times more energy using only wood and water

America wants to open the Apocalypse mine: Energy for millennia, but 5 trillion would wipe us out


Renewable energy has always been an inexpensive and environmentally friendly option. However, the industry is continuously searching for more efficient elements. When it comes to solar panels, China is at the forefront with these that we present to you.

Silicon solar panels make a comeback: they outperform perovskite panels

Aiko, a developer and innovator of photovoltaic components, has unveiled the world’s most efficient solar panels, dubbed Comet 3N72e, from its New Infinite series, which has stood out for its performance.                 READ MORE...

Brain Fibers & Quantum Entanglement

Most scientists have resisted the concept that quantum physics plays any role in the brain — an environment that Physicist Max Tegmark argued would be “too wet, warm and noisy” for quantum mechanics to play a meaningful role in cognition or consciousness..

However, recent research from China suggests that quantum entanglement—a phenomenon Albert Einstein famously dubbed “spooky action at a distance”—might play a role in the synchronization of neurons in the human brain, according to a New Scientist article.

The study, peer-reviewed in Physical Review E and also referenced in the online pre-print server ArXiv, examine the potential mechanisms by which quantum entanglement could impact neural synchronization and cognition. While both studies propose innovative ideas, they acknowledge the speculative nature of their findings and emphasize the need for further empirical validation.       READ MORE...

Extracting Uranium from SEAWATER

Scientists in China have developed an organic material to extract uranium from seawater. The material is said to be cost-effective and has “exceptional uranium adsorption capability.”

Uranium, a nonrenewable energy source and the primary heavy metal used to fuel nuclear reactors, has been essential for nuclear power. The metal has traditionally been mined from rock but now scientists aim to extract uranium ore from seawater.

Researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) selected affordable sodium alginate (SA) and functional DNA strands to fabricate SA-DNA hydrogel microspheres for the selective adsorption of uranyl ions (UO22+) in an economically viable manner.

Higher selectivity for uranium
Compared to reported advanced adsorbents utilizing the amidoxime group for uranium extraction, the SA-DNA hydrogel microspheres demonstrated significantly higher selectivity for uranium, with uranium-to-vanadium ratios of 43.6 in simulated seawater and 8.62 in natural seawater.         READ MORE...

Moreover, this new absorbent is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, easily synthesized, and with impressive mechanical robustness and recyclability. Owing to the distinct ability of specific DNAzymes to recognize various metal ions, such DNA-based adsorbents may be utilized to retrieve other valuable metal ions from seawater, according to the study.

Blonde Man Found in Ancient Cbinese Tomb

A tomb discovered in Taiyuan from the 8th century features murals in the “figures under the tree” style.  The multiple scenes depicted throughout the tomb show daily life during the Tang dynasty.  One image includes a man with blond hair and western dress, likely an influence from the Silk Road trading route.

A Tang dynasty tomb decorated with colorful murals is providing a new glimpse into daily life in China during the 8th century. Most interestingly, the murals show signs of Western influence, particularly the inclusion of a blond, bearded figure.

A 2018 reconstruction project of a hillside road in the capital of the Shanxi Province led to unearthing the tomb, but archaeologists hadn’t really reported on the discovery until now.     READ MORE...

Growing Chinese Presence in CUBA

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (NewsNation) — New satellite images released Monday have renewed concern over China‘s growing presence in Cuba, reigniting fears that President Xi Jinping’s forces are using the island to spy on American military bases.

The new report comes a year after the Biden administration accused China of upgrading Cuban intelligence bases for years — one of those bases just over 50 miles from a U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay.

READ MORE...

Denisovans on the Tibetan Plateau

Excavations at Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan plateau are revealing details about the 

lives of Denisovans, a group of ancient humans about which little is known. Dongju Zhang’s group/Lanzhou University

Denisovans survived and thrived on the high-altitude Tibetan plateau for more than 100,000 years, according to a new study that deepens scientific understanding of the enigmatic ancient humans first identified in 2010.

Researchers analyzed thousands of animal bone fragments unearthed at Baishiya Karst Cave, 3,280 meters above sea level near the city of Xiahe in China’s Gansu province — one of only three places the extinct humans were known to have lived. Their work revealed that Denisovans could hunt, butcher and process a range of different large and small animals, including woolly rhinos, blue sheep, wild yaks, marmots and birds.

The team of archaeologists working at the cave also uncovered a rib bone fragment in a layer of sediment that dates back between 48,000 and 32,000 years, making it the youngest of the handful of known Denisovan fossils — a clue that the species was around more recently than scientists previously thought.          READ MORE...

China's New High-Speed Sleeper Train

Hong Kong (CNN) —Interested in capping off your trip to Hong Kong with a long weekend in Beijing or Shanghai? A new high-speed sleeper train service is making that possibility easier than ever.

Two new overnight routes connecting the city with Beijing and Shanghai entered into service on June 15.

Both trains depart Hong Kong West Kowloon Station in the evening and arrive in Beijing at 6.53 a.m. and Shanghai at 6.45 a.m., making the journeys around 12.5 hours and 11 hours respectively. Return trips depart from Beijing and Shanghai at around 8 p.m. and arrive in Hong Kong at 8.47 a.m. and 7.29 a.m. These routes run four days a week, departing all three stations every evening from Friday to Monday.     READ MORE...

America Funding China's Growth

"Underwriting the Enemy" invites Fox Nation viewers to listen to experts share their takes on China's financial infiltration into the U.S. economy. (Fox Nation / Fox New





Now could be the "most consequential moment in the history of our country," author Gordon Chang warned as he sat across from FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo.


The "Coming Collapse of China" writer and commentator made his repeated warning that China poses the greatest existential threat to America yet again. But the question is: why do Americans keep funding their enemy?

Chang, along with others, joined Bartiromo for her new Fox Nation series, "Underwriting the Enemy," to explore China's insidious infiltration into the American economy.

"Chinese companies are trading on the New York Stock Exchange, on the Nasdaq right now," Bartiromo said. "That means American investors, unwittingly or not, are funding the expansion of our number one adversary."


Several foreign policy and financial analysts have acknowledged the long, silent war that the Chinese Communist Party has waged against the United States, their cautionary tales repeatedly airing in segments across different media outlets.

One such warning came from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"They are deep inside our infrastructure, our capital markets," he warned.          READ MORE...

Railguns

Despite efforts from countries like China, Japan, and the U.S., challenges like the immense energy required and the wear on conductive rails have hindered progress.  The U.S. Navy invested heavily in electromagnetic railguns, but the technology remains mostly in the research stage.  Future success hinges on overcoming power and durability issues, making practical deployment still a distant goal.

Why Railgun Development Faces Immense Hurdles
Among the earliest efforts occurred during the First World War, when French designer Andre Louis Octave Fauchon-Villeplee proposed an electric cannon could fire a projectile further than the explosive ordnance of the era. 

His concept caught the attention of the French military, which was seeking a weapon that could rival such long-range cannons as Germany's so-called "Paris Gun." Under the direction of the Director of Inventions at the French Ministry of Armaments in 1918, Fauchon-Villeplee was charged with developing a thirty to fifty millimeter electricannon based on his simple design.

The First World War ended before Fauchon-Villeplee's design could be perfected – and more than a century later, the development of the weapons has continued with only limited success.     READ MORE...

Tomb of China's First Emperor

Archaeologists have raised a royal tomb at the Terracotta Warrior mausoleum complex of Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

Qin Shi Huang’s reign brought about the unification of China and an end to the Warring States period in 221 BC.

He constructed a series of walls to connect fortifications along the empire’s northern frontier (the precursor to the Great Wall of China) and abolished the feudal system of loose alliances and federations.


Qin Shi Huang was buried in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, a large complex located in present-day Lintong District in the city of Xi’an.     READ MORE...

China's Rifle Carrying Robot Dogs

It looks like something out of the dystopian show “Black Mirror,” but it’s just the latest adaptation of robotics for the modern battlefield.

During recent military drills with Cambodia, China’s military showed off a robot dog with an automatic rifle mounted on its back, essentially turning man’s best (electronic) friend into a killing machine.

“It can serve as a new member in our urban combat operations, replacing our (human) members to conduct reconnaissance and identify (the) enemy and strike the target,” a soldier identified as Chen Wei says in a video from state broadcaster CCTV.

The two-minute video made during the China-Cambodia “Golden Dragon 2024” exercise also shows the robot dog walking, hopping, lying down and moving backwards under the control of a remote operator.

In one drill, the rifle-firing robot leads an infantry unit into a simulated building. The latter part of the video also shows an automatic rifle mounted under a six-rotor aerial drone, illustrating what the video says is China’s “variety of intelligent unmanned equipment.”     READ MORE...

China Warns about AI Piloted Jects

Recently, the Secretary of the United States Air Force, Frank Kendall, conducted a flight aboard an experimental F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jet equipped and piloted with artificial intelligence. However, this has become a cause for concern for the People’s Republic of China, as the use of AI in combat aircraft could signify a platform with superior capabilities and response times compared to a human-piloted aircraft.

It is worth noting that this is not the first occasion on which an aircraft controlled by artificial intelligence has been tested. In mid-April, the experimental X-62A VISTA aircraft, originally based on an F-16 fighter and used for AI testing, engaged in simulated aerial combat against other F-16 fighters of the United States Air Force. Various simulations were conducted, emphasizing beyond-visual-range aerial combat against F-16 fighters.  READ MORE...

Chinese Robot can Learn, Think, Work like Humans

Sometimes, you have to see it to believe it.

And in rare cases, like this one, it freaks out observers watching. In the ever-expanding world of humanoid robots, a new star is rising, and its name is Astribot.

The Chinese company’s latest creation, the S1 model, is turning heads with its astonishing speed and precision.

Astribot S1: How it’s breaking speed records
Imagine a robot that can move at a blistering pace of approximately 32.8 feet per second and handle a payload of 22 pounds per arm. That’s Astribot’s S1 for you. It’s like watching a superhero in action. Only this one is made of wires and metal.

The S1’s capabilities are not just impressive; they’re record-setting. The robot’s dexterity is showcased in a video where it performs tasks with such finesse that it can delicately shave a cucumber.    READ MORE...