Teenager invents £23 solar panel from human hair

A new type of solar panel using human hair could provide the world with cheap, green electricity, believes its teenage inventor.

Milan Karki, 18, who comes from a village in rural Nepal, believes he has found the solution to the developing world’s energy needs.

The young inventor says hair is easy to use as a conductor in solar panels and could revolutionise renewable energy.

‘First I wanted to provide electricity for my home, then my village. Now I am thinking for the whole world,’ said Milan, who attends school in the capital, Kathmandu.

The hair replaces silicon, a pricey component typically used in solar panels, and means the panels can be produced at a low cost for those with no access to power, he explained.

In Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world, many rural areas lack access to electricity and even in areas connected to power lines, users face shortages of up to 16 hours a day.

Milan and four classmates initially made the solar panel as an experiment but the teens are convinced it has wide applicability and commercial viability.

I’m trying to produce commercially and distribute to the districts. We’ve already sent a couple out to the districts to test for feasibility,’ he said.

The solar panel, which produces 9 V (18 W) of energy, costs around £23 to make from raw materials.

But if they were mass-produced, Milan says they could be sold for less than half that price, which could make them a quarter of the price of those already on the market.

Melanin, a pigment that gives hair its colour, is light sensitive and also acts as a type of conductor. Because hair is far cheaper than silicon the appliance is less costly.

The solar panel can charge a mobile phone or a pack of batteries capable of providing light all evening.

Milan began his quest to create electricity when he was a boy living in Khotang, a remote district of Nepal completely unconnected to electricity. According to him, villagers were skeptical of his invention at first.

‘They believe in superstitions, they don’t believe in science. But now they believe,’ he said.

Cost effective: The solar-hair panel is estimated to be four times cheaper than an industrial made solar panel of comparable capacity.

He first tried to use water currents hydro power  on a small scale, but said the experiment became too expensive.

(image: A detailed shot shows the human hair used as an alternative to silicon)

‘I searched for new, other renewable, affordable sources. People in these places are living the life of the stone age even in the 21st century,’ he said. Milan, whose hero is the inventor Thomas Eddison, describes himself as lucky because his family could afford for him to receive a proper education while many other villagers are forced to work from an early age. Most of those from his village are illiterate. He was originally inspired after reading a book by physicist Stephen Hawking, which discussed ways of creating static energy from hair.

‘I realised that Melanin was one of the factors in conversion of energy,’ he said. Half a kilo of hair can be bought for only 16p in Nepal and lasts a few months, whereas a pack of batteries would cost 50p and last a few nights.

People can replace the hair easily themselves, says Milan, meaning his solar panels need little servicing. Three years after first coming up with the idea, Milan says the idea is more important than ever because of the crucial need for renewable energies in the face of finite power sources and global warming.

‘Slowly, natural resources are degrading so it is necessary to think about the future,” he said. ‘One day we will be in a great crisis regarding this fuel so it is a good thing to do today.

‘This is an easy solution for the crisis we are having today. We have begun the long walk to save the planet.’

via Teenager invents £23 solar panel that could be solution to developing world’s energy needs..made from human hair | Mail Online.

Craig Hyatt calls this a hoax.

CaesarDia September 10, 2009 at 10:20 AM   @craighyatt

If you had read and understood the abstract you would realise that the paper shows conductivities for *isolated* melanins (i.e. purified and not inside hair protein) of 10^-11 S/m (Siemens per metre). This is the inverse of the resistivity, i.e. it has a resistance of 10^11 Ohm-metres.

If you are incredibly generous and assume that the panel is pure melanin and that the paper has accurately calculated the electronic properties; if the panel has a cross-sectional area of 0.09m^2 and is 100um between contacts (i.e. a panel 30cm on a side and 1 hair thick with perfect electrical contacts), this would lead to an internal resistance for the panel of ~1 gigaohm.

For the panel to be putting out 18W at 9V, 2A of current is flowing. Since Power=Current*Current*Resistance, the power dissipated across the internal resistance is *4GW*.

My PhD is in Organic Materials for Photovoltaics

On Craig’s site http://sites.google.com/site/edwardcraighyatt/hairsolarpanelnepal he  says,

“Conclusion:  It is not possible to use human hair in any configuration to generate electrical energy when exposed to light.”

Sleep helps reduce errors in memory

Sleep may reduce mistakes in memory, according to a first-of-its-kind study led by a cognitive neuroscientist at Michigan State University.

The findings, which appear in the September issue of the journal Learning & Memory, have practical implications for everyone from students flubbing multiple choice tests to senior citizens confusing their medications, said Kimberly Fenn, principal investigator and MSU assistant professor of psychology.

“It’s easy to muddle things in your mind,” Fenn said. “This research suggests that after sleep you’re better able to tease apart the incorrect aspect of that memory.”

Fenn and colleagues from the University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis studied the presence of false memory in groups of college students. While previous research has shown that sleep improves memory, this study is the first to address errors in memory, she said.

Study participants were exposed to lists of words and then, 12 hours later, exposed to individual words and asked to identify which words they had seen or heard in the earlier session. One group of students was trained in the morning (10 a.m.) and tested after the course of a normal sleepless day (10 p.m.), while another group was trained at night and tested 12 hours later in the morning, after at least six hours of sleep.

Three experiments were conducted, using different stimuli. In each, the students who had slept had fewer problems with false memory – choosing fewer incorrect words.

How does sleep help? The answer isn’t known, Fenn said, but she suspects it may be due to sleep strengthening the source of the memory. The source, or context in which the information is acquired, is a vital element of the memory process.

Or perhaps the people who didn’t sleep during the study were simply bombarded with information over the course of the day, affecting their memory ability, Fenn said.

Further research is warranted, she said …

via Sleep helps reduce errors in memory, MSU research suggests | MSU News | Michigan State University.

This seems very true. I haven’t slept well due to stress over the last few days and my memory is definitely cloudy. Awareness of my brain slowness causes me anxiety in large group meetings where I have to speak because I know I’m much more likely to say something wrong or stupid. Last night I was having mild chest pains each time I started to fall asleep and this would wake me up. So, 1 AM, 2 AM, 3 AM, I’m still there, not sleeping.  Then, I remembered… I keep some  Valerian Root extract on hand, just in case, and at about 3 AM I took 20 drops (30 recommended), and it worked!  No side effects to report …  but  due to my getting about 3 hours of sleep last night, I’m not looking forward to work today because I know I will likely be off my game.

Republican shouts “You lie” at Obama during speech, says sorry. Opponent raises $75,000 in one night

A Republican House member shouted “You lie” during President Obama’s health care speech to Congress on Wednesday, and members of both parties condemned the heckling.After the speech, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson issued a statement apologizing for his outburst.

“This evening, I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the president’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill,” the statement said. “While I disagree with the president’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility.”

Perhaps his web site was flooded?

Wilson also called the White House to apologize and spoke with Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who accepted the apology on the president’s behalf, according to a senior administration official.

“We can disagree without being disagreeable,” Emanuel said to Wilson, according to the official. “That was the point of the president’s speech.”

The outburst came when Obama denied that proposed health care legislation would provide free health coverage for illegal immigrants. Immediately, Wilson shouted, “You lie!”

The outburst caused Obama to stop and look toward the heckler. “That’s not true,” the president responded.Behind him, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared shocked and turned toward the outburst as Vice President Joe Biden looked down and shook his head. Loud boos echoed through the chamber immediately after the outburst.

While it was the most attention-getting, Wilson’s shout wasn’t the only demonstration of displeasure made by Republicans during the speech. …

Other Republicans also criticized Wilson, along with the expected Democratic condemnation. …”The president’s combative tone did not justify a member of Congress shouting out, ‘You lie,’ ” said Graham. “Our nation’s president deserves to be treated with respect. It was an inappropriate remark, and I am glad an apology has been made.”

South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler took it further.

“Once again a South Carolina Republican has embarrassed our state,” Fowler’s office said in a statement that referred to S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford’s extramarital affair.

“Never has any member of Congress shown such disrespect for the president during a speech,” Fowler wrote. “One would think that as a member of the military, Joe Wilson would have more respect and patriotism than he displayed tonight. When Congressman Wilson insulted President Obama, he also insulted the American public. Joe Wilson is a poor example of a statesman and an American. He owes an apology to the president and the American people.”

- via CNN

It seems Wilson learned nothing from the last Presidential debates. Persistent polite directness makes rude people seem like asses. This was a tremendous political gift to Obama. This will help Obama win the next election. Note: This is not Valerie Plame Wilson’s husband, Joseph C Wilson. Wilson’s opponent, Democrat Rob Miller, just raised $80,000 and counting. Jake says he raised $75,000 of that in one night due to Wilson’s comment.

Password Protected Posts

I’m playing with password protected posts tonight. Email me and tell me who you are and what you do for a living and why you want to read the post. I might send you the password.

Protected: Photos released of terrorist mastermind at Gitmo

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Roll Up for the Magical Beatles Marketing Tour

9-9-09 marks the start of Beatlemania 2009. The Fab Four has been reduced to the Fab Two but they are determined to make sure the mystery tour lasts another 40 years.

The entire remastered Beatles catalogue (available at 7-Eleven, Starbucks, and Whole Foods), a dedicated Rock Band game, and boatloads of merchandise all land in stores. “Back to the Future” director Robert Zemeckis and Disney have announced plans to remake the group’s ’68 animated movie “Yellow Submarine” just in time for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. It’s a marketing orgy years in the making and gives new meaning to the word “Revolver.” The Beatles keep coming back.

In reality, the never-ending Beatles marketing campaign hasn’t stopped since Paul McCartney filed for his Beatles divorce in 1970. The band’s company, Apple Corps, has been the keeper of the band’s name, music, image and legacy. Unfortunately, Apple Corps doesn’t call all of the shots. Nearly all of the songs written by Lennon/McCartney are controlled by the music publishing company Sony/ATV (co-owned by the Michael Jackson Family Trust) and The Beatles former label, EMI shares ownership of the recordings. Each has a say – and a stake in Beatles, Inc.

Surprisingly, this three-way marriage has managed to protect the Beatles’ brand with largely good taste. In fact, The Beatles have arguably guarded their legacy with the highest standards of any musical act in history (action figures and bobble head dolls aside). However, there have been some notable missteps and questionable alliances from both the band and the individual members

The first Beatles sacrilege was committed in 1987 when Nike used “Revolution” to advertise their Nike Air shoes. The Beatles label, EMI apparently licensed the recording without permission from Apple Corps. The Beatles sued Nike, the label, and the ad firm for $15 million. A statement from their attorney said, “The Beatles position is that they don’t sing jingles to peddle sneakers, beer, pantyhose, or anything else. Their position is that they wrote and recorded these songs as artists and not as pitchmen for any product.” …

via Shawn Amos: Roll Up for the Magical Beatles Marketing Tour.

I agree. Keep the Beatles songs forever out of commercials.

PS. If you like the Beatles, and space, be sure to check out Klaatu. Some people thought they were the Beatles when they released their first album Hope. John Woloschuk is a musical genius with a great voice. He also worked with RUSH (another favorite of mine) on Fly By Night.

(Be sure to hit the HQ button to hear the best sound in Youtube.)

Thousands of Walruses congregate as ice melts + Human overpopulation

In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, walrus swim to shore on a beach in Alaska. Thousands of walrus are congregating on Alaska’s northwest coast because of receding sea ice in the Arctic. An environmental group is seeking to list walrus as an endangered or threatened because of disappearing summer sea ice. (AP Photo/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Thousands of walruses are congregating on Alaska’s northwest coast, a sign that their Arctic sea ice environment has been altered by climate change.

Chad Jay, a U.S. Geological Survey walrus researcher, said Wednesday that about 3,500 walruses were near Icy Cape on the Chukchi Sea, some 140 miles southwest of Barrow.

Animals the agency tagged with satellite transmitters also were detected on shore at Cape Lisburne about 150 miles farther down the coast.

Walruses for years came ashore intermittently during their fall southward migration but not so early and not in such numbers.

“This is actually all new,” Jay said. “They did this in 2007, and it’s a result of the sea ice retreating off the continental shelf.”

ederal managers and researchers say walruses hauling out on shore could lead to deadly stampedes and too much pressure on prey within swimming range. Projections of continued sea ice loss means the phenomenon likely is not going away.

“It’s more of the same,” Jay said. “What we’ve been seeing over the past few years with reduced sea ice conditions, we might be seeing this more and more often, and it’s probably not good for the walruses,” he said.

Unlike many seals, walruses cannot swim indefinitely and must rest periodically between feeding forays. They rely on sea ice as a platform for foraging for clams in the shallow waters of the outer continental shelf. They can dive up to 630 feet for clams and other sea floor creatures but mostly feed in waters of less than 330 feet, Jay said. Beyond the continental shelf, water can reach depths of 10,000 feet or more.

An estimated 6,000 or more walruses congregated on Alaska’s shore in the fall of 2007, taking scientists by surprise.

Herds were in the tens of thousands at some locations on the Russian side of the Chukchi Sea, with an estimated 40,000 animals at Point Shmidt. Russian biologists reported 3,000 to 4,000 walruses out of population of perhaps 200,000 died, mostly young animals crushed in stampedes.

Alaska herds did not experience that sort of mortality but scientists acknowledge a concern when the marine mammals are concentrated on a rocky shore rather than hundreds of miles of sea ice edge.

“They may have a much higher predation pressure on those nearshore areas when they’re using those land haulouts than when they’re using sea ice,” Jay said. …

via Walruses congregate on Alaska shore as ice melts – Yahoo! News.

This is why one of the world’s great visionaries,  John Lennon, said years ago, “I am the walrus.” What he obviously meant is that we are all in this together.  The non-human animals on Earth are running out of time.

What they need to do is all get together as a group and figure out how exterminate us. Ants, birds, bats, elephants, bacteria, they could all do something. I’m kidding of course, but it would make a great movie.

I’m starting to believe that humans are just smart enough to be dangerous, but too stupid to keep from destroying the planet.

The solution is simple, but touchy:   We must, as a species decide to stop our out of control breeding.

If we do not face the human overpopulation reality, it will face us.

If you were to take a standard sheet of writing paper .1mm thick and cut it into two sheets, placing one atop the other, it would then be .2mm thick. Then, cutting the stack of two and making a stack of 4 sheets, it would then be .4mm thick. Believe it or not, if you continued to do this just one hundred times, doubling the size of the stack each time, the thickness of the stack would be 1.334 x 10¹¹ light-years. This is an example of exponential growth, where the rate of growth is always proportional to it’s present size.

Exponential growth also applies to the the human population. It begins growing very slowly, but over generations the growth rate increases more and more rapidly, similar to a snowball affect. It took the human population thousands of years to reach 1 billion in 1804.  However, it took only 123 years for us to double to 2 billion in 1927. The population hit 4 billion in 1974 (only 47 years), and if we continue at our current rate, the human population will reach 8 billion in 2028. Doubling from our present count of 6.8 billion to 13.6 billion will have a much greater impact than our last couple doublings combined.

I’m doing my part. I have had no children. I will likely be the last of my kind.  Sad, but necessary, as I see it.  I’d like to do more…. What can one single person do to make the biggest impact on global climate change? I don’t like war, so my starting  World War III is not going to happen.  How do you stop people from breeding?

Forced sterilization has been recognized as crime against humanity if the action is part of a widespread or systematic practice. – wikipedia

That’s no good. How about birth control education?  Women:  Please consider using the morning after pill if you believe you are at risk for an unwanted pregnancy.

Have I just prevented 2,534 humans from existing in the future by typing the above?

New robot on seafloor monitors climate change impact on deep-sea ecosystem

Like the robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which wheeled tirelessly across the dusty surface of Mars, a new robot spent most of July traveling across the muddy ocean bottom, about 40 kilometers 25 miles off the California coast. This robot, the Benthic Rover, has been providing scientists with an entirely new view of life on the deep seafloor.

It will also give scientists a way to document the effects of climate change on the deep sea. The Rover is the result of four years of hard work by a team of engineers and scientists led by MBARI project engineer Alana Sherman and marine biologist Ken Smith.About the size and weight of a small compact car, the Benthic Rover moves very slowly across the seafloor, taking photographs of the animals and sediment in its path. Every three to five meters 10 to 16 feet the Rover stops and makes a series of measurements on the community of organisms living in the seafloor sediment. These measurements will help scientists understand one of the ongoing mysteries of the ocean—how animals on the deep seafloor find enough food to survive.

Most life in the deep sea feeds on particles of organic debris, known as marine snow, which drift slowly down from the sunlit surface layers of the ocean. But even after decades of research, marine biologists have not been able to figure out how the small amount of nutrition in marine snow can support the large numbers of organisms that live on and in seafloor sediment.

The Benthic Rover carries two experimental chambers called “benthic respirometers” that are inserted a few centimeters into the seafloor to measure how much oxygen is being consumed by the community of organisms within the sediment. This, in turn, allows scientists to calculate how much food the organisms are consuming. At the same time, optical sensors on the Rover scan the seafloor to measure how much food has arrived recently from the surface waters.

MBARI researchers have been working on the Benthic Rover since 2005, overcoming many challenges along the way. The most obvious challenge was designing the Rover to survive at depths where the pressure of seawater is about 420 kilograms per square meter (6,000 pounds per square inch). To withstand this pressure, the engineers had to shield the Rover’s electronics and batteries inside custom-made titanium pressure spheres.

To keep the Rover from sinking into the soft seafloor mud, the engineers outfitted the vehicle with large yellow blocks of buoyant foam that will not collapse under extreme pressure. This foam gives the Rover, which weighs about 1,400 kilograms (3,000 pounds) in air, a weight of only about 45 kilograms (100 pounds) in seawater. …

via mbari.org