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“With every new generation of our offshore direct drive turbine technology—which uses fewer moving parts than geared turbines—component improvements have enabled greater performance while maintaining reliability,” Siemens Gamesa explains via the turbine’s fact sheet. One of the keys to the 14-222 DD offshore prototype’s success are its “revolutionary” blades cast from a single, gigantic piece of recyclable resin. Although the company’s “RecyclableBlade” technology first appeared in an earlier turbine generation last year, additional construction advancements have further optimized its offerings via its latest project....

Most of the photos you see on a daily basis have been compressed and reduced from their original quality. Facebook and Instagram mash the quality right down so pages load quickly. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp do the same with picture messages to make them send swiftly. It’s great for convenience, but it’s also a reason to print your photos from original files and not ones downloaded from social media. Even on popsci....

Our sense of smell is largely understood to result from the shapes of the molecules in the air that we inhale. According to this notion, which enjoys broad scientific support, receptors in our nose that are tuned to these particular molecular shapes pick up on and identify them, resulting in the sensation of smell. But there’s another competing idea out there that enjoys much less support and yet won’t go away....

Manual scavenging is technically illegal in India, but in practice it thrives across the country. The 2011 Socioeconomic and Caste Census estimates that more than 182,000 Indians work as manual scavengers, while human rights groups peg the number at 770,000. Milind Ranade, founder Kachra Vahatuk Shramik Sangh, a Mumbai-based organization focused on addressing labor issues—especially those pertaining to waste collectors—says that manual scavenging is a caste-based profession, largely limited to the Dalit community, which is considered as the lowest echelon of the Indian society....

On Thursday, NASA and NOAA released an announcement stating that 2021 was the sixth-hottest year on record, reaching 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit above the average temperature baseline. A few days earlier, the European Unions’s Copernicus Climate Change Service declared 2021 the fifth hottest year on record (NASA reported 2021 tying with 2018, while Copernicus showed 2021 slightly beating out 2018). The year was cooler than record-breaking 2020 and 2016, but the temperatures still were relatively close together....

Last week, when we learned about authorities turning to private genetics companies to find a match for DNA found at a crime scene, concerns were raised over how often this occurs and whether laws should be made to prohibit this practice. In an email to Fusion, 23andMe’s privacy officer Kate Black stated that the genetics company had plans to publish a public transparency report on its website within the next couple of months....

Fortunately, there are simple ways to protect yourself and prevent dangerous interactions with other vehicles on the road when you mount your pedal-powered steed. According to data from the US Department of Transportation, most of those accidents involved men and occurred in the evening between 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., which coincides with peak traffic hours and lower visibility. Women are still a minority among cyclists and studies show that they tend to stress safety and seek out dedicated bike lanes more often than their male counterparts....

The solution is to practice proper trail etiquette. Following the unwritten rules of the trail can ensure proper civility, and allow adventurers new and old to enjoy their time in nature. Since COVID started, more and more people have been seeking solace in the great outdoors, forcing long-time recreationists and newcomers to rub shoulders for the first time. Sometimes, these casual encounters can result in clashes filled with tension. “It’s about being mindful....

You could rely on experience and good luck to navigate these occasionally chaotic systems, but if you’re a Google Maps user, you can simply turn to the device in your pocket. Over the years, this well-known app has incorporated features that allow us to cheat the odds and improve our daily commutes. From combining trains, boats, taxis, and buses like a seasoned rider, to avoiding crowds and freezing subway cars, Google’s map platform has got you covered....

Connectivity woes are among some of the most common and frustrating tech problems. If your gadgets are going to be useful, they need to be talking to each other properly, and all too often that isn’t the case. The good news is that Bluetooth and WiFi issues often have relatively simple fixes, so you should usually be able to get everything running smoothly again without losing half of your day troubleshooting....

Camping season is coming. Or, if you want to take on nature in the cold, bundle up in a super warm sleeping bag. Save 25 percent on this water-resistant REI Co-op Magma 10 Sleeping Bag—now $276. It’s got an anti-snag zipper, hood to keep in warmth—and potentially fit a small pillow—and made with super-warm down insulation. Get the $369 sleeping bag for $276. Save $81 on Anker’s Nebula Prizm II home projector when you use the code L212XMAS at checkout....

This story was originally published on June 10, 2016. When NASA was preparing for Sally Ride’s first spaceflight in 1983, there was some question about what should go in her personal kit. Namely, engineers needed to figure out how many tampons she would need for a one-week mission. “Is 100 the right number?” they asked her. “No. That would not be the right number,” she replied. The engineers explained they wanted to be safe, and she assured them that they could cut that number in half without a problem....

The massive fee is only the latest in a string of heavy financial penalties levied against what was once the world’s most dominant social media site. As The New York Times reports, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission previously fined Meta $400 million in September for its “mistreatment of children’s data,” less than a year after the same authorities charged the company $235 million for various violations related to its messaging service, WhatsApp....

Melissa FitzGerald, the Director of Animal Shelter and Control at the Otsego County Animal Shelter, said in a statement on Facebook that the sickness has killed more than 20 dogs in the county only within a few days of showing symptoms. The primarily gastrointestinal symptoms of bloody stools, diarrhea, and vomiting are similar to canine parvovirus (CPV), but so far, testing has only found some evidence of the incredibly contagious virus....

“In September 2020, scientists at MIT and Cardiff University announced they had observed what may be signs of life in the clouds of our planetary neighbor, Venus. Their observations indicated the potential presence of phosphine, a gas typically produced by living organisms. In 2023, Rocket Lab is sending the first private mission to Venus to help gather further evidence,” the company vows on its website. Evidence indicates that Venus once resembled Earth in a number of ways, with temperatures ranging between 68-122 degrees Fahrenheit thanks to the existence of multiple, shallow oceans....

Unlike existing techniques used in liquid lenses, the new version does not manipulate the size and shape of the surface area the liquid touches to get an image to focus. The latest imaging technology leaves the water at a constant on the surface area and uses high-frequency sound waves to vibrate the water droplets back and forth at a significant speed through a cylindrical hole. This in turn changes the focus of the lens....

TeleGeography makes these great four-color graphics every year that show exactly that–definitely worth a look. Check out this year’s map here.

This isn’t the first tech product to take after the cosmos. When Apple introduced its largest iPad ever, they used the king of planets, Jupiter, to do so. To which we posed the question, what planets would Apple’s other products be? It isn’t just Apple who’s obsessed with the final frontier. Many of Samsung’s flagship products in the smartphone space wield the “Galaxy” moniker. Most recently the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge took the stage, in virtual reality, during the device’s announcement....

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