Researchers have discovered a layer of liquified molten rock in Earth’s mantle that may be responsible for the sliding motions of the planet’s massive tectonic plates. See the photos here. The finding may carry far-reaching implications, from understanding basic geologic functions of the planet to new insights into volcanism and earthquakes. The research was funded […]
Automotive/Transportation
Jury Awards $58.5 Million in Tanker Accident
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Jurors who wanted to send a message to the trucking industry awarded $58.5 million to the estate and family of a Carlsbad man fatally injured in a 2010 accident when his vehicle collided with an oil industry tanker. The award in a wrongful-death suit stemming from the death of Kevin […]
Troubled Nuke Plant Seeks Restart in Summer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — As part of an effort to convince federal regulators that a nuclear reactor is safe to restart, the operator of the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant in California has disclosed it might push for a rewrite of the facility’s operating rules. Southern California Edison disclosed Friday it hopes the move […]
American Built, Building America
How one American manufacturing company is succeeding More than a quarter century after hitting its peak, U.S. manufacturing appears to be back. More and more companies from Apple to General Electric, Ford and Caterpillar, are deciding to make their products here. But what is behind this manufacturing renaissance? Why are companies bringing back jobs and […]
Professional Sports Car Racing Team Uses NX for Competitive Edge
Wayne Taylor Racing comes in a close second at the 2013 Rolex 24 at Daytona The Rolex 24 at Daytona race is tough on cars, drivers and crews. It’s quite an achievement just to finish this grueling 24 hour race, but coming in second overall is a triumph. That is exactly what the Wayne Taylor […]
Industry’s first reconfigurable DC arc detect reference solution enables designers to safeguard high-power DC systems
Texas Instruments introduces the industry’s first fully programmable DC arc detect reference solution. The RD-195 makes it faster and easier for designers to address a growing need to safeguard high-power DC systems, such as automobile and aircraft battery management systems, industrial factory equipment, and photovoltaic units, against the catastrophic damage that can result from arc […]
Engineers Explain Physics of Fluids Some 100 Years After Discovery
Sunghwan Jung is a fan of the 19th Century born John William Strutt, 3rd, also known as Lord Baron Rayleigh. An English physicist, Rayleigh, along with William Ramsay, discovered the gas argon, an achievement for which he earned the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1904. But it was Rayleigh’s lesser-known discovery of a physical phenomenon […]
Offshore Wind Development Plumbs the Ocean
Before energy companies invest in developing wind energy off Virginia’s coast, they’ll need to know what’s out there: sea life, what the ocean floor is like, shipping routes, migratory birds and wind speeds. A Virginia Beach startup has begun the daunting task of collecting that data. Founded by Navy veterans, Sound Conclusions LLC has placed […]
BP Seeks Sanctions Over Missing Cement Samples
BP asked a federal judge Thursday to sanction its cement contractor on the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon drilling project, accusing the company of withholding critical evidence that could have been used at the ongoing trial over the nation’s worst offshore oil spill. In a late-night court filing, BP PLC lawyers cited Halliburton’s alleged destruction of cement […]
Sierra Club Blasts New Plan to Improve Fracking
The Sierra Club and some other environmental groups are harshly criticizing a new partnership that aims to create tough new standards for fracking. The criticism Thursday came a day after two of the nation’s biggest oil and gas companies made peace with some national and regional environmental groups, agreeing to go through an independent review […]