Recycling wind turbines to save the world 🌎

Plus: A new hybrid COVID-19 variant emerges Apr 05, 2022 [View in browser]( For many, wind turbines are an eyesore. But I’ve always enjoyed the sight, since they conjure memories of driving south for a long summer holiday. From afar, they seem small. It's only when you see them being disassembled that you realize how unconscionably massive they are. And they’re about to get even bigger, now that a company is building 337-foot wind turbine blades. This turbine will sweep an area of 468,230 square feet with each spin. Just imagine that. Before you get carried away, let’s travel to a different kind of landscape — the desert. California’s Death Valley is home to stones that travel across the arid terrain, like little sentient demon rocks. Today’s video will unlock their dark secrets. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s spin the wheel. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [How do the "sailing stones" of Death Valley travel across the desert?]( This discovery was 99 years in the making. [How do the "sailing stones" of Death Valley travel across the desert?]( INNOVATION [Siemens Gamesa to build the world's longest wind turbine blades. 377 feet long?]( [The mold of the longest turbine that Siemens is making.]( Siemens Gamesa, a Spanish-German company building wind power systems, [has begun production of its 377-foot B115 blades]( at its Aalborg facility in Denmark. - The company is building its biggest wind turbine yet, the SG-14 236 DD. With a planned rotor diameter of 774 feet, this turbine will sweep an area of 468,230 square feet with each spin and generate 14 MW of power with a power boost. The turbine's capacity can even hit 15MW. Thinking ahead. By using a recyclable resin that melts away, Siemens plans to make the components of its turbines recyclable and repurpose them completely by the year 2040. Once the B115 blades are manufactured, they will be tested in a prototype turbine by the company later this year. [This is another example]( of the world adopting greener ways of meeting its energy demand, and offshore wind farms are ideal for further exploration, since they don’t impinge on limited real estate. [Read More]( SCIENCE [NASA's next-gen space telescopes could dwarf Webb. By using liquid lenses?]( [An illustration of a hypothetical liquid lens telescope.]( An experiment stowed aboard the forthcoming Axiom-1 mission bound for the International Space Station (ISS) [will evaluate the basics of constructing a space telescope]( that uses a liquid mirror. - Despite how bizarre that sounds, the behavior of fluids in space is promising enough to tease at the future of astronomy, multiplying the size of telescopes 10, or even 100 fold. Bigger is better. This is incredibly important as larger telescopes can gather more light, enabling astronomers to see farther into deep space and build a more accurate picture of the physical universe. Previously, NASA scientists were able to create lenses "literally in a janitor's bucket" by injecting a liquid that can solidify into circular frames submerged in water. And, with the forthcoming experiments on the ISS, the teams expect to create smooth and perfectly shaped surfaces — in effect, developing the mirrors for the future of space-based telescopes, [and astronomy itself](. [Read More]( HEALTH [A new hybrid COVID-19 variant emerges. Should we worry?]( [An illustration of the coronavirus spike protein.]( Just when it felt like we had moved beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, yet another new hybrid virus has emerged. - The World Health Organization (WHO) [first detected the hybrid of two omicron strains]( (BA.1 and BA.2) in the U.K. Dubbed XE, the new variant could be the most transmissible variant yet, since it can spread 10 percent more rapidly than BA.2. Outbreaks breed outbreaks. In China, authorities have reported two entirely new omicron subvariants that don’t match any existing sequences. Luckily, the number of infections emerging from these new variants is insignificant, especially compared to the number of outbreaks still occurring around the world. During the entire pandemic, many variations emerged but then went nowhere, which could also be the case with XE. However, it's still too early to tell how XE and other hybrid viruses will respond to vaccines. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Sadly, all viruses evolve. And SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is no exception. Are you worried about the new COVID variants? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes. My mask and sanitizer are staying with me.]( [No, I’m just tired of it.]( [It’s concerning, but I’ve gotten used to living with them.]( [Like you said: we’ve moved beyond the need for virus anxieties.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked which CRISPR application gets you most excited. According to the majority, curing genetic diseases is the most hype-worthy. Curing genetic diseases will be amazing. 75% Bioenergy. We’ll need it. 11% De-extinction. Bring back the wooly mammoth! 8% Allergy-free foods! They are often overlooked. 6% QUOTE OF THE DAY “ One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. ” Malala Yousafzai speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, New York, July 12, 2013 AND ANOTHER THING... - SpaceX [is on the verge of sending]( its first space tourism mission to the International Space Station. - As tasks mount up, our brain’s ability to juggle goes down. [Neuroergonomic tactics can relieve]( the cognitive burden. (Aeon) - Cryptocurrency Shiba Inu [has announced its next phase of expansion]( by entering the metaverse. - Your digital footprint is bigger than you realize. Just about everything about you is online, [whether you put it there or not](. (CNET) - Elon Musk [bought a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter](. This makes him one of Twitter's largest shareholders as he now owns more than four times founder Jack Dorsey's share of 2.25 percent. - [Pet cloning is getting more popular]( despite the cost. Meanwhile, adopting strays remains free. Woof. (BBC) - [What kind of challenges would humans]( face to live on Jupiter's icy moons and what discoveries would await? Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe [here.]( © Copyright 2021 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]