First ever air conditioner using solid refrigerants

Plus: NASA releases sounds of black hole 200 million light-years away Aug 24, 2022 [Blueprint]( The world’s getting hotter, which isn’t cool. But what is cool is this [new air conditioner]( which is an environmentally-friendly version of the traditional air conditioning system. This is because it uses solid refrigerants, as opposed to hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants, which leak into the environment. (In short, they’re not helping). This is the first air conditioner ever to use solid refrigerants, which makes it something of a potentially planet-preserving breakthrough. Try saying that in a hurry. But before you check out how cool that really is, [take a look at this video]( of a YouTuber firing a bullet directly into a Newton’s cradle, in slo-mo. It does what it says on the tin. It’s fun. Good morning. I’m Alice, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s get started. Last Sunday, Blueprint subscribers had an exclusive insight from leading experts from around the world, who discussed whether animals go through break-ups. And this week, premium subscribers will hear from Dr. Oren Etzioni, CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence on how and why he created one of the most highly respected AI research institutes in the world. Don't miss out — [subscribe to IE+ today]( to receive exclusive interviews, features, and much more. [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Watch ‘Slo-Mo’ YouTubers fire a bullet directly into a Newton’s cradle.]( [Slo-mo bullet into Newton's cradle.]( It’s slow, it’s chaotic, it’s strangely compelling. [Must Read]MUST READ [Scientists develop first-of-its-kind air conditioner that uses solid refrigerants.]( [A/C unit uses solid refrigerants.]( The world is getting hotter. We all want to keep cooler. But the air conditioning units we currently all use are contributing to global warming and… making the planet hotter. That's why [this development could make a huge difference](. Scientists have created a prototype device that could someday replace existing "A/Cs." The new version is more environmentally friendly and uses solid refrigerants to cool a space. Traditional cooling systems work by causing a refrigerant to cycle between being a gas or a liquid. When the liquid becomes a gas, it expands and absorbs heat, cooling a room. A compressor that works at about 70–150 pounds per square inch (psi), (483 to 1034 kilopascals), turns the gas back into a liquid, releasing heat. With air conditioners, this heat is directed outside the home. This cycle seems effective but concerns about climate change have triggered the search for more environmentally responsible options. An ideal solution could be solid refrigerants as, unlike gases, they wouldn't leak into the environment from A/C units. → The researchers found that barocaloric materials, (a class of solid refrigerants), work similarly to traditional gas-liquid cooling systems. Except they use pressure to go through heat cycles, which drives a solid-to-solid phase change. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Linkedin]( [SCIENCE]SCIENCE [NASA released the sounds of a black hole 200 million light-years away.]( NASA has released an [eerie sound clip of a black hole]( showing that space does make a lot of noise. The black hole located in question is more than 200 million light-years away from Earth, in the Perseus galaxy cluster. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Science - China to build the world's largest telescope array to [study explosions on the Sun](. - Researchers just [exposed what's in tattoo ink]( — and it’s a ‘significant problem’. [premium] - Here are the 9 [most common cancers]( in men and women. [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [Neuralink’s brain chip delays may have forced Elon Musk to look for help.]( Launched in 2016, Neuralink was co-founded to develop implantable brain-chip interfaces to [connect humans and computers](. Musk expected human trials to begin by 2022, but they have yet to get regulatory approval. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Innovation - [Up close and personal with Mars]( ReachBot and the future of space missions. [premium] - Scientists develop new material for wind turbine blades that could be [recycled into sweet treats](. - Airbus' solar-powered Zephyr plane just [crashed after a 64-day flight](. [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS A new first-of-its-kind air conditioner uses solid refrigerants. What barriers do you think this technology faces before it can be commercialized? [Finding the right barocaloric material]( [The cost of mass production]( [Opposition from A/C manufacturers]( [Something else entirely]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we told you about the shark species that walks on land, and asked which animal you think might evolve next. And 77 percent of you said the possibilities are endless. Our readers are a very optimistic bunch. 77% The possibilities are endless 14% Fish of all kinds 7% Insects 3% Avian species [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY “Information can tell us everything. It has all the answers. But they are answers to questions we have not asked, and which doubtless don't even arise.” Jean Baudrillard 1929–2007 French sociologist and cultural critic: Cool Memories (1987). [THINGS WE LOVE]THINGS WE LOVE [image]( [Corsair Dark Core Wireless Mouse]( [image]( [Nutale Key Finder]( [image]( [BREO iSee4 Eye Massager]( [image]( [Astro AI 10L Mini Fridge]( [AND ANOTHER THING]AND ANOTHER THING - [25 essential tools]( for engineers. - Not one, but two asteroids might have [slain the dinosaurs](. (Science News) - James Webb Space Telescope [captures auroras and hazes]( on Jupiter. - Tiny chip can [quickly identify hundreds of thousands]( DNA sequences. (New Scientist) - [Super-fast EV charging]( might be possible with AI and machine learning. - Bits of old spaceships [will continue to fall]( from the sky. (Science Focus) - Terrestrial planets: are they really that [similar to Earth]( Prepared by Alice Cooke Enjoy Reading? Forward this email to a friend. Was this email forwarded to you? [Join Free!]( [About Us]( [Advertise]( [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. Manage you e-mail preferences or unsubscribe [here](. © Copyright 2022 | The Blueprint is by Interesting Engineering, Inc. 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105 | All Rights Reserved [Interesting Engineering]