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Hydrogen Vehicles Coming Soon

Hydrogen Vehicles Coming Soon? Two Million Could Be On Roads By 2020

ScienceDaily (July 18, 2008) — A transition to hydrogen vehicles could greatly reduce U.S. oil dependence and carbon dioxide emissions, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council, but making hydrogen vehicles competitive in the automotive market will not be easy. While the development of fuel cell and hydrogen production technology over the past several years has been impressive, challenges remain.

'Man-made' Water Has Different Chemistry

ScienceDaily (June 20, 2008) — As population growth, food production and the regional effects of climate change place greater stress on the Earth’s natural water supply, “man-made” water – created by removing salt from seawater and brackish groundwater through reverse osmosis desalination – will become an increasingly important resource for millions of humans, especially those in arid regions such as the Middle East, the western United States, northern Africa and central Asia.

Amorphous Materials: How Some Solids Flow Like Liquids

ScienceDaily (July 7, 2008): Scientists at CNRS-affiliated laboratories(1) in Bordeaux, Lyon and Paris have provided the first proof that amorphous materials, also known as soft glasses, deform and flow through a collective movement of their particles. These materials (which include chocolate mousse, shaving cream, mayonnaise, metallic glasses, granular materials and mud) are amorphous solids, in other words, they are resistant like solids but, like liquids, lack a crystalline structure. This discovery, published in the journal Nature, should make it possible to better understand deformation and fracturing in metallic glasses(2) and the spreading of thin layers of fragile materials (such as face creams) used in the cosmetics, food-processing and lubrication industries.

Planetary science: The early Moon was rich in water

Planetary science: The early Moon was rich in water

Marc Chaussidon1

Abstract

Analyses of lunar volcanic glasses show that they are rich in volatile elements and water. If parts of the lunar mantle contain as much water as Earth's, does this imply that the water has a common origin? The Moon's chemical composition differs from Earth's. It is enriched by a factor of two to three in refractory elements (those that condense first from a high-temperature gas) such as aluminium, calcium and titanium; most easily vaporized (that is, volatile) elements, such as sodium and potassium, are rare; and it is considered to be almost devoid of water1.

Nature 454, 170-172 (10 July 2008)