Novel PPPL invention could improve the efficiency of car and truck engines while reducing pollutants
Princeton Strong news - Princeton, NJ: US Department of Energy, Princeton University Princeton Plasma Physics Lab John Greenwald reports When it comes to car and truck engines, not much has changed since Nikolaus Otto invented the modern internal combustion engine in 1876. But the internal combustion engine could, at least theoretically, be in for a big change. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have received a patent from the Patent and Trademark Office for a novel design that could increase the efficiency and reduce toxic emissions from gasoline-fueled internal combustion engines that power millions of cars…
e-cig Disease Disasters
Washington, DC: CDC reports - If anyone can speak firsthand about the significant rise in e-cigarette use by kids, teens, and young adults, it’s someone who works with them every day. Lauren W., a high school teacher in Pennsylvania, often hears her students talking about using e-cigarettes. But when it comes to the dangers of nicotine and addiction for young people, she does not believe they really understand how dangerous e-cigarettes are for their health. “I talk to them about the risks all the time,” she says, “and those talks reveal that they have never really thought about it.” As someone…
CLIMATE DISASTERS – At the frontline: Princeton University Environmental Forum addresses climate crises
PRINCETON STRONG news - Princeton, Mercer (A Coastal Flood Plain) Capital County, NJ: Princeton University Denise Valenti and Tom Garlinghouse, Office of Communications report - In response to the urgent environmental challenges facing the planet, Princeton faculty and alumni who are working to protect the environment gathered for the Princeton Environmental Forum held on campus Oct. 24-25. They came with knowledge, questions and an eagerness to share ideas from the frontlines of science leadership and environmental advocacy. Nearly 700 people attended the event, which centered around a series of discussions featuring 40 speakers in Richardson ;These scientists, policymakers, scholars, authors, and artists and…
Water Disasters – Cancer-Linked Contaminants In Princeton’s Tap Water
Princeton Strong news - Princeton, NJ: PATCH .com Alexis Tarrazi reports - A new study found drinking water is often less safe than what the federal government may deem legal. Most Americans don't think twice about drinking a glass of water. A report released Wednesday, though, found more than 270 harmful contaminants in local drinking water across the nation, including in Princeton. The substances are linked to cancer, damage to the brain and nervous system, hormonal disruption, problems in pregnancy and other serious health conditions. The ... Share More:
PPPL New insights into the science of fusion energy that powers the sun and stars
Princeton, NJ: By John Greenwald - Throughout 2017 researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have produced new insights into the science of fusion energy that powers the sun and stars and the physics of plasma, the hot, charged state of matter that consists of electrons and atomic nuclei, or ions, and makes up 99 percent of the visible universe. The research advances the development of fusion as a safe, clean and plentiful source of power, produced in doughnut-shaped facilities called tokamaks, and explores the diverse aspects and applications of plasma. The findings range from a…
Health – New model projects an increase in dust storms in the US
Princeton, NJ: Research at Princeton. By Pooja Makhijani for the Office of Communications Could the storms that once engulfed the Great Plains in clouds of black dust in the 1930's once again wreak havoc in the A new statistical model developed by researchers at Princeton University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that climate change will amplify dust activity in parts of the in the latter half of the 21st century, which may lead to the increased frequency of spectacular dust storms that have far-reaching impacts on public health and infrastructure. The model, detailed in a study published July 17…
Climate change to alter global pattern of mild weather
Princeton, NJ: Scientists from Princeton University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have produced the first global analysis of how climate change may affect the frequency and location of mild-weather days — and it may be soon. In a report published Jan. 18 in the journal Climatic Change, the researchers define mild weather as temperatures between 64 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (18 and 30 degrees Celsius); less than inches (1 mm) of rain; and a dew point below 68 degrees F (20 degrees Celsius), which indicates low humidity. NOAA funded the work. Within the next 20 years, the…