Wireless ultrasound patch

Alpaca AI

Self-healing lens

Artificial general intelligence

Perovskite solar cells

Resurrecting The Beatles

Imagine series, we examine events with a low probability of happening. We will narrate concrete events such as the stopping of the world spining, nuclear winter, the moon hitting the earth, we are faced with these situations

Imagine That Videos | Interesting Engineering Original Videos

Do you think the first aliens to contact us would come in peace or would they invade us as they do in movies and TV shows?

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Are we alone in the <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/science/the-6-greatest-unsolved-mysteries-of-the-universe" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/science/the-6-greatest-unsolved-mysteries-of-the-universe">universe?</a> This question has fascinated humans for centuries, and as our knowledge of the cosmos has grown, so has our speculation about what kinds of creatures might exist beyond our planet. However, much of our popular culture has portrayed extraterrestrial life as a threat to our survival, whether it&#39;s the brain-eating <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/science/what-would-a-martian-colony-look-like" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/science/what-would-a-martian-colony-look-like">Martians</a> of War of the Worlds or the xenomorphs of <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/culture/us-military-not-ruling-out-aliens" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/culture/us-military-not-ruling-out-aliens">Alien</a>. Why do we seem to have an unhealthy obsession with being invaded by beings that are far superior to us in many ways?One possible explanation is that such scenarios tap into our primal fears of the unknown, the other, and the uncontrollable. We imagine aliens as monsters because they embody all that we cannot comprehend or predict. They challenge our assumptions about what is possible or impossible, what is natural or artificial, what is friend or foe. They may also reflect our anxieties about the fragility of our own existence and the limits of our power. If we can&#39;t even protect ourselves from aliens, what hope do we have for solving our own problems?Another explanation is that such scenarios reflect our cultural and political context. When science fiction was emerging as a genre in the early 20th century, the world was undergoing rapid changes due to technological innovation, geopolitical conflicts, and social upheavals. The idea of aliens invading Earth appealed to both the sense of wonder and the sense of danger that people felt about the future. It also reflected the colonial mindset of the time, where one group of humans felt entitled to dominate another group of humans based on their perceived superiority. By projecting this mindset onto alien species, we could explore our own biases and prejudices from a safe distance.However, as our scientific knowledge and technological capabilities have advanced, our speculations about alien life have become more sophisticated and nuanced. We now know that the universe is vast and diverse, and that the conditions for life may exist on many other planets. We have also discovered that life on Earth has evolved through a long process of natural selection, and that intelligence is not a guaranteed outcome of that process. Therefore, we can&#39;t assume that all alien species would be like us, or that they would have the same motivations or behaviors.Furthermore, we have learned that space travel is extremely challenging and costly, and that the distances between stars are vast. Even with the most advanced technology we can imagine, it would take hundreds or thousands of years to reach another star system, let alone to conquer it. Therefore, the idea of aliens invading Earth is not only unlikely, but also implausible. It&#39;s more probable that any contact we have with extraterrestrial life would be through indirect means, such as detecting their signals or studying their planets.However, even if we assume that an alien invasion is possible, we cannot predict how it would play out. It&#39;s possible that we would be the invaders, if we ever develop the means to travel to other star systems and encounter less advanced civilizations. It&#39;s also possible that we would be the victims of a hostile invasion, if some alien species had the motivation and means to attack us. In that case, it&#39;s hard to say whether we would stand a chance against them. We might be able to use our weapons and defenses to repel them, but we might also succumb to their superior technology and intelligence.

Explore the fascination with alien invasions in popular culture and the scientific realities of extraterrestrial life.

Alien Invasion: Science Fiction vs. Facts

Would aliens invade us after the first contact?

We might only have 50 years' worth of oil and gas left. What alternatives do we have to replace them?

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The looming <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/science/energy-crisis-uk-could-face-power-cuts" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/science/energy-crisis-uk-could-face-power-cuts">energy crisis </a>is a topic that has been on the minds of many scientists, environmentalists, and policymakers for several years now. With reports indicating that the world has only about five decades worth of <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/culture/world-needs-more-oil-gas-elon-musk" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/culture/world-needs-more-oil-gas-elon-musk">oil and gas left</a>, it is clear that we need to start finding alternatives to these finite resources to ensure that future generations have access to reliable sources of energy.While coal is still available in abundance, the environmental concerns surrounding its use make it an unlikely candidate for a long-term solution to our energy needs. As such, renewable energy sources such as<a href="https://interestingengineering.com/ie-originals/iconic-builds/season-1/ep-7-the-hoover-dam-an-engineering-and-artistic-masterpiece" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/ie-originals/iconic-builds/season-1/ep-7-the-hoover-dam-an-engineering-and-artistic-masterpiece"> hydroelectric power</a>, <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/the-worlds-largest-solar-park-will-produce-5-gw-energy-by-2030" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/the-worlds-largest-solar-park-will-produce-5-gw-energy-by-2030">solar energy</a>, and <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/vertical-axis-wind-turbines-offer-higher-energy" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/vertical-axis-wind-turbines-offer-higher-energy">wind power</a> have been proposed as the most promising alternatives.<a href="https://interestingengineering.com/video/build-your-own-hydroelectric-powered-hydroponics-system" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/video/build-your-own-hydroelectric-powered-hydroponics-system">Hydroelectric power</a>, which generates electricity by harnessing the power of moving water, has been in use for over a century and has proven to be a reliable source of energy. However, it is limited by the availability of suitable water sources and the potential environmental impact of building large-scale dams.<a href="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/5000-solar-panels-europes-highest-dam" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/5000-solar-panels-europes-highest-dam">Solar panels</a> and wind turbines, which generate electricity from sunlight and wind, respectively, have gained popularity in recent years as the cost of production has decreased. However, they are dependent on weather conditions and can be unreliable sources of energy during periods of low sunlight or wind.<a href="https://interestingengineering.com/science/nuclear-fusion-is-no-longer-science-fiction" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/science/nuclear-fusion-is-no-longer-science-fiction">Nuclear power</a> has also been proposed as a top contender for a long-term solution to our energy needs. Nuclear power plants generate electricity by splitting atoms, which produces heat that is used to generate steam and turn turbines. While nuclear power is reliable and produces large amounts of energy, the potential risks associated with nuclear accidents and the disposal of nuclear waste make it a controversial option.Ultimately, the solution to our energy crisis will likely involve a combination of these alternatives, as well as continued research and development into new technologies. Governments and policymakers must prioritize investment in renewable energy sources and incentivize the private sector to shift away from fossil fuels. Individuals can also make a difference by reducing their energy consumption and adopting more sustainable practices.The transition away from fossil fuels will not be easy, but it is necessary for the long-term sustainability of our planet. With the right investments, policies, and individual actions, we can ensure that future generations have access to reliable and sustainable sources of energy.

As finite resources of oil and gas are running out, we explore alternatives for sustainable energy, including renewables and nuclear power.

The Future of Sustainable Energy

Can humanity survive after running out of fossil fuels?

In this episode of Imagine That we are going to take a look at the popular conspiracy theory about the earth being flat.

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For centuries, humans have known that the world is round. From early observations of the <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/science/cube-shaped-object-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon-not-aliens" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/science/cube-shaped-object-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon-not-aliens">moon&#39;s shape</a> to circumnavigating the globe, we have ample evidence that the earth is not flat. Despite this, there are still those who cling to the belief that the earth is, in fact, <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/culture/flat-earthers-plan-party-cruise-to-ice-wall" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/culture/flat-earthers-plan-party-cruise-to-ice-wall">flat</a>. We will explore what the world would look like if these individuals were correct.Firstly, let&#39;s consider <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/science/how-does-gravity-work-and-could-we-ever-develop-anti-gravity-technology" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/science/how-does-gravity-work-and-could-we-ever-develop-anti-gravity-technology">gravity</a>. On a round earth, gravity pulls objects towards the center of the planet, which creates the effect of weight. However, on a <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/science/could-the-earth-be-flat-why-science-says-no" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/science/could-the-earth-be-flat-why-science-says-no">flat earth</a>, the gravity would pull objects towards the center of the plane, which would create a different effect. This would result in objects being attracted towards the center of the plane, rather than towards the center of the planet. This would make it difficult for <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/video/the-mystery-behind-how-planes-fly" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/video/the-mystery-behind-how-planes-fly">planes to fly</a>, and would also mean that anything that is not firmly anchored to the ground would be in danger of falling off the edge of the earth.Another consequence of a flat earth would be the loss of our <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/ie-originals/ie-explainer/season-1/ep-1-elon-musk-vs-china-battle-over-the-orbit" title="" rel="dofollow" target="_blank" class="underline border-color-ie" data-id="embedded internal links" data-type="link" data-url="https://interestingengineering.com/ie-originals/ie-explainer/season-1/ep-1-elon-musk-vs-china-battle-over-the-orbit">satellites</a>. Satellites orbit the earth due to its gravity, but on a flat earth, there would be no gravity to hold them in place. Additionally, the curvature of the earth plays a significant role in the formation of the northern lights. Without the spherical shape of the earth, there would be no auroras to admire.Perhaps one of the most significant differences in a flat earth scenario would be the appearance of our oceans. On a spherical planet, the water at the equator is further from the center of the earth and experiences less gravitational force than the water at the poles. This creates a bulge at the equator and a flattening at the poles. However, on a flat earth, the water would not experience this gravitational gradient, which would result in the water flowing towards the center of the plane. This would mean that the oceans would appear to be a giant circular mass of water.In conclusion, if the world were flat, it would be a vastly different place than the one we know today. The laws of physics that govern our world would have to be fundamentally different, which would result in an entirely new set of physical laws. Despite the lack of evidence to support the flat earth theory, it is fascinating to consider how different our world would be if it were true.

Explore the consequences of a flat earth, from the effects on gravity and satellites to the appearance of oceans. A fascinating look at what might have been.

The World if Flat: Consequences and Differences

What Would Happen If the World Was Actually Flat?

In this episode of Imagine That, we are going to imagine a world with less desert and more fertile land. What would be the benefits?

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With the current rate of population increase, we will surely reach a point when our agricultural land no longer produces enough food for everyone to fill their stomachs. How could we deal with that? Well, one possibility would be to turn infertile land arable. Why not make desserts arable?Terraforming has been in the cultural zeitgeist for quite a while now. However, we are yet to see much of it in practice beyond building canals through desserts. To understand terraforming, we need to analyze the factors that play a role in plant growth. Plants need light, water, nutrients, and an ideal temperature to bloom. Regions with these factors flourish a variety of flora, like the Amazon Rainforest.So for us to turn our desert fertile, our first goal is to find clean water. An artificial lake could well be the answer to this. It would also take care of the scorching heat in the desert by bringing temperatures down. Sunlight would definitely not be an issue in our um... checks notes... desert. As for nutrients, we do have a wide variety of fertilizers already. Why, then, have we not terraformed our deserts yet?To put it plainly, there isn’t a need. Not yet, at least. We have done it to a certain extent with countries like Egypt and Israel utilizing drip irrigation to grow crops with limited water. As it stands now, the land we have serves to feed the world. Importing food from nearby countries fills our shelves with food that isn’t grown in our countries.That being said, there are some benefits to terraforming deserts into different habitats even if we aren’t in dire need of more food, the chief among them being variety. Domestic farming of foods exotic to that region would drop their prices to reasonable levels. Not only would this make them more accessible, but also shorten supply lines and reduce the traffic of ships traveling day and night, making logistics easier.As a concept, terraform might be in its infancy. But the rising interest in space travel drives interest in it, making it relevant, especially as interest in colonizing Mars rises. Most of the adjoining planets are not habitable for human life, and it would be in our interests to transform them into liveable places. The future cannot be a vision of us living in gas giants.

When the term was coined in Jack Williamson’s short story, Collision Orbit, it was just that… a sci-fi concept.

Can We Terraform All Deserts?

Would we benefit from terraforming deserts into farms?

Do you ever wonder what would happen if an EMP took out all the electricity in the world? Here’s the answer.

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Many humans live without electricity and our ancestors survived without it not so long ago, too. However, can you imagine a world – today – devoid of any electricity?The likelihood of that happening is thin but let’s indulge in the thought and imagine what would happen if all electricity went out across the globe. There are several ways a total blackout worldwide could occur but let’s focus on one scenario for the sake of this experiment. Let’s assume an EMP-like weapon detonated on Earth and took out all power and electric devices. If Venezuela’s 2019 major outage is anything to go by, then the first people to be severely affected by such a power outage would be hospital patients. People on life support would likely be the first casualties because their ventilators or ECMO machines would no longer operate. Rubber lungs pumped by human power could be an interim solution but not a long term one.Moving away from hospitals, the rest of the world would likely first think it was just a local power outage, as many people have already experienced at some point in their lives. However, once smartphones stopped functioning, a deeper sense that this is no regular power outage would settle in.Noone would be able to communicate. Subways and electric trams and cars would stop operating. In urban areas, traffic lights would cease to work, resulting in major traffic jams, accidents, and chaos on the roads.If past crises are anything to go by, then many people would rush to stores to loot them for their own means. In just a matter of days, local law authorities would be stretched thin, without any means of communicating, resulting in even more looting, rioting, and no way to properly quell them. Without electricity there would be no means of distributing water. Soon after the power cut, people would likely rush to the closest body of freshwater to try and stock up. There would be an imbalance in logistics and supply lines, as there would be no water available for crops and animals, factories processing food, or refrigeration systems to keep everything fresh. We would start running out of food in urban areas. There is not enough evidence available to know exactly how humans would survive in the long term. It would certainly be a step back in time to olden days but who’s to say it wouldn’t be possible to survive, again, without electricity?

Do you ever wonder what would happen if an EMP took out all the electricity in the world?

How Would an Apocalyptic Blackout Affect Our World?

What would happen if an EMP attack took out all electricity

It is theorized that a nuclear war can have a cooling effect on Earth because of the dust and smoke a catastrophic event of this magnitude would create. Could humanity survive such an ordeal?

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When Little Boy and Fat Man were dropped – the two nuclear bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII – nearly 200,000 people died. Then, the aftereffects plagued thousands of inhabitants long after the bombs were dropped. It was hard to imagine a worse disaster caused by humanity. Yet, today, nearly 12,705 reported nuclear warheads across 20 countries exist. That’s not even counting the 100 or so nuclear weapons that are rumored to be missing, many of which are small enough to fit into a backpack. Moreover, nowadays nuclear warheads are much more powerful than those from 1945. The most powerful nuclear weapon ever tested, the Tsar Bomb, yields a power of 50 megatons. We’re talking 3,333 times stronger than Little Boy, which was dropped on Hiroshima. A prototype of the Tsar Bomb is said to have a blast yield of 100 megatons. If a bomb of this magnitude were dropped on a major city like London, there would be absolutely nothing left. The effects from the blast would be felt in cities as far as Cambridge, Oxford, and Brighton.To say the potential for an even bigger disaster than Hiroshima or Nagasaki is considerably higher today would be an understatement.Up until recently, the focus on such nuclear weapons was limited to their blast and radioactive fallout. Through new research, it is now believed that the long-term effects of nuclear war may be even more far-reaching that we could ever imagine. If a 5000-megaton nuclear war were to break out, the smoke coming from fires in bombed cities could cause long-term changes in our earth’s atmosphere. The massive amounts of dust and smoke could encircle the earth, limiting the sun’s reach down to the earth’s surface. This would cause our planet’s temperatures to drop between 15 to 25 degrees Celcius, creating a nuclear winter. Without sun, plants, livestock, and ultimately us humans cannot survive. There would be an over arcing scarcity of food as the balance of our world’s ecosystem would be utterly disrupted. Wild animals would suffer from the lack of food and the drastic change in weather would dip our oceans’ temperatures to a point where fish populations would wipe out. If a nuclear winter were to occur, it is theorized it would last up to 25 years. At this stage, it’s still unknown whether humans could survive that long in such conditions.The hope is that we never have to find out.

It is theorized that a nuclear war can have a cooling effect on Earth because of the dust and smoke a catastrophic event of this magnitude would create.

Nuclear War Can Be Worse Than You Tought

How would a nuclear winter play out?

Our pale blue planet has been spinning for billions of years. Do you ever wonder what would happen if it did not?

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Our Earth has been rotating on its axis at 1000 miles per hour at the Equator for billions of years. You could say it’s one of the most reliable things out there.In fact, very little would stop our humble pale blue home from rotating – and we can all be grateful for it. Let’s say our planet stopped spinning, what would happen then?To kick matters off, the day and night cycle that we know so well would completely swivel on its axis. One day would last six months and one night would last just as long. Just imagine a six-month-long night. No, thanks! If you think this is the worst that could happen, think again.If you lived near the Equator as the world stopped spinning, you would be launched eastwards at a speed of 1000 miles per hour. Try surviving that. Let’s imagine you weren’t near the Equator when the world stopped moving but say, on a plane, in a space station, or living near one of the poles, what then? Even if you weren’t thrown eastward at a ridiculous speed, you would still face a world that would now be plagued by constant, massive tsunamis and storms. The reason for these colossal storms lies in the fact that our planet’s atmosphere would keep spinning, creating winds that would scourge a large chunk of the earth’s surface with storms bigger than anything we’ve ever experienced.Gigantic tsunamis would engulf most western coasts, then oceans would rapidly swell eastward to submerge large parts of the earth. Ultimately, though, the oceans would shift towards the poles, where gravity pulls them. But wait, there’s more!The molten iron at the core of our planet would also become stagnant. If this core stops moving, the electric current it creates that gives our planet its magnetic field, protecting us from the sun’s radiation, would disappear. Then, the parts of the earth that face the sun would become entirely uninhabitable.To top it all off, the look of our planet would change from a bulbous center to a perfect sphere, as there would no longer be a centrifugal force exerted by the rotation.Believe it or not, our planet has already been losing momentum over the past billions of years, making our days longer. However, the current process is exceptionally slow, with a day gaining 2 milliseconds each century. Not to worry, nothing drastic will happen soon.

Today in Imagine That, we are going to dive deep into the possibility of the Earth stopping. Do you wonder what might happen in such an event?

Imagine That

EPISODES

Would aliens invade us after the first contact?

EPISODE 8

Can humanity survive after running out of fossil fuels?

EPISODE 7

What Would Happen If the World Was Actually Flat?

EPISODE 5

Would we benefit from terraforming deserts into farms?

EPISODE 4

What would happen if an EMP attack took out all electricity

EPISODE 3

How would a nuclear winter play out?

EPISODE 2

What would happen if the earth stopped spinning?

EPISODE 1