balloons

Some rich brats think they own the city they live in and can do anything they want. These people often exploit traffic rules and cause inconvenience to people because of their wealth and power. Recently, one such example of stupidity on public roads has been shared online. In this video, two boys were standing out of a Kia Carnival’s sunroof and were throwing water balloons. These people were seen harassing unsuspecting pedestrians walking on the side of the road. The occupants of a car who were caught on camera throwing…

University of Copenhagen researchers have overturned a longstanding belief about quinoa’s bladder cells. Originally thought to enhance drought and salt tolerance, these cells actually defend against pests and diseases, offering new insights for breeding stronger, more resilient quinoa varieties. Above is epidermal bladder cells seen through a microscope. Credit: University of CopenhagenQuinoa and similar highly resilient plants have unique balloon-like structures known as ‘bladders’ on their surface. For 127 years, it was…

As our understanding of the Universe around us grows, so do scientific theories. Like the one that's lasted for more than 100 years, about the function of balloon-like 'bladders' on resilient plants including quinoa.It was thought that these tiny balloons protected the plants against dangers like drought and salt. Not so, says a new study; in fact, they're designed to ward off different kinds of dangers, in the form of pests and disease.The discovery was made by researchers who wanted to explore the original hypothesis…

Daniel Bowman of Sandia National Laboratories uses inexpensive solar-powered hot air balloons to detect unique sounds in the stratosphere, including mysterious infrasound signals with unknown origins. This technology could potentially be used to explore other planets.Inexpensive and easy to build, these data-collecting balloons capture low-frequency sound in the Earth’s atmosphere.Imagine if sending your science experiment 70,000 ft in the air just took painter’s plastic, tape, a dash of charcoal dust, and plenty of…

High-altitude platform stations (HAPS) are effective tools for communication and surveillance because they operate from the stratosphere, usually at around 12 miles (20 km) above the Earth, much closer than satellites. There are two types of HAPS: lighter-than-air (LTA) HAPS, such as high-altitude balloons, and heavier-than-air (HTA) HAPS, such as fixed-wing aircraft.LTA-HAPS are generally solar-powered, unmanned balloons that use gases such as hydrogen or helium – hence, lighter than air – to maintain buoyancy. But, they…

Laguna Beach, CaliforniaPhoto: Apu Gomes (Getty Images)This story was originally published by Grist. You can subscribe to its weekly newsletter here.Celebrations in a beachside California city will soon have to take place without an iconic, single-use party favor: balloons.The city council of Laguna Beach, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles, voted Tuesday to ban the sale and use of all types of balloons, citing their contribution to ocean litter as well as health and safety risks from potential fires when they hit…

Chinese spy balloons can travel thousands of miles fighting rough ocean weather. Thanks to Artificial Intelligence China is a seasoned player in spying on rival countries and even the sky is not the limit. Spy balloons hovering over US skies have raised concerns as they have been spying on US military establishments. It is considered a highly advanced artificial intelligence-powered balloon with the ability to carry out high-altitude surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Earlier, Chinese spy balloons were also…

Alphabet pulled the plug on Loon in early 2021. It was a business decision, not a reflection on the technology—basically, its mission became moot as remote areas managed to get connected without receiving signals from the mutant offspring of Phileas Fogg. Still, the Loon team working in partnership with a company called Raven Aerostar (more recently the Aerostar division was sold off from Raven)—which had spent decades in balloon technology—can boast that it pushed balloon tech to, um, new heights. “We advanced the…

At latest count, Sidewinder missiles have burst both a wayward Chinese balloon and three “unidentified objects” floating over the U.S. and Canada. These suspected spies cast an unexpected spotlight on a significant national security issue: balloons and drones gathering intelligence for foreign powers. But they also provide a likely explanation for some of the last decade’s highly publicized sightings of unidentified flying objects by military pilots. At least a more plausible explanation than extraterrestrials. And the…

Photo: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)President Joe Biden responded to senators’ calls for more information about the three unidentified flying objects that were shot down in the last week. He spoke to the American people in an address meant to alleviate fears but may have raised more questions about the unknown objects.His press conference comes after senators left a classified briefing on Tuesday with confused reactions, saying they hadn’t received any clarification about what the three flying objects were. Republicans and…