Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology have-in just two years-nearly doubled the number of materials known to have potential for use in solar fuels.

They did so by developing a process that promises to speed the discovery of commercially viable (商业可行性) generation of solar fuels that could replace coal, oil, and other fossil fuels.

Solar fuels, a dream of clean-energy research, are created using only sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Researchers are exploring a range of possible target fuels, but one possibility is to produce hydrogen by splitting water.

Each water molecule (分子) consists of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. The hydrogen atoms are extracted, and then can be reunited to create highly flammable hydrogen gas or combined with CO 2 to create hydrocarbon fuels, creating a plentiful and renewable energy source. The problem, however, is that water molecules do not simply break down when sunlight shines on them-if they did, the oceans would not cover most of the planet. They need a little help from a solar-powered catalyst (催化剂).

To create practical solar fuels, scientists have been trying to develop low-cost and efficient materials that perform the necessary chemistry using only visible light as an energy source.

A new method was developed through a partnership between the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP) and Berkeley Lab’s Materials Project, using resources at the Molecular Foundry and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSCC). JCAP focused on developing a cost-effective method of turning sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into fuel. It is led by Caltech with Berkeley Lab as a major partner. The Materials Project is a program based at Berkeley Lab that aims to remove the guesswork from materials design in a variety of applications.

“What is particularly significant about this study, which combines experiment and theory, is that in addition to identifying several new compounds for solar fuel applications, we can also learn something new about the basic electronic structure of the materials themselves.” says Neaton, the director of the Molecular Foundry.

Virtual reality is quickly becoming the new technological frontier. Tech companies everywhere seem to be racing to get their foot in the VR door. However, Virtual reality has a set of challenges and hurdles that it must overcome in order to work well. Michael Abrash, a writer and programmer, listed a number of these in a speech from 2014; they include things like low latency, high refresh rate, high resolution, a wide field of view and rock solid tracking, among others. Even if you don’t quite understand the technical aspects of those terms, it should be noted that VR is heavily dependent on being very fast, very accurate and very good-looking. If it isn’t, the viewer will feel motion sick or disconnected from the world that VR is trying to create.

Now that we can actually build VR headsets that begin to meet these requirements, we are seeing a rising interest in VR. As it rises, so does the interest in creating new media to be experienced in using virtual reality. Journalism is a medium built on relevance. Journalists should always be finding new ways to tell stories and deliver content. It is a goldmine for storytelling. What better ways to tell a story to someone than to put them right in the center of it?

Some journalists and publications are already utilizing VR. Vice creative director Spike Jonze, in a collaboration with director and visual artist Chris Milk, put viewers at the scene of the Millions March protest in New York in December, 2014. The University of Southern California created “Project Syria,” which allows viewers to experience the bombing of a crowded neighborhood and visit a refugee camp in the titular, war-torn country. These are just a few examples of a growing number of projects that are out there.

Virtual reality is a powerful tool for journalists. The consumer isn’t just reading or watching something play out; they’re experiencing it. The immersive nature of VR allows for people to connect with the subject matter on a much deeper level than just reading about it. The experience is emotional, speaking more to our instinct than our intellect. The possibilities for storytelling here are legion, and any storyteller wanting to do something more interesting than their peers should surely be considering the sheer power of VR.

The question of virtual reality, though, is not how powerful it is. That is immediately apparent. The question of VR is one of viability and availability. Telling stories must be easy to do, and access to those stories must be readily available. This is the biggest challenge that VR faces. If the tools to tell a story with VR aren’t easy to pick up and learn, VR will fail. If VR technology isn’t both top-of-the-line and affordable, VR will fail.

Accessibility was one concern for Thomas Hallaq, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications, who said that current VR technology is pretty exclusive right now. Despite that, he said he doesn’t think the exclusivity of this technology will be a problem in the long run.

“I think it’s very promising,” Hallaq said. “We’re seeing more technology become accessible, and more people having access to that technology. Just look at smartphones.” If the technology is widely available and companies like Oculus, Samsung, HTC and Valve can overcome the inherent hurdles, VR will succeed in being a desirable means of storytelling. Like radio, TV and the Internet before it, virtual reality will change the way we tell stories.

Have you ever forgotten to lock the door of your house? Or, have you ever forgotten to switch off the TV or computer? 【小题1】, and can sometimes lead to problems. However, in the not-too-distant future, we will be living in smart homes that will help solve those problems.

Intelligent controls

Today, we have to use switches for your lights, and remote controls for our TVs and air conditioners. In the future, we will be using advanced technology every day for automatic control of just about everything in our home. You will no longer have to think about turning switches on and off yourself. 【小题2】, so everything will be ready for you.

Regular Health Checks

In addition, your smart home will be monitoring your health for you every day. Your bed, for example, will record how well you sleep every night. 【小题3】. If you start to have sleep or weight problems, it will send a warning to your phone. It will also give you suggestions on a healthier diet and how to sleep better.

No more disasters

【小题4】. For example, if a water pipe starts leaking, or if there is a short in the electrical wiring, your smart home will detect it and provide you with the relevant information. This way, you will be able to fix the problem before your home becomes flooded or catches fire.

This smart technology is not a fantasy. 【小题5】 and being used in some homes. In this sense, the home of tomorrow is already the home of today. Nevertheless, it will take some years, before most new homes begin to use this new technology.