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Science is iterative (thelemmy.club)
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[-] call_me_xale@lemmy.zip 112 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Pssh, you guys are still on gravity-fusion? My ship has magnetically-bottled antihydrogen, which is carefully fed into a specialized reaction vessel that annihilates it with ordinary hydrogen to produce unbelievable amounts of heat...

...which is then used to boil water and force the steam through a turbine.

[-] panda_abyss@lemmy.ca 58 points 2 weeks ago

I just put some saddles on this bacteria that eats photons.

[-] Kellenved@sh.itjust.works 21 points 2 weeks ago

Discworld ftl tech right here

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[-] TheFogan@programming.dev 75 points 2 weeks ago

I invented a new power generation method!

Amazing, is it actually new, or is it steam again

... it's steam again.

[-] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 48 points 2 weeks ago

"It's a good power generation method, sir"

looks inside

boiling water

[-] lime@feddit.nu 39 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

> ask if new generator is spooky or wet
> they don't understand
> show the diagram
> "it's a good generator mx"
> go inside
> it's wet

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[-] Blackout@fedia.io 58 points 2 weeks ago

It's like how evolution's perfect form is a crab. Energy's perfect form is spicy water bois

[-] rockerface@lemmy.cafe 41 points 2 weeks ago

Fun fact: crabs are only the underwater peak of evolution. Land mammals seem to converge into anteaters, and plants into trees.

[-] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 weeks ago

If mammals want to survive the next 100 million years we need to see the writing on the wall and evolve into crabeaters

I can't I have a shellfish allergy.

[-] youcantreadthis@quokk.au 6 points 2 weeks ago
[-] drcobaltjedi@programming.dev 8 points 2 weeks ago

I mean theres been like 15 things that are dolphin shaped throughout history.

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[-] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 2 weeks ago

Do solar panels operate in this way?

[-] nocturne@slrpnk.net 71 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yes, inside of every solar panel is water and tiny turbines. The sun heats the water, when it turns to steam it spins the turbines to generate electricity.

[-] pr06lefs@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 weeks ago

minas tirith lacks power! sound the turbines!

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[-] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 2 weeks ago

It's always a relief when someone doesn't take everything so literally

[-] whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 12 points 2 weeks ago

just like wind turbine right?

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 weeks ago

You’ll never believe where wind comes from…

[-] nocturne@slrpnk.net 10 points 2 weeks ago

Wind turbines use whales and birds, I think it is like in Norse mythology where the wolves Sköll and Hati chase the Sun and moon. But with wind you have whales chasing birds while they are strapped to the blades, this causes them to spin and that generates wind, which fans the flames of fires to boil water and that creates steam.

[-] WalrusDragonOnABike@reddthat.com 17 points 2 weeks ago

Depends on the type of solar panel. PV, no. Otherwise, yes.

[-] oxideseven@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 weeks ago

Solar, wind, tidal, RTG, DEC fusion are all options without steam

[-] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 weeks ago

Does hydropower count as cold steam?

Well I guess all wind power is also steam at a very low concentration heated by a fusion reaction.

[-] fullsquare@awful.systems 6 points 2 weeks ago

the steam part is in the rest of hydrological cycle

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[-] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 2 weeks ago

Wind and tidal is still just turbines.

[-] DahGangalang@infosec.pub 7 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah. One uses the passage of a gas over rotating blades. The other uses water as it flows.

Neither use the passage of gaseous water, so theyre totally different!

/s

[-] jol@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 2 weeks ago

We never moved away from windmills basically. Only solar is completely different, besides niche impractical things like piezo crystals

[-] snoons@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

In a way. The energy is, in part, used to cook my food which creates an proton gradient across the inner membrane of my mitochondria which then forces those protons through a turbine.

[-] janus2@lemmy.zip 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

this is so stupid we should just bioengineer injectable chloroplasts for our skin and power ourselves directly with the sun

(yes i am currently hungry but don't feel like cooking how can you tell?)

[-] snoons@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I WISH

Mitochondria + Chloroplast and accompanying UV damage repair systems would be poggers.

Imagine being able to take a nap and snack at the same time. Totally plant coded and root pilled.

[-] janus2@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 weeks ago

humans: getting dunked on by corals and lichens, in this category

[-] snoons@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago

Those bastards got it easy ;-;

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[-] Blackmist@feddit.uk 28 points 2 weeks ago
[-] jpablo68@infosec.pub 9 points 2 weeks ago

I don't know why we don't do this with internal combustion engines (Gasoline or Diesel) all that heat generated by the motor, wasted, it could be used to generate more electricity...

[-] xthexder@l.sw0.com 6 points 2 weeks ago

We actually do. F1 engine's have something called the MGU-H that recovers exhaust gas energy and turns it into electricity that can be used to recharge the hybrid system: https://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/tech-explained-formula-1-mgu-h/

Technically any turbocharger is doing the same thing except it's hooked up to a compressor for the intake air instead of a generator.

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[-] Emi@ani.social 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

There were some cars that used Stirling engine (Czech wiki cuz better picture) instead of internal combustion ones.

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[-] ikilledtheradiostar@hexbear.net 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

With the take off of co2 turbines how is this still a meme?

[-] culpritus@hexbear.net 8 points 2 weeks ago

Super Critical Support for our compressed CO2 turbine comrades.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 9 points 2 weeks ago

most FTL in scifi surpassed the use of fusion to power thier ships and only used a supplemental power, they went with anti-matter, and vacumn energy

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

You'd think with all the mice and rats used for labratory testing, we'd have power generated by rodents running on wheels.

[-] xep@discuss.online 19 points 2 weeks ago

Still kinda using water to turn a turbine, if you squint really hard.

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[-] NewSocialWhoDis@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 weeks ago

Gawd I love this meme.

[-] janus2@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

ok i can see the steam turbine powering onboard electrical but explain me how the fuck you're doing space propulsion and/or warp travel with steam

unless you mean literally just blasting steam like a propellant, Wall-E With the Fire Extinguisher style. in which case you're gonna run outta steam pretty fast

[-] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 21 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Ion thrusters are an example of electricity used for space propulsion.

In ion thrusters electricity is used to create a magnetic field that accelerate the propellant particles at very high speed. This way the propellant of used much more efficiently.

Edit: I forgot to mention that it's not a concept, it's actively used in a lot of satellites

[-] janus2@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 weeks ago

ooooooh

well that's pretty neat.

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[-] Kowowow@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 weeks ago

2026 we put a helicopter on mars and still no power crystals

[-] oxideseven@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 weeks ago

Lots of mars stuff is RTG powered, so no steam. if it makes you feel better it's kind of like a power crystal in they metal is crystal...

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[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago

So we figured out the most efficient way to generate electricity 100 years ago, and you guys just whinge and want something new.

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this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
752 points (99.2% liked)

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