The project would have powered more than 1.3 million homes in New York and New Jersey, the lawsuit claims.

There’s something living in the fog. Repeat: there’s something living in the fog.

It may sound like a twisted update to the classic John Carpenter film — or a log line for the new Apple TV horror series “Widow’s Bay” — but these low-hanging clouds are indeed rife with living bacteria, according to new research.

The findings, published in a study in the journal Environmental Microbiology, showed that fog is teeming with so much life that the researchers liken it to a vast aquatic ecosystem unto itself.

“We found that millions of bacteria inhabit… fog droplets,” coauthor Ferran Garcia-Pichel at Arizona State University, told USA Today. 

“When you take all of the droplets together, the concentration of bacteria is the same as in the ocean,” he added in a statement about the work.

The presence of bacteria in airborne water droplets isn’t a new revelation in itself. But the work helps elucidate what it is that bacteria do while suspended in fog and other clouds — something that wasn’t clear before — and the impact this has on the broader environment.

“There’s very limited knowledge about what kinds of bacteria are present in fogs, which are like clouds at the ground level,” lead author Thi Thuong Cao, a researcher at ASU, said in the statement.

To peer into this gloomy microscopic realm, the researchers meticulously collected air samples before, during, and after fog events. Since wind can blow fog banks away and confound attempts to get consistent samples, the researchers focused on a specific type called radiation fog that forms on calmer days when the ground cools and chills the air above it, allowing water droplets to condense close to the surface.

After assiduously collecting samples, the researchers found that only one percent of fog droplets contained bacteria. But a thimbleful of these droplets in all packs around ten million bacteria, which is nothing to scoff at. 

Some thrived more than others. The population of one bacteria called Methylobacteria, known for devouring simple carbon compounds including pollutants like formaldehyde, increased after fog events. A closer look showed that the bacteria were actively growing and multiplying.

“We observed them under the microscope to see that yes, the bacteria are getting bigger and they’re dividing, so there is growth,” Cao said. “We also found that they’re using the formaldehyde as food to support their growth.”

Garcia-Pichel said this marked a “mindset change” in how we think about fog. “If they are growing,” he said of the bacteria, “then the droplets are a habitat.”

From this habitat, bacteria could be influencing air quality, thanklessly sucking up pollutants. It’s a possibility that might give pause to calls to start collecting fog for drinking water, the researchers say.

“If we harvest fog, we are getting rid of our little friends in the air,” Garcia-Pichel said in the statement. “We don’t know if that’s going to make a big impact or not, but we should be considering that.”

More on biology: Scientists Intrigued by Chunk of Flesh That Refuses to Die After Several Years

The post There’s Something Living Inside Fog, Scientists Find appeared first on Futurism.

In the rapidly evolving energy landscape of the United States, nuclear power remains a pivotal component in the quest for decarbonization. However, conventional assessments often overlook the latent flexibility and economic advantages that could be unlocked through strategic integration with emerging technologies and supportive policy frameworks. A groundbreaking study by Li, H., Huang, J., Poudel, B., and colleagues, recently published in Nature Communications, delves into this complex interplay, reimagining the role of nuclear power when synergized with hydrogen production infrastructures and forward-looking policy mechanisms.

This research arrives at a crucial juncture, as energy systems worldwide contend with the twin imperatives of reducing carbon emissions and ensuring reliability amidst growing renewable penetration. The intermittent nature of solar and wind energy sources has spotlighted the need for adaptable baseload generation capable of shifting operational modes in response to fluctuating demand and supply conditions. Nuclear plants, traditionally characterized by inflexible, steady output, have oft been sidelined as unsuitable for such dynamic system needs. However, the study challenges this dogma, unveiling novel pathways to extend nuclear flexibility and enhance its economic viability.

Central to the investigation is the proposition that coupling nuclear reactors with hydrogen production—particularly via high-temperature electrolysis or thermochemical pathways—could create a valuable demand-side flexibility. Hydrogen serves both as a clean energy vector and energy storage medium, enabling nuclear plants to pivot their electricity output between grid supply and hydrogen generation. This dual-use approach allows reactors to operate at variable power levels, absorbing excess output during low grid demand by converting it into hydrogen, which can later be utilized in transportation, industry, or power generation itself.

The study employs advanced modeling techniques integrating techno-economic analysis with power system simulations to capture the complex interactions between nuclear plants, hydrogen production units, market prices, and grid dynamics. By simulating scenarios under different policy regimes, the authors quantify how incentives such as carbon pricing, subsidies for clean hydrogen, or mandates for flexible operation could transform nuclear energy economics. Their results demonstrate substantial improvements in cost-competitiveness and operational profitability when nuclear-hydrogen coupling is enabled and supported by coherent policies.

Importantly, the paper highlights how this approach could alleviate some pressing challenges facing existing nuclear fleets. Many aging reactors risk premature retirement due to economic pressures stemming from inflexible operation and competition from low-cost natural gas and renewables. Integrating hydrogen production not only provides alternative revenue streams but also enhances grid reliability by enabling reactors to respond dynamically to system needs. This flexibility helps mitigate renewable variability, reduce curtailments, and decrease the necessity for fossil fuel peaker plants, aligning perfectly with decarbonization goals.

Moreover, the authors explore how different hydrogen production technologies interact with reactor types and operational schemes. High-temperature electrolysis benefits particularly from the consistent high-grade waste heat available at certain advanced reactors, improving overall system efficiency. The analysis of these synergies sets a foundation for evaluating future reactor designs optimized for co-generation of electricity and hydrogen, stimulating innovation pathways in nuclear technology development.

Policy frameworks emerge as a decisive factor in realizing the full potential of nuclear-hydrogen integration. Without supportive measures, additional capital investment and operational complexities could impose prohibitive risks and costs on operators. The study underscores the necessity of tailored regulations that incentivize flexible operation, recognize hydrogen as a strategic energy carrier, and internalize the climate benefits of low-carbon hydrogen production. In this context, harmonized carbon pricing coupled with direct subsidies or market access guarantees for green hydrogen could catalyze transformative shifts.

Furthermore, the researchers address criticisms related to safety, technological readiness, and public acceptance. While existing reactors were not initially designed for flexible operation or hydrogen co-production, adaptations are technically feasible with manageable safety implications. Importantly, public engagement and transparent communication emerge as critical enablers to build trust and acceptance of multi-purpose nuclear facilities. The prospect of contributing to a hydrogen economy could positively reframe the societal narrative around nuclear power.

In addition to technical and economic benefits, the authors illustrate a broader systemic impact: enhanced regional energy security and resilience. By diversifying nuclear revenue streams and operational capabilities, communities relying on nuclear plants gain additional buffers against volatile fuel markets and supply disruptions. Hydrogen produced locally could also foster new industrial clusters and job creation, intertwining energy, economic development, and environmental stewardship in a compelling synergy.

The global context is also considered, with parallels drawn to international efforts in Europe and Asia to leverage nuclear-hydrogen integration. The U.S. experience, enriched by this rigorous assessment, could thus inform transnational cooperation and accelerate international technology diffusion. The study emphasizes that while the focus is on U.S. grids and policies, the overarching principles and findings bear broad relevance for countries pursuing nuclear innovation and deep decarbonization.

While the benefits are compelling, the paper responsibly highlights challenges awaiting resolution. Market structures need to evolve to adequately value the flexibility and low-carbon attributes of integrated nuclear-hydrogen systems. Technologies require further demonstration to de-risk scale-up and optimize performance. Coordination among diverse stakeholders, from utilities to regulators and technology providers, will be paramount in navigating transition pathways. These insights pave the way for future research agendas, pilot projects, and policy experiments.

In conclusion, the work of Li et al. represents a paradigm shift in our understanding of nuclear power’s role in a clean energy future. By innovatively linking hydrogen production and policy support, it reveals an untapped flexibility and economic potential that could reinvigorate the U.S. nuclear sector. Beyond incremental improvements, this integrated approach encapsulates a holistic vision where nuclear energy not only supports but actively enables the expansive hydrogen economy—a vision with profound implications for energy systems worldwide.

This comprehensive rethinking holds promise for energizing dialogue across scientific, policy, and industry communities, inspiring new collaborations and strategic investments. As the urgency of climate action accelerates, the nuclear-hydrogen nexus illuminated by this study could become a cornerstone technology, propelling progress toward resilient, sustainable, and economically viable energy systems for decades to come. The interplay of technical innovation and policy ingenuity demonstrated here exemplifies the multidimensional solutions essential for 21st-century energy challenges.

The path forward will require sustained commitment, innovative design, and adaptive governance. Yet, armed with insights such as those from this seminal research, stakeholders stand better positioned to harness nuclear power’s full capabilities—not merely as a static source of electricity but as a dynamic, versatile pillar underpinning the clean energy transformation. As hydrogen emerges as a strategic commodity and nuclear technology evolves, their integration charts a promising route to achieving decarbonization goals while maintaining energy security and economic vitality.

The implications extend beyond energy into economic development, environmental protection, and societal welfare. Deploying nuclear power in concert with hydrogen technologies could stimulate new industries, create skilled employment, and contribute to carbon neutrality targets with lasting impact. This study’s findings thus resonate deeply within broader conversations about how energy innovation can drive a just and sustainable transition globally.

Innovation at the intersection of nuclear and hydrogen technology epitomizes the creative problem-solving demanded by contemporary energy challenges. By articulating a clear economic rationale and policy roadmap for flexibility-enhanced nuclear power, Li and colleagues provide a valuable blueprint for reimagining the future of clean energy infrastructure. Their research stands to catalyze further breakthroughs, investment decisions, and policy reforms critical to scaling solutions capable of meeting escalating energy demands sustainably.

As nations grapple with balancing environmental imperatives and energy needs, this study offers a compelling argument to revisit and revitalize nuclear power’s role. Integrating hydrogen production is not merely an add-on but a transformative strategy unlocking new operational modalities, market opportunities, and decarbonization synergies. With supportive policies and continued innovation, nuclear power could emerge as a cornerstone technology driving the hydrogen economy and enabling a clean, flexible, and resilient energy future with widespread benefits.

Subject of Research:
Reevaluating the economic feasibility and operational flexibility of U.S. nuclear power plants through integration with hydrogen production technologies and analysis of supportive policy frameworks.

Article Title:
Rethinking the economics and flexibility of U.S. nuclear power through hydrogen integration and policy support.

Article References:
Li, H., Huang, J., Poudel, B. et al. Rethinking the economics and flexibility of U.S. nuclear power through hydrogen integration and policy support. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73630-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

I premiere my 2013 video lecture "8 Reasons Why Evolution is Foolish" on YouTube. I present 8 reasons why evolution is impossible. I cover questions on cosmogony, the origin of the universe, the stars and galaxies, the Earth, and the origin of life.

Maxwell Chikumbutso's claim of a "free energy" vehicle powered by radio frequency energy, contradicts established physics, particularly the laws of thermodynamics. All forms of energy involve costs. Chikumbutso provides no evidence to support his "free energy" from radio-waves claim. It is foolish to believe in unverified revolutionary energy solutions.

The generation and evolution of electricity is discussed, highlighting significant milestones from early static electricity experiments to modern AC power generation techniques. Dirty electricity, characterized by high-frequency electrical noise, can lead to health issues. There is a strong need for more research on this electromagnetic pollution and its health impacts.

The exploration of time measurement emphasizes the Earth's rotation as a historical clock, defining the 24-hour day. The development of mechanical clocks, notably John Harrison's marine chronometers, advanced navigation. Time's definition evolved from an Earth-centric model to atomic standards, although fundamental concepts of time remain abstract and intrinsic to the universe's creation.

I presented on the subject of problems for the big bang on the YouTube channel Standing for Truth Ministries. I discussed the most common problems the big bang theory has, the contradictions, fudge factors and failures.

Since 2015, black holes have gained attention in astronomy, particularly regarding their potential role in discovering elusive dark matter particles like dark photons. Superradiance, a theoretical process, could theoretically boost these particles' energies near black holes. However, the absence of observed superradiance raises questions about dark matter's complexity and the validity of existing cosmological theories.

Dark matter is equated to the metaphor of the Emperor's new clothes. Dark photons and other hypothetical particles are fictitious constructs used to explain phenomena without concrete evidence, underlining that current astrophysical models are flawed and nonsensical.

I question the acceptance of Dark Matter and Dark Energy by biblical creationists, suggesting they are problematic placeholders for undiscovered physics. The arguments for their existence are challenged by alternative cosmological models and criticisms of observational methodologies, calling for a re-evaluation of accepted astrophysical tenets.

How much of cosmology is fiction? What are the fudge factors. How much is being fudged. Are there insurmountable problems with our current model of big bang cosmology?

Big bang cosmology faces unresolved problems with the standard ΛCDM model needing unknown fudge factors. A new timescape cosmology, where time passes faster or slower in voids and filaments of the cosmic web, may resolve the Dark Energy problem, but it indicates a need to rethink the foundations of cosmology.

Fortescue Metals Group is scaling back its green hydrogen ambitions due to high electricity prices, reflecting challenges faced by companies like Woodside and Origin Energy. Despite job cuts and economic feasibility concerns, chairman Andrew Forrest persists in promoting green hydrogen, advocating for ambitious production goals, in spite of the underlying physics.

Climate change is being exploited by globalist technocrats to seize control over energy, food, and money, paving the way for totalitarianism. They manipulate the climate crisis to manipulate society, pushing artificial meat and digital currencies, while profiting from manufactured crises.

The pilot turns unused railway space into a small but closely watched solar test.

The pilot turns unused railway space into a small but closely watched solar test.

Scientists report the development of a new experimental system that could lead to a breakthrough resource in quantum optics by successfully generating correlated photon pairs using sunlight.

The new system relies on nature’s most abundant light source as the main driver of a nonlinear optical process known as spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), which normally requires a laser to “pump” a nonlinear crystal.

The breakthrough achievement was reported in Advanced Photonics.

Entangled Photons in Correlated Pairs

In the world of quantum optics, the phenomenon of pairs of correlated or entangled photons is an important asset, despite being a seemingly obscure concept for most of us.

Under normal circumstances, optical scientists rely on spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), a nonlinear optical process in which devices such as coherent lasers are the primary means of “pumping” a nonlinear crystal. Given that they require the kinds of lasers typically found only in top laboratories, the practical use of SPDC is nonviable under normal conditions.

Finding a practical, real-world substitute has long been an intriguing idea, which prompted researchers at Xiamen University in China to determine whether similar processes could be achieved using the most abundant source of light on Earth: sunlight.

A Challenging Process

This is easier said than done, since sunlight, unlike lasers, is generally unstable due to changes in intensity caused by environmental or atmospheric factors (think clouds, for instance) as well as changes in angle and position that occur naturally throughout the day.

All these factors compromise the precision required for SPDC. Still, the practicality of sunlight, as well as the energy it provides, has continued to make it a potentially feasible alternative that scientists hope might liberate SPDC from its reliance on lab-grade coherent lasers.

If it could be harnessed for such purposes, using sunlight to fuel SPDC would also mean that photon-pair generation could be achieved in remote areas where researchers had never previously considered it possible.

A Solution to SPDC Beyond the Lab?

According to the Xiamen University research team, a new experimental system has been developed that uses sunlight as the only pump source for this process, employing a device that tracks the sun, similar to how equatorial mounts allow astronomers to follow the movement of celestial objects as the Earth spins.

The device, according to researchers, harnesses sunlight at the proper angles throughout the day, which is then fed through a length of optical fiber to an indoor lab. From there, the light is used to pump a potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) nonlinear crystal.

Periodically Poled Potassium Titanyl Phosphate (PPKTP) crystals are a variety of engineered nonlinear optical crystals that researchers use for high-efficiency frequency conversion and other quantum optics applications, especially for creating entangled photon pairs. They work by altering qualities of light that include its color, phase, or frequency by forcing it to pass through a specially engineered component or structure.

While using sunlight as the sole source of illumination for such processes is complex, the team found that its system successfully produced photon pairs that exhibited strong correlations.

Ghost Imaging for Photon Pair Production

Next came the demonstration phase, where the team used the photon pairs generated by their new system to perform “ghost imaging,” a process that uses correlated photons to produce imagery rather than spatial detection.

While conventional laser-based systems can achieve better than 95 percent visibility at comparable pumping power levels, the team’s sunlight-powered technology achieved ghost imaging visibility of 89.7 percent, well within the range of lab-based systems. To further illustrate the system’s use with more detailed spatial structures, the team also used it to produce, appropriately enough, a two-dimensional image of a ghostly face.

Overall, the team says quasi-phase matching in the PPKTP crystal was achievable with the broad spectrum of sunlight, enabling them to generate an abundance of position-correlated photon pairs. Additionally, the team reports that their system yields better signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios, even given the challenges posed by sunlight variability when used as a primary energy source.

Practical Use Beyond the Lab

“Our research holds substantial significance as it expands the range of viable illumination sources,” the team writes in their recent study, “including scattered light and nontraditional artificial incoherent light—for imaging applications.”

They add that among the potentially promising uses for their technology, space-based quantum information systems may be particularly beneficial, since the team’s new method “enables operation independent of laser sources.”

The team’s new paper, “Sunlight-excited spontaneous parametric down-conversion for ghost imaging,” appeared in Advanced Photonics on April 24, 2026.

Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

Subtle changes are occurring in the nighttime hours on planet Earth, according to NASA scientists who say an unexpected pattern has surfaced in new maps of the world’s artificial light.

The highly detailed new maps offer a revealing look at how humans are reshaping the nighttime world around our planet, as seen in patterns of variation in artificial light. The findings were detailed in a recent study by an international team of researchers, including scientists from the American space agency.

Drawing from NASA’s Black Marble Data, the maps indicate that, in addition to gradual shifts in the luminous displays that brighten the portions of Earth furthest from the Sun at any given time, there are also some surprises. These include what were recently characterized as “a world flickering with industrial booms and busts, construction, and blackouts,” driven by a range of factors, including industrial efforts.

Black Marble: Peering into the Visible Infrared

Black Marble is a product suite specifically designed to track changes in human infrastructure driven by artificial light. The system is calibrated each day to ensure accurate, up-to-date scientific observations.

“Black Marble is playing a vital role in research on light pollution, illegal fishing, fires, disaster impacts and recovery, and human settlements and associated energy infrastructures,” according to a NASA FAQ page detailing its capabilities.

At the core of Black Marble is the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometry Suite (VIIRS), a system that is hosted on a trio of satellite platforms that include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s NOAA-20 and NOAA-21, as well as the Suomi NPP.

Equipped with a unique sensor that features gain settings calibrated to capture high-quality low-light imagery of Earth by night, Black Marble offers a wealth of scientific data and stunning imagery of how humans are reshaping the planet through artificial light, capturing light across multiple wavelengths. Specifically, these include green and near-infrared light, as well as specialized filtering techniques for a variety of important applications.

What Maps of Earth’s Artificial Light Reveal

One thing the new maps reveal is how brightness from artificial light varies across densely populated regions, as seen in areas that lie between about 60 degrees south and 70 degrees north.

The new imagery, featured on NASA’s Earth Observatory page, shows areas of yellow and gold, indicating regions that saw significantly more illumination during the period the data were collected, between 2014 and 2022.

Additionally, the maps show purple areas indicating the opposite: greater dimming over the study period.

“Our findings challenge the prevailing perspective that changes in light radiance are largely gradual and unidirectional,” wrote the authors of a recent study published in Nature detailing what the maps reveal. “Instead, the nightlights of Earth are surprisingly dynamic, characterized by frequent and coexisting brightening and dimming.”

The research team found that, on average, every location where changes in artificial light were taking place “underwent 6.6 distinct shifts over the 9 years.”

Global radiance appears to have increased by an estimated 34 percent, the researchers say, although they note that this apparent surge in artificial lighting also effectively masked areas where significant dimming was taking place.

One area where this was particularly evident was on the U.S. West Coast, where cities appear to have increased in brightness proportionally with population increase, whereas along the East Coast, dimming was observed, which the researchers linked to more widespread use of energy-efficient alternatives like LED lighting, along with subtle economic changes and other factors.

Surges in the Eastern World

The areas with the greatest increase in artificial light at night were China and northern India, both of which coincided with areas of ongoing urban development.

Similar to patterns across the Eastern U.S., countries like the United Kingdom and France—especially in major cities like Paris—saw reduced artificial light pollution as LED lighting and other energy-saving conservation efforts were adopted. The sharpest overall drop in lighting occurred near the end of the study, when an energy crisis began impacting many European countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The new maps were featured on the cover of the recent edition of the journal Nature that featured the study, and can also be seen at NASA’s Earth Observatory page.

Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

Casimir Inc, a company founded and led by former DARPA-funded NASA warp drive pioneer and founder of the EagleWorks Lab, Harold G. “Sonny” White, has exited stealth mode to announce the pending 2028 commercialization of MicroSparc, a chip that the company claims uses customized microscale geometries to capture unlimited ‘free’ energy from the quantum world.

“Think: no batteries, no cords, and no charging—just continuous power from harvested quantum vacuum fields,” a company spokesperson explained in an email to The Debrief.

While several previous efforts have attempted to exploit the unusual, sometimes counterintuitive properties of the quantum realm to generate “free energy,” these attempts have consistently been met with skepticism or labeled pseudoscience due to their seeming violations of the law of conservation of momentum.

Similar sentiments were shared with The Debrief by scientists we spoke with, who declined to comment publicly on Casimir, MicroSparc, or the peer-reviewed study “Emergent quantization from a dynamic vacuum,” which details the underlying physics.

In an email to The Debrief, Dr. White, who recently added his partner from the non-profit Limitless Space Institute, Kam Ghaffarian (Intuitive Machines, Axiom Space, and X-energy) as a Casimir investor and board member, explained that MicroSparc’s use of customized Casimir cavities, which his team had researched with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), does not violate the laws of physics.

“This concept became a central part of our DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO) research effort at the Limitless Space Institute, where DARPA funded early theoretical and experimental investigations into custom Casimir cavity structures and their interaction with the quantum vacuum,” White told The Debrief.

Instead, the noted advanced propulsion physics researcher said their MicroSparc design leverages 20th-century discoveries in quantum physics, such as quantum tunneling and Casimir cavities, to capture usable energy that could fuel small, low-power electronics in the near future. The company also suggests that its technology can potentially be scaled to power cars, homes, or even entire cities without the need for harmful fossil fuels or other greener, yet costly, fuel alternatives.

“Much of modern electronics is constrained by batteries, charging cycles, wiring, maintenance, or environmental limitations,” Dr. White told The Debrief. “If this technology scales successfully, its long-term implications could extend from ultra-low-power sensors and consumer electronics to remote infrastructure, defense systems, and eventually space applications, where persistent power is especially valuable.”

100 Years of Quantum Science & Understanding “The Vacuum”

Dr. White told The Debrief that to understand how MicroSparc extracts energy from the quantum vacuum requires first understanding the properties of a vacuum.

“Most people picture a vacuum as completely empty space: a sealed chamber with all air removed,” White explained, adding that at “our everyday scale, this makes sense.”

However, in the quantum realm, empty space is not exactly empty. Instead, White told The Debrief, decades of research in quantum physics and mechanics have revealed that at the quantum level, the classically ‘empty’ vacuum is filled with “fluctuating electromagnetic fields and virtual particles that constantly appear and disappear.” White noted that the Casimir Effect, on which its company is based and for which it is named, provides clear proof of this quantum vacuum behavior.

“Place two small metallic plates inside a vacuum chamber with a separation of roughly 100 nanometers, about 1/1,000th of a human hair,” White explained. “After removing all air, the pressure on the outer sides of the plates reads zero, as expected.”

However, he noted, a quick measurement between the plates shows that the pressure is negative. In traditionally constructed Casimir cavities, this region of negative pressure pulls the plates together. Dr. White told The Debrief that this happens because of “wave-particle duality.”

“Outside the plates, fluctuations of every wavelength are possible,” he explained. However, he also noted, inside the narrow gap of a Casimir cavity, only wavelengths narrow enough to fit can exist.

“Longer wavelengths are excluded, so the energy density between the plates is lower than outside them,” White said. “The resulting imbalance produces the measurable Casimir force. Hendrik Casimir predicted this in 1948.”

Although the pressure imbalance due to the limitation of some potential wavelengths between the conductive plates was first experimentally confirmed in the 1990s and has been observed several times since, engineers have struggled to convert the “work” performed by the cavities into usable energy when the unequal pressure causes the plates to collapse. According to Dr. White, the issue lies in the often-cited conservation of momentum.

“In a conventional Casimir setup, the force does perform work as the plates are pulled together,” the Casimir Inc. founder explained. “Once they collapse, however, no further energy can be extracted; you must use external energy to separate the plates again and reset the system.”

White noted that this limitation makes a traditionally constructed Casimir cavity operate more like a battery than a genuine energy-generation device. However, he also noted that his team’s work designing MicroSparc was focused on creating a ‘static’ Casimir cavity that “overcomes this limitation.”

“The underlying physics itself is not new,” White told The Debrief. “The Casimir effect has been part of established quantum mechanics since the mid-20th century and has been experimentally verified by laboratories around the world.”

How the MicroSparc Custom Casimir Cavity “Overcomes” Traditional Limitations

In their design, Casimir Inc’s scientists placed the two walls of their cavity on a substrate so that it cannot move and therefore cannot collapse under negative internal pressure. Notably, the two plates are also electrically connected.

Along the midplane of the cavity, White’s team placed a series of what they described as ‘micropillars’, or antennas. Similar to the conductive plates, these intentionally placed pillars are also electrically connected to one another. Critically, MicroSparc’s micropillars are electrically isolated from the cavity walls and also anchored so that they remain completely stationary under pressure.

To understand how this MicroSparc chip set-up generates seemingly free energy from nowhere, Dr. White told The Debrief that readers should “consider an atoll in the Pacific Ocean.” Specifically, White pointed out that powerful waves constantly batter the atoll’s outer shore, “while the lagoon inside remains much calmer,” because many of the large waves cannot enter.

“In our device, the quantum vacuum outside the cavity walls vigorously stimulates electrons in the wall atoms,” Dr. White explained. “Occasionally, an electron will quantum tunnel from the wall to one of the central pillars.”

For clarification, quantum tunneling is a still-unexplained process in which an electron or other quantum particle can seemingly pass through a barrier without the classically required energy to do so. Like Casimir cavities, this phenomenon has been repeatedly demonstrated in various experimental setups.

“Once inside the protected cavity, the environment is far quieter, (so) the probability of the electron tunneling back to the wall is orders of magnitude lower,” White told The Debrief.

White said this phenomenon creates a one-way flow of electrons toward the pillars, a process he compared to “a kind of quantum ratchet.” By fabricating millions of these microscopic cavities on a single chip, White said his team was able to produce “a continuous electrical current drawn from the quantum vacuum.”

When asked if MicroSparc would constitute a “zero-point” energy device like those featured in science fiction, including the extended Stargate universe, Dr. White appeared to agree in general terms, while noting that “Zero-point energy (German: Nullpunktsenergie) is a term Einstein coined in 1913 connected to the community discussion on the topic.”

“I suspect sci-fi happily made use of the term,” White added, having previously conceded to The Debrief a general lack of specific knowledge about the appearances in science fiction of such scientific concepts.

“We Already Have Functioning Prototype Devices”

When asked if the newly completed round of capital investment is intended to advance theoretical designs to the prototype phase, Dr. White told The Debrief that the Casimir team has already fabricated “hundreds of prototype chips” in several university nanofabrication facilities, including the Texas A&M AggieFab facility and MIT.nano.

Once a prototype MicroSparc chip is fabricated, the Casimir team tests it using low-noise experimental setups designed to reduce electromagnetic interference. Dr. White said these tests were performed in dark, RF (radio frequency)-sealed enclosures over several weeks “using precision electrometers capable of measuring signals down to microvolt and attoamp sensitivities.”

“Across these tests, we observed device outputs ranging from millivolts to volts at picoamp current levels, well above our instrumentation’s noise floor,” White told The Debrief.

The team also directly measured polarization fields at the microscale in individual custom Casimir cavities using Atomic Force Microscopy, which White noted was operating in “Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy mode.”

“The purpose of the current seed round is not to move from theory to a first proof of concept,” White told The Debrief. “We already have functioning prototype devices fabricated and tested in research nanofabrication environments.”

Instead, he said that the Casimir team will use the next phase of development and the new infusion of capital to focus on rapid design iteration, material system optimization, and facilitate a transition toward scalable semiconductor manufacturing.

“Over the next two years, we plan to work across multiple nanofabrication partners and material approaches aimed at increasing tunnel current magnitude and overall device performance, while developing the commercial pathway for first-generation products,” White explained.

As part of the announcement, the team said its primary target is a 5mm × 5mm semiconductor chip capable of producing approximately 1.5 volts at 25 microamps. Dr. White said this goal represents “roughly 40 microwatts of continuous power.”

“This output level is well suited for ultra-low-power electronics and sensor applications,” White explained, adding that the team’s “current target for initial commercial availability” is sometime in 2028.

Scaling for Large Scale Applications: “The Primary Constraints” are not Physics

When asked if this approach is limited to powering smaller, less energy-intensive devices, or if it could be scaled for cars, homes, or industrial applications, Dr. White told The Debrief that “there are no inherent quantum or physical limits that make large-scale energy harvesting from the vacuum impractical.”

“Once we reach our minimum viable performance target of 1.5 volts and 25 microamps from a 5mm × 5mm chip, we can multiply output through multi-layer chips, die stacking, and chip aggregation,” White explained, adding that a single, identically sized chip “can deliver roughly 200 times the power, moving us into the milliwatt range.”

From there, White said that the Casimir team could simply aggregate numerous chips onto printed circuit boards “to reach higher power levels.”

In one proposed example, the researcher stated that a 0.5-watt Casimir generator based on their design could provide a continuous trickle charge to a smartphone battery. In this scenario, White said that the phone would be fully recharged in roughly 24 hours under normal use, “effectively making the device immortal for typical daily operation.”

“Imagine five years from today, when you upgrade your favorite smartphone, there is a radio button option labeled “immortal phone upgrade — $500,” White hypothesized to The Debrief. “You might take advantage of that.”

When scaling to larger applications, the advanced propulsion physics pioneer noted that once his team successfully reduces costs to “around $100 per watt,” which they presently see as a viable target, Casimir could construct a 500-watt charging assembly approximately the size of a loaf of bread capable of delivering around 12 kilowatt-hours per day. White told The Debrief that this output level would be “sufficient for most daily driving needs, excluding long trips.”

Should the team reach its next goal of achieving a $10-per-watt threshold, Casimir’s founder said his company hopes to offer systems capable of powering homes and businesses “entirely off the grid.”

“Our roadmap begins with ultra-low-power applications such as IoT sensors, wearables, and tire pressure monitors, where the initial chips already fit the power profile,” White told The Debrief when describing his company’s larger vision. “From there, we expand into consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and eventually larger residential and commercial systems.”

“The primary constraints today are engineering and manufacturing maturity, not fundamental physics,” he added.

Expanding Humanity’s Reach Beyond the Solar System

When discussing the personal impact of this potentially historic accomplishment, Dr. White told The Debrief that his roughly 20 years in the space industry, “and much of my career,” have been shaped by trying to understand what it will take for humanity to reach the outer solar system, and eventually another star system. He said that the search has revealed two critical “needs” that science must address.

“First, we need a deeper understanding of fundamental physics,” Dr. White said. “Second, we need persistent power systems that can operate for extremely long durations in difficult environments.”

Although the current generation of Casimir prototypes operates at microwatt levels and is designed to fuel low-power electronics, the Casimir founder told The Debrief that he believes the device’s architecture is “fundamentally scalable over time.” White also noted the unusual connection between the negative vacuum energy generated in his team’s work and research in the advanced spacetime physics literature, including space-time warp metrics designed to propel a spacecraft to faster-than-light speeds.

Fundamentally, when asked about the most important part of his team’s work that he hopes curious readers will understand, White said that his company’s design is new, but the underlying physics is not.

“The Casimir effect and the quantum vacuum have been part of mainstream quantum mechanics for decades and have been experimentally studied by laboratories around the world,” White told The Debrief. “What is new is the attempt to engineer these effects into practical semiconductor devices using modern nanofabrication techniques.”

“The second important point is that even very small amounts of continuous power can be highly disruptive when delivered in the right applications,” White said.

When discussing MicroSparc’s potential applications, including scaling the technology to fulfill his personal dreams, White noted that the company’s achievement could mark an important advancement toward capabilities that may one day carry humans farther from Earth than present technologies allow.

“While a microwatt-scale chip may seem far removed from deep-space exploration to us,” White conceded, “it represents a small but meaningful step toward technologies that could ultimately expand humanity’s reach into the solar system and beyond.”

Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.