Awesome Google projects Part-II
Clean Energy
Developing renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and geothermal power is one of the main goals of Google's nonprofit arm, Google.org. The project concentrates on solar-powered turbine engines to create electricity, as well as on low-cost heliostats, which are mirrors that track the sun and concentrate solar energy. Google also supports efforts to map the world's potential geothermal energy sources. The goal is to create renewable sources that are cheaper than burning coal, which currently generates most of the power in the United States.
New Drugs
Google is interested in investing in new ways to fight disease. Its investment portfolio includes a stake in Adimab, which uses a novel approach involving yeast cells to speed up the discovery of new antibodies. Another Google company, iPierian, uses a technique called "cellular reprogramming" to create new drugs that attack diseases by modifying them.
Climate Change Insurance
A number of Google's investments in companies through its Google Ventures wing also have an eye toward the future. One of the companies in the portfolio is The Climate Corporation, which sells weather insurance for farmers to protect their businesses from increasingly unpredictable conditions and extreme weather.
Smart Thermostats
A Google future seems to involve making everything smarter, from drugs to cars and even home thermostats. This idea is one of the driving forces behind NEST, the sci-fi climate-control system that learns the best way to keep your home comfortable--while also saving on energy bills. NEST has already rolled out to some customers, and a waiting list has formed for the next batch.
Cancer Treatment
Fighting cancer fits perfectly with the do-good theme present in many of Google's investments. Google Ventures put some money into Foundation Medicine, which combines genomic and molecular data to create a new approach to cancer care. Perhaps curing cancer is just another engineering problem.
Predicting the Future
Google is so committed to the future, it should come as no surprise that the company is even interested in predicting it. Another Google investment is in Recorded Future, a company that seeks to parse the universe of information available online for clues about what's to come.
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Google,
Technology
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