Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General
Published

Golden future for thermoelectrics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers discover excellent thermoelectric properties of nickel-gold alloys. These can be used to efficiently convert heat into electrical energy.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Physics: General Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

Carbon atoms coming together in space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lab-based studies reveal how carbon atoms diffuse on the surface of interstellar ice grains to form complex organic compounds, crucial to reveal the chemical complexity in the universe.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Engineering: Graphene Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Making hydrogen from waste plastic could pay for itself      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have found a way to harvest hydrogen from plastic waste using a low-emissions method that generates graphene as a by-product, which could help offset production costs.

Anthropology: Cultures Archaeology: General Biology: Zoology
Published

How just one set of animal tracks can provide a wealth of information      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rock faces in Namibia are decorated with hundreds of stone-age images not only of animals and human footprints, but also of animal tracks. These have been largely neglected to date as researchers lacked the knowledge required to interpret them. Archaeologists have now worked together with animal tracking experts to investigate the engraved animal tracks on six rock faces in more detail, and were able to determine detailed information on the species, age, sex, limbs, side of the body, trackway and relative direction of the tracks.

Archaeology: General
Published

Shipboard cannon found off the Swedish coast may be the oldest in Europe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Maritime archaeologists have studied what might be Europe's oldest shipboard cannon. The cannon was found in the sea off Marstrand on the Swedish west coast and dates back to the 14th century. The findings from the interdisciplinary study contribute new knowledge about the early development of artillery on land and at sea, but also bears witness to a troubled period for seafarers as well as coastal populations.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists invent a bright way to upcycle plastics into liquids that can store hydrogen energy      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have created a process that can upcycle most plastics into chemicals useful for energy storage, using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a commercially available catalyst, all at room temperature. The new process is very energy-efficient and can be easily powered by renewable energy in the future, unlike other heat-driven recycling processes like pyrolysis. Currently, only nine per cent of plastics globally are recycled and the rest are typically discarded in landfills or incinerated.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Engineering: Nanotechnology Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Pixel-by-pixel analysis yields insights into lithium-ion batteries      (via sciencedaily.com) 

By mining X-ray images, researchers have made significant new discoveries about the reactivity of lithium iron phosphate, a material used in batteries for electric cars and in other rechargeable batteries.

Biology: Cell Biology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

Chemist uses nature as inspiration for a sustainable, affordable adhesive system      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A chemist drew inspiration from the natural world, from his experiences scuba diving to studying shellfish in his lab. He has developed a sustainable adhesive system -- an alternative to toxic, permanent, traditional adhesives.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Researchers detail how disorder alters quantum spin liquids, forming a new phase of matter      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Physicists begin to shed light on one of the most important questions regarding quantum spin liquids, and they do so by introducing a new phase of matter.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Researchers discover iron-targeting approaches to halt proliferation of cancer cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers discovered a new class of iron-targeting compounds that hamper the proliferation of cultured malignant cells in a laboratory setting.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Important connectivity of metal oxides with hydrogen      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A recent article proposes a new way to understand how materials interact with hydrogen.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New ionic materials boost hydrogen fuel cell efficiency!      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has made a groundbreaking advancement in improving the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells, which are gaining significant attention as eco-friendly next-generation energy sources.

Archaeology: General
Published

Archaeologists reveal largest palaeolithic cave art site in Eastern Iberia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists have discovered a major Palaeolithic cave art site, arguably the most important found on the Eastern Iberian Coast in Europe.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Polymer that can be adapted to high and low temperature extremes created      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed two closely related polymers that respond differently to high and low temperature thresholds, despite their similar design. The polymer pair could be used in applications in medicine, protein synthesis, protective coatings and other fields.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New bio-based glues form adhesive bonds that grow stronger in water      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Patent-pending adhesive formulations developed from fully sustainable, bio-based components establish bonds that grow stronger when underwater or exposed to wet conditions.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

St Helena's 'liberated' Africans came from West Central Africa between northern Angola and Gabon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Between 1840 and 1867, thousands of enslaved Africans who had been 'liberated' from slave ships intercepted by the British Royal Navy were taken to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. But little is written in history books or otherwise known about the lives of these individuals. Now, ancient DNA analyses offer the first direct evidence for the origins of St Helena's liberated Africans.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Extending the playing field for organosulfurs: a new way to synthesize sulfinate esters      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Sulfinate esters, a type of organosulfur compounds, are typically synthesized using thiols. However, these substances are difficult to work with due to their unpleasant smell and oxidizability in air. Now, a research team has found a way to produce sulfinate esters through the direct oxidation of thioesters, which are easily accessible and stable. Their findings will help expand the field of organosulfur chemistry and hopefully lead to new applications in pharmaceuticals.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Chemists devise a method for C-H activation of alcohols      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemists have extended a powerful molecule-building method -- called C-H activation -- to the broad class of chemicals known as alcohols.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Optics
Published

How pulsating pumping can lead to energy savings      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Pumping liquids may seem like a solved problem but optimizing the process is still an area of active research. Any pumping application -- from industrial scales to heating systems at home -- would benefit from a reduction in energy demands. Researchers now showed how pulsed pumping can reduce both friction from and energy consumption of pumping. For this, they took inspiration from a pumping system intimately familiar to everyone: the human heart.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General
Published

Pioneering beyond-silicon technology via residue-free field effect transistors      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Beyond-silicon technology demands ultra-high-performance field-effect transistors (FETs). Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) provide an ideal material platform, but the device performances such as contact resistance, on/off ratio, and mobility are often limited by the presence of interfacial residues caused by transfer procedures. We show an ideal residue-free transfer approach using polypropylene carbonate (PPC) with a negligible residue for monolayer MoS2. By incorporating bismuth semimetal contact with atomically clean monolayer MoS2-FET on h-BN substrate, we obtain an ultralow Ohmic contact resistance approaching the quantum limit and a record-high on/off ratio of ~1011 at 15 K. Such an ultraclean fabrication approach could be the ideal platform for high-performance electrical devices using large-area semiconducting TMDs.