Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology
Published

Steam condenser coating could save 460M tons of CO2 annually      (via sciencedaily.com) 

If coal and natural gas power generation were 2% more efficient, then, every year, there could be 460 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide released and 2 trillion fewer gallons of water used. A recent innovation to the steam cycle used in fossil fuel power generation could achieve this.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General
Published

Topology's role in decoding energy of amorphous systems      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers used topological data analysis to improve the predictions of physical properties of amorphous materials by machine-learning algorithms. This may allow for cheaper and faster calculations of material properties.

Archaeology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Researchers extract ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, revealing a time capsule of plant life      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, a group of researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick. The analysis provides a fascinating insight into the diversity of plant species cultivated at that time and place, and could open the way to similar studies on clay material from other sites and time periods.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

New epoxy resin resists flames and reduces waste      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed an epoxy resin that can be repaired and recycled, in addition to being flame-retardant and mechanically strong. Potential applications range from coating for wooden flooring to composites in aerospace and railways.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: General
Published

Deciphering the molecular dynamics of complex proteins      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Which structures do complex proteins adopt in solution? Biophysicists answer this question using the example of ubiquitin dimers as well as a new combination of high-resolution NMR spectroscopy and sophisticated computer simulations.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General
Published

Sharing chemical knowledge between human and machine      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a platform that uses artificial neural networks to translate chemical structural formulae into machine-readable form. With this platform, they have created a tool with which this information from scientific publications can be automatically fed into databases. Until now, this had to be done literally by hand and was time-consuming.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

New approach shows hydrogen can be combined with electricity to make pharmaceutical drugs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The world needs greener ways to make chemicals. In a new study, researchers demonstrate one potential path toward this goal by adapting hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

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

Ancient metal cauldrons give us clues about what people ate in the Bronze Age      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists have long been drawing conclusions about how ancient tools were used by the people who crafted them based on written records and context clues. But with dietary practices, they have had to make assumptions about what was eaten and how it was prepared. A new study analyzed protein residues from ancient cooking cauldrons and found that the people of Caucasus ate deer, sheep, goats, and members of the cow family during the Maykop period (3700--2900 BCE).

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Demon hunting: Physicists confirm 67-year-old prediction of massless, neutral composite particle      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In 1956, theoretical physicist David Pines predicted that electrons in a solid can do something strange. While they normally have a mass and an electric charge, Pines asserted that they can combine to form a composite particle that is massless, neutral, and does not interact with light. He called this particle a 'demon.' Now, researchers have finally found Pines' demon 67 years after it was predicted.

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

Unveiling Japan's ancient practice of cranial modification: The case of the Hirota people in Tanegashima      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Cranial modification is a form of body alteration where the head is pressed or bound to permanently deform the skull. The practice has been reported across various cultures throughout history. Researchers report that the Hirota people -- who lived on the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima between the 3rd to 7th century CE -- also conducted cranial modification, with indication that both males and females performed the practice.

Archaeology: General Biology: Marine
Published

Sea sequin 'bling' links Indonesian islands' ancient communities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Microscopic analysis has revealed that trends in body ornamentation were shared across Indonesian islands.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Switching 'spin' on and off (and up and down) in quantum materials at room temperature      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have found a way to control the interaction of light and quantum 'spin' in organic semiconductors, that works even at room temperature.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Gold buckyballs, oft-used nanoparticle 'seeds' are one and the same      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Chemists have discovered that tiny gold 'seed' particles, a key ingredient in one of the most common nanoparticle recipes, are one and the same as gold buckyballs, 32-atom spheres that are cousins of the Nobel Prize-winning carbon buckyballs discovered in 1985.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Transforming flies into degradable plastics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Imagine using insects as a source of chemicals to make plastics that can biodegrade later -- with the help of that very same type of bug. That concept is closer to reality than you might expect. Researchers will describe their progress to date, including the isolation and purification of the insect-derived chemicals and their conversion into their bioplastics.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: Optics
Published

Chromium replaces rare and expensive noble metals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Expensive noble metals often play a vital role in illuminating screens or converting solar energy into fuels. Now, chemists have succeeded in replacing these rare elements with a significantly cheaper metal. In terms of their properties, the new materials are very similar to those used in the past.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

China's oldest water pipes were a communal effort      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A system of ancient ceramic water pipes, the oldest ever unearthed in China, shows that neolithic people were capable of complex engineering feats without the need for a centralized state authority, finds a new study.

Archaeology: General Ecology: Research Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil feces infested with parasites from over 200 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fossilized feces preserve evidence of ancient parasites that infected an aquatic predator over 200 million years ago, according to a new study.

Archaeology: General
Published

Roman road network spanning the South West identified in new research      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has found evidence that a Roman road network spanned Devon and Cornwall and connected significant settlements with military forts across the two counties as well as wider Britannia.

Archaeology: General
Published

Using gemstones' unique characteristics to uncover ancient trade routes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Gems' unique elemental composition and atomic orientation act as a fingerprint, enabling researchers to uncover the stones' past, and with it, historical trade routes. Scientists now employ three modern spectroscopic techniques to rapidly analyze gems found in the Arabian-Nubian Shield and compare them with similar gems from around the world. They have identified elements that influence gems' color, differentiated stones found within and outside the region, and distinguished natural from synthetic.