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Categories: Chemistry: Thermodynamics, Space: The Solar System
Published Elastocaloric cooling: Refrigerator cools by flexing artificial muscles



There is room for just one small bottle in the world's first refrigerator that is cooled with artificial muscles made of nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy. But the mini-prototype is groundbreaking: it shows that elastocalorics is becoming a viable solution for practical applications. This climate-friendly cooling and heating technology is far more energy-efficient and sustainable than current methods.
Published Sunrise to sunset, new window coating blocks heat -- not view



Windows welcome light into interior spaces, but they also bring in unwanted heat. A new window coating blocks heat-generating ultraviolet and infrared light and lets through visible light, regardless of the sun's angle. The coating can be incorporated onto existing windows or automobiles and can reduce air-conditioning cooling costs by more than one-third in hot climates.
Published Unlocking supernova stardust secrets



New research has discovered a rare dust particle trapped in an ancient extra-terrestrial meteorite that was formed by a star other than our sun.
Published Long-period oscillations control the Sun's differential rotation



The interior of the Sun does not rotate at the same rate at all latitudes. The physical origin of this differential rotation is not fully understood. It turns out, long-period solar oscillations discovered in 2021 play a crucial role in controlling the Sun's rotational pattern. The long-period oscillations are analogous to the baroclinically unstable waves in Earth's atmosphere that shape the weather. In the Sun, these oscillations carry heat from the slightly hotter poles to the slightly cooler equator.
Published Heat, cold extremes hold untapped potential for solar and wind energy



Conditions that usually accompany the kind of intense hot and cold weather that strains power grids may also provide greater opportunities to capture solar and wind energy. A study found that widespread, extreme temperature events are often accompanied by greater solar radiation and higher wind speeds that could be captured by solar panels and wind turbines. The research, which looked at extensive heat and cold waves across the six interconnected energy grid regions of the U.S. from 1980-2021, also found that every region experienced power outages during these events in the past decade. The findings suggest that using more renewable energy at these times could help offset increased power demand as more people and businesses turn on heaters or air conditioners.
Published Distant 'space snowman' unlocks mystery of how some dormant deep space objects become 'ice bombs'



Researchers found that the double-lobed object, which is officially named Kuiper Belt Object 486958 Arrokoth and resembles a snowman, may have ancient ices stored deep within it from when the object first formed billions of years ago.
Published Turbulence within solar transients imaged



Scientists captured images showing the development of turbulence as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) interacted with the ambient solar wind in the circumsolar space.
Published New method to measure entropy production on the nanoscale



Entropy, the amount of molecular disorder, is produced in several systems but cannot be measured directly. A new equation sheds new light on how entropy is produced on a very short time scale in laser excited materials.
Published Tiniest 'starquake' ever detected



An orange dwarf star has yielded the tiniest 'starquakes' ever recorded, measured by an international team of scientists.
Published Scientists on the hunt for evidence of quantum gravity's existence at the South Pole



An Antarctic large-scale experiment is striving to find out if gravity also exists at the quantum level. An extraordinary particle able to travel undisturbed through space seems to hold the answer.
Published Cool paint coatings help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler in urban setting



A real-world study has shown that the use of cool paint coatings in cities can help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler, making the urban area more comfortable for work and play.
Published James Webb Space Telescope captures the end of planet formation



How much time do planets have to form from a swirling disk of gas and dust around a star? A new study gives scientists a better idea of how our own solar system came to be.
Published Signs of life would be detectable in single ice grain emitted from extraterrestrial moons



Could life be found in frozen sea spray from moons orbiting Saturn or Jupiter? New research finds that life can be detected in a single ice grain containing one bacterial cell or portions of a cell. The results suggest that if life similar to that on Earth exists on these planetary bodies, that this life should be detectable by instruments launching in the fall.
Published Secrets of the Van Allen belt revealed in new study



A challenge to space scientists to better understand our hazardous near-Earth space environment has been set in a new study.
Published In-situ observation of nanoscale heat propagation



A research team has developed a technique that enables the nanoscale observation of heat propagation paths and behavior within material specimens. This was achieved using a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) capable of emitting a pulsed electron beam and a nanosized thermocouple -- a high-precision temperature measurement device.
Published Icy impacts: Planetary scientists use physics and images of impact craters to gauge the thickness of ice on Europa



New study reveals that Europa's ice shell is at least 20 kilometers thick.
Published Bendable energy storage materials by cool science



Imaging being able to wear clothes that charge your gadgets just by wearing them. New research has brought us a step closer to achieving this reality.
Published Using light to produce medication and plastics more efficiently



Anyone who wants to produce medication, plastics or fertilizer using conventional methods needs heat for chemical reactions -- but not so with photochemistry, where light provides the energy. The process to achieve the desired product also often takes fewer intermediate steps. Researchers are now going one step further and are demonstrating how the energy efficiency of photochemical reactions can be increased tenfold. More sustainable and cost-effective applications are now tantalizingly close.
Published Advance for soft robotics manufacturing, design



Engineers propose a new quantitative framework to account for and predict the impact of temperature on the curing speed of platinum-catalyzed silicone elastomers. The findings could maximize throughput and minimize waste in the manufacturing of components for soft robotics and wearables.
Published Revolutionary method developed for mass-producing polymer solid electrolytes



Scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking technique for mass-producing polymer solid electrolytes, crucial components in batteries.