Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

A powerful tool speeds success in achieving highly efficient thermoelectric materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Thermoelectric materials could play an important role in the clean energy transition, as they can produce electricity from sources of heat that would otherwise go to waste. Researchers report a new approach to efficiently predict when thermoelectric materials will have improved performance in converting heat into electricity.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Using AI to improve building energy use and comfort      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new method that can lead to significant energy savings in buildings. The team identified 28 major heat loss regions in a multi-unit residential building with the most severe ones being at wall intersections and around windows. A potential energy savings of 25 per cent is expected if 70 per cent of the discovered regions are fixed.

Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

First 'warm-blooded' dinosaurs may have emerged 180 million years ago      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The ability to regulate body temperature, a trait all mammals and birds have today, may have evolved among some dinosaurs early in the Jurassic period about 180 million years ago. The new study looked at the spread of dinosaurs across different climates on Earth throughout the Mesozoic Era (the dinosaur era lasting from 230 to 66 million years ago), drawing on 1,000 fossils, climate models and the geography of the period, and dinosaurs' evolutionary trees.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
Published

Scientists generate heat over 1,000 degrees Celsius with solar power instead of fossil fuel      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Instead of burning fossil fuels to smelt steel and cook cement, researchers in Switzerland want to use heat from the sun. The proof-of-concept study uses synthetic quartz to trap solar energy at temperatures over 1,000 C (1,832 F), demonstrating the method's potential role in providing clean energy for carbon-intensive industries.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Physics: General
Published

Using artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the most computationally-intensive aspects of plasma physics in fusion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are using artificial intelligence to perfect the design of the vessels surrounding the super-hot plasma, optimize heating methods and maintain stable control of the reaction for increasingly long periods. A new article explains how a researcher team used machine learning to avoid magnetic perturbations, or disruptions, which destabilize fusion plasma.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology
Published

Exceptionally large transverse thermoelectric effect produced by combining thermoelectric and magnetic materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has demonstrated that a simple stack of thermoelectric and magnetic material layers can exhibit a substantially larger transverse thermoelectric effect -- energy conversion between electric and heat currents that flow orthogonally to each other within it -- than existing magnetic materials capable of exhibiting the anomalous Nernst effect. This mechanism may be used to develop new types of thermoelectric devices useful in energy harvesting and heat flux sensing.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Computer Science: General Mathematics: Modeling Mathematics: Statistics Physics: General
Published

New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Physicists and computer scientists have recently expanded the modern theory of the thermodynamics of computation. By combining approaches from statistical physics and computer science, the researchers introduce mathematical equations that reveal the minimum and maximum predicted energy cost of computational processes that depend on randomness, which is a powerful tool in modern computers.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Transforming common soft magnets into a next-generation thermoelectric conversion materials by 3 minutes heat treatment      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has demonstrated that an iron-based amorphous alloy, widely used as a soft magnetic material in transformers and motors, can be transformed into a 'transverse' thermoelectric conversion material that converts electric and thermal currents in orthogonal directions, with just a short period of heat treatment. This is the first example that highlights the importance of microstructure engineering in the development of transverse thermoelectric conversion materials, and provides new design guidelines for materials development to realize environmentally friendly power generation and thermal management technologies using magnetic materials.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

The big quantum chill: Scientists modify common lab refrigerator to cool faster with less energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have dramatically reduced the time and energy required to chill materials to temperatures near absolute zero. Their prototype refrigerator could prove a boon for the burgeoning quantum industry, which widely uses ultracold materials.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Diamond dust shines bright in Magnetic Resonance Imaging      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An unexpected discovery surprised a scientist: nanometer-sized diamond particles, which were intended for a completely different purpose, shone brightly in a magnetic resonance imaging experiment -- much brighter than the actual contrast agent, the heavy metal gadolinium. Could diamond dust -- in addition to its use in drug delivery to treat tumor cells -- one day become a novel contrast agent used for MRI?

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Atom-by-atom: Imaging structural transformations in 2D materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Silicon-based electronics are approaching their physical limitations and new materials are needed to keep up with current technological demands. Two-dimensional (2D) materials have a rich array of properties, including superconductivity and magnetism, and are promising candidates for use in electronic systems, such as transistors. However, precisely controlling the properties of these materials is extraordinarily difficult.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Cooler transformers could help electric grid      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Simulations on the Stampede2 supercomputer of the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) are helping scientists engineer solutions to overheating of grid transformers -- a critical component of the electric grid.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Researchers advance pigment chemistry with moon-inspired reddish magentas      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A researcher who made color history in 2009 with a vivid blue pigment has developed durable, reddish magentas inspired by lunar mineralogy and ancient Egyptian chemistry.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Earthquakes
Published

Rock permeability, microquakes link may be a boon for geothermal energy      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using machine learning, researchers have tied low-magnitude microearthquakes to the permeability of subsurface rocks beneath the Earth, a discovery that could have implications for improving geothermal energy transfer.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

New device gathers, stores electricity in remote settings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Wirelessly connected devices perform an expanding array of applications, such as monitoring the condition of machinery and remote sensing in agricultural settings. These applications hold much potential for improving the efficiency, but how do you power these devices where reliable electrical sources are not available? Research points to a possible solution in the form of a novel type of battery.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Do some mysterious bones belong to gigantic ichthyosaurs?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Several similar large, fossilized bone fragments have been discovered in various regions across Western and Central Europe since the 19th century. The animal group to which they belonged is still the subject of much debate to this day. A study could now settle this dispute once and for all: The microstructure of the fossils indicates that they come from the lower jaw of a gigantic ichthyosaur. These animals could reach 25 to 30 meters in length, a similar size to the modern blue whale.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics
Published

Proof-of-principle demonstration of 3-D magnetic recording      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research groups have made a breakthrough in the field of hard disk drives (HDD) by demonstrating the feasibility of multi-level recording using a three-dimensional magnetic recording medium to store digital information. The research groups have shown that this technology can be used to increase the storage capacity of HDDs, which could lead to more efficient and cost-effective data storage solutions in the future.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Environmental: Ecosystems Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Dinosaur study challenges Bergmann's rule      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study calls into question Bergmann's rule, an 1800s-era scientific principle stating that animals in high-latitude, cooler climates tend to be larger than close relatives living in warmer climates.

Ecology: Extinction Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Early dinosaurs grew up fast, but they weren't the only ones      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The earliest dinosaurs had rapid growth rates, but so did many of the other animals living alongside them, according to a new study.