Showing 20 articles starting at article 201

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Chemistry: Thermodynamics, Offbeat: Earth and Climate

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study by researchers has revealed a sustainable method of efficiently converting waste heat into electricity using Irish wood products, while minimizing costs and environmental impact.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

For the first time, physicists have captured direct images of 'second sound,' the movement of heat sloshing back and forth within a superfluid. The results will expand scientists' understanding of heat flow in superconductors and neutron stars.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The workings of the ultrasonic warning sounds produced by the wings of a species of moth have been revealed.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fake news works for wallabies and elephants. Herbivores can cause substantial damage to crops or endangered or protected plants, with traditional methods to deter foraging lethal, expensive or ineffective. Biologists are now using aromas from plants naturally repellent with remarkable success to deter the animals.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists developed a new method to map exactly how a fungus works with leafcutter ants in a complex microbial community to degrade plant material at the molecular level. The team's insights are important for biofuels development.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research group has discovered a novel RNA viral genome from microbes inhabiting a high-temperature acidic hot spring. Their study shows that RNA viruses can live in high-temperature environments (70-80 degrees Celsius), where no RNA viruses have been observed before. In addition to the two known RNA virus kingdoms, a third kingdom may exist.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

High-entropy alloys can withstand extreme heat and stress, making them suitable for a variety of specific applications. A new study at the X-ray synchrotron radiation source BESSY II has now provided deeper insights into the ordering processes and diffusion phenomena in these materials.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Plant biologists report that a species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. The fern, Cyathea rojasiana, reconfigures these 'zombie leaves,' reversing the flow of water to draw nutrients back into the plant.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have harnessed the power of specially made nanostructures to enhance the neural response in a locust's brain to specific odors and to improve their identification of those odors.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Lithium-ion batteries face safety concerns as a result of internal separator issues which often lead to short circuits. Scientists have now developed a method to improve the stability and properties of separators with a layer of silicon dioxide and other functional molecules. Batteries employing these separators demonstrated improved performance and reduced growth of disruptive root-like structures, paving the way for high-safety batteries that can aid the adoption of electric vehicles and advanced energy storage systems.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Data gathered through years of observation reveal an innocuous-seeming ant is disrupting an ecosystem in East Africa, illustrating the complex web of interactions among ants, trees, lions, zebras and buffaloes.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The intricate dance of nature often unfolds in mysterious ways, hidden from the naked eye. At the heart of this enigmatic tango lies a vital partnership: the symbiosis between plants and a type of fungi known as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. New groundbreaking research delves into this partnership, revealing key insights that deepen our understanding of plant-AM fungi interactions and could lead to advances in sustainable agriculture.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Emerging research suggests it may be easier to use fusion as a power source if liquid lithium is applied to the internal walls of the device housing the plasma. Past experiments studied solid lithium coatings and found they could enhance a plasma. The researchers were pleased they could yield similar results with liquid lithium, as it's better suited for use in a large-scale tokamak.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Inspired by a 1725 fire engine that pumped water at larger distances and higher speeds than previously possible, authors analyzed the pressure chamber's Windkessel effect to capture the physics behind this widely used, enduring technology. They compared the initial state of the chamber, the rate at which bucket brigades could pour water in (volumetric inflow), the length of time pressure builds, and the effects on output flow rate. Next, the authors plan to examine the physiological Windkessel involved in the heart-aorta system.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists are eager to harness the unique electrical properties of topological magnets for advancing thermoelectric materials. A collaborative research group has successfully induced positive and negative polarities, unlocking the potential for generating thermoelectric energy from materials with topological magnet properties.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The study reveals dramatic regional kelp canopy changes along the California coast over a 100-year period. During this time there was a significant increase in kelp forest canopy along the central coast, the only region of California where southern sea otters survived after being hunted nearly to extinction for their fur in the 1800s. Contrastingly, kelp canopy decreased in northern and southern regions. At the century scale, the species' favorable impact on kelp forests along the central coast nearly compensated for the kelp losses along both northern and southern California resulting in only a slight overall decline statewide during this period.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Female meadow brown butterflies have fewer spots if they develop in warmer weather -- so climate change could make them less spotty, new research shows.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that wolf spiders can't signal others or perceive danger from predators as easily on rain-soaked leaves compared to dry ones. Even communicating with would-be mates is harder after it rains.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team has developed a new measurement method that, for the first time, accurately detects tiny temperature differences in the range of 100 microkelvin in the thermal Hall effect. Previously, these temperature differences could not be measured quantitatively due to thermal noise. Using the well-known terbium titanate as an example, the team demonstrated that the method delivers highly reliable results. The thermal Hall effect provides information about coherent multi-particle states in quantum materials, based on their interaction with lattice vibrations (phonons).

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fake plants are moving into the 21st century! Researchers developed literal 'power plants' -- tiny, leaf-shaped generators that create electricity from a blowing breeze or falling raindrops. The team tested the energy harvesters by incorporating them into artificial plants.