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Categories: Anthropology: Cultures, Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published Ancient genomes reveal hidden history of human adaptation


The use of ancient DNA, including samples of human remains around 45,000 years old, has shed light on a previously unknown aspect of human evolution.
Published New tech solves longstanding challenges for self-healing materials


Engineering researchers have developed a new self-healing composite that allows structures to repair themselves in place, without having to be removed from service. This latest technology resolves two longstanding challenges for self-healing materials, and can significantly extend the lifespan of structural components such as wind-turbine blades and aircraft wings.
Published Revolutionary technique to generate hydrogen more efficiently from water


Researchers have made a serendipitous scientific discovery that could potentially revolutionize the way water is broken down to release hydrogen gas -- an element crucial to many industrial processes. The team found that light can trigger a new mechanism in a catalytic material used extensively in water electrolysis, where water is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. The result is a more energy-efficient method of obtaining hydrogen.
Published One-stop hydrogen shop: Reducing the cost of a future energy carrier


Researchers have demonstrated a proof-of-concept for a novel molecular hydrogen production method that bypasses the need for expensive purification steps. They developed a system where hydrogen is separated and stored in liquid organic hydrogen carriers by catalysis of triaryl boranes in one seamless process. The results of this work will help facilitate the transition to a hydrogen-based economy that is necessary for a more sustainable future.
Published Global collaboration saved countries $67 billion in solar panel production costs


A new study quantifies for the first time the historical and future cost savings to the solar industry from globalized supply chains.
Published Nano-sized islands open possibilities for application of single-atom catalysts


A new method to anchor single atoms of platinum-group metals on nanometer-sized islands allows for efficiently using these expensive metals as catalysts for a wide variety of applications. Researchers showed that platinum atoms could be confined on small cerium-oxide islands within a porous material to catalyze reactions without sticking to each other, which has been a major stumbling block for their use.
Published Dye-sensitized solar cells achieve a new record


Scientists have increased the power conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells beyond 15% in direct sunlight and 30% in ambient light conditions.
Published UK's oldest human DNA obtained, revealing two distinct Palaeolithic populations


The first genetic data from Palaeolithic human individuals in the UK -- the oldest human DNA obtained from the British Isles so far -- indicates the presence of two distinct groups that migrated to Britain at the end of the last ice age, according to new research. Published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the new study by UCL Institute of Archaeology, the Natural History Museum and the Francis Crick Institute researchers reveals for the first time that the recolonisation of Britain consisted of at least two groups with distinct origins and cultures.
Published Tandem solar cells with perovskite: Nanostructures help in many ways


By the end of 2021, scientists had presented perovskite silicon tandem solar cells with an efficiency close to 30 percent. This value was a world record for eight months, a long time for this hotly contested field of research. Scientists now describe how they achieved this record value with nanooptical structuring and reflective coatings.
Published Improving light absorption in perovskite/Si tandem solar cells


Engineers have achieved a power conversion efficiency of 23.50% in a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell built with a special textured anti-reflective coating (ARC) polymeric film.
Published Central Asia identified as a key region for human ancestors


A new study on early human migration shows that semi-arid and desert zones of Central Asia may have served as key areas for the dispersal of hominins into Eurasia during the Middle Pleistocene. Central Asia is positioned at a crossroads linking several zones important to hominin dispersal during this period, however much evidence from this region lacks context for dating and climate conditions, making it difficult to understand these dynamics.
Published Durable, inexpensive catalyst reduces carbon footprint of ammonia production


To reduce the energy requirements of the Haber-Bosch process, which converts nitrogen and hydrogen to ammonia, researchers have developed a metal nitride catalyst containing an active metal (Ni) on a lanthanum nitride support that is stable in presence of moisture. Since the catalyst doesn't contain ruthenium, it presents an inexpensive option for reducing the carbon footprint of ammonia production.
Published In medieval Norway, high-class people had stronger bones


In medieval Norway, high status individuals tended to be taller and to have stronger bones, possibly as a result of a favorable lifestyle, according to a new study.
Published Meet the first Neanderthal family


Researchers have managed to sequence multiple individuals from a remote Neanderthal community in Siberia. Among these thirteen individuals, the researchers identified multiple related individuals -- among these a father and his teenage daughter. The researchers were also able to use the thirteen genomes to provide a glimpse into the social organization of a Neanderthal community. They appear to have been a small group of close relatives, consisting of ten to twenty members, and communities were primarily connected through female migration.
Published Storing hydrogen fuel in salts -- a step toward 'cleaner' energy production


Hydrogen gas could someday replace fossil fuels as a 'clean' energy source, producing only water and energy. However, handling large quantities of gaseous hydrogen is cumbersome, and converting it to a liquid requires vessels that can withstand extremely high pressures. Now, researchers have developed a method to store and release highly pure hydrogen with salts in the presence of amino acids.
Published Race against time to find ancient Indigenous carvings on boab trees


Carvings in boab trees are as significant as rock art for Indigenous Australians. Now, there is a race against time to document the ancient art in the bark of boabs before the remarkable heritage trees die.
Published Geneticists discover new wild goat subspecies via ancient DNA


Geneticists have discovered a previously unknown lineage of wild goats over ten millennia old. The new goat type, discovered from genetic screening of bone remains and referred to as 'the Taurasian tur', likely survived the Last Glacial Maximum (the ice age), which stranded their ancestors in the high peaks of the Taurus Mountains in Turkey where their remains were found.
Published Scientists develop inexpensive device that can harvest energy from a light breeze and store it as electricity


Scientists have developed a low-cost device that can harness energy from wind as gentle as a light breeze and store it as electricity.
Published Driving high? Chemists make strides toward a marijuana breath analyzer


Chemists have developed a fuel cell sensor that they hope to develop into a handheld analyzer to detect THC on a person's breath. When THC is introduced into their laboratory-scale device it oxidizes, creating an electric current whose strength indicates how much of the psychoactive compound is present.
Published Keeping planes and wind turbines ice-free


Engineers have made a significant breakthrough in de-icing technology. New research examines a smart, hybrid -- meaning passive and also active -- de-icing system that works by combining an interfacial coating with an ice-detecting microwave sensor.