Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

New nano-device could mean your run could power your electrical wearables      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Your early morning run could soon help harvest enough electricity to power your wearable devices, thanks to new nanotechnology.

Archaeology: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Landslides Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

New study reveals devastating power and colossal extent of a giant underwater avalanche off the Moroccan coast      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has revealed how an underwater avalanche grew more than 100 times in size causing a massive trail of destruction as it traveled 2000km across the Atlantic Ocean seafloor off the North West coast of Africa. Researchers provide an unprecedented insight into the scale, force and impact of one of nature's mysterious phenomena, underwater avalanches.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

To kill mammoths in the Ice Age, people used planted pikes, not throwing spears, researchers say      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archeologists say new findings might help resolve the debate about Clovis points and reshape how we think about what life was like roughly 13,000 years ago. After an extensive review of writings and artwork -- and an experiment with replica Clovis point spears -- a team of archaeologists says humans may have braced the butt of their weapons against the ground in a way that would impale a charging animal. The force would have driven the spear deeper into the predator's body, unleashing a more damaging blow than even the strongest prehistoric hunters would have been capable of by throwing or jabbing megafauna.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

New theory could improve the design and operation of wind farms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new model accurately represents the airflow around rotors, even under extreme conditions. The first comprehensive model of rotor aerodynamics could improve the way turbine blades and wind farms are designed and how wind turbines are controlled.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Sharing risk to avoid power outages in an era of extreme weather      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Heat waves, droughts, and fires place growing stress on the West's electric grid. New research suggests that more integrated management of electricity resources across the region could significantly reduce the risk of power outages and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries Energy: Fossil Fuels Energy: Technology Physics: General
Published

A method that paves the way for improved fuel cell vehicles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

More efficient and longer-lasting fuel cells are essential for fuel cell-powered heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles to be an alternative to combustion fuelled counterparts. Researchers have developed an innovative method to study and understand how parts of fuel cells degrade over time. This is an important step towards the improved performance of fuel cells and them becoming commercially successful.

Anthropology: Cultures Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Great Scott! Stonehenge's Altar Stone origins reveal advanced ancient Britain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has revealed Stonehenge's monumental six-ton Altar Stone, long believed to originate from Wales, actually hails from Scotland.

Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Measuring Martian winds with sound      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Martian landers have been able capture measurements of wind speeds -- some gauging the cooling rate of heated materials when winds blow over them, others using cameras to image 'tell-tales' that blow in the wind -- but there's still room for improvement. Researchers now demonstrate a novel sonic anemometric system featuring a pair of narrow-band piezoelectric transducers to measure the travel time of sound pulses through Martian air. The study accounted for variables including transducer diffraction effects and wind direction.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

New interpretation of runic inscription reveals pricing in Viking age      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new interpretation of the runic inscription on the Forsa Ring (Forsaringen in Swedish), provides fresh insights into the Viking Age monetary system and represents the oldest documented value record in Scandinavia. The inscription describes how the Vikings handled fines in a flexible and practical manner.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

House call: A new study rethinks early Christian landmark      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Since its discovery by modern researchers a century ago, an ancient structure known as the 'Christian building' has become widely considered the cornerstone of early Christian architecture. Constructed around 232 C.E. in the ancient city of Dura-Europos, a Roman garrison town in what is now eastern Syria, the building is the only example of a 'house church,' or domus ecclesiae, a domestic space that was renovated for worship by Christians at a time when the open practice of their faith is thought to have made them subject to persecution.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Cricket physics: Science behind the modern bowler technique tricking batters      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have started to unravel the mysteries of how near-horizontal bowling in cricket leads to such tough-to-hit balls. The team employed a wake survey rake device made of multiple tubes designed to capture the pressure downstream of the ball and examined the flow dynamics of cricket balls rotating up to 2,500 rpm in a wind tunnel. The group found that low-pressure zones expanded and intensified near the ball when spinning, while these zones shifted and diminished downstream. At higher spin rates, the low-pressure zone begins to change to a persistent bilobed shape. The results lend support to the theory that these newer bowling techniques tap into the Magnus effect.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
Published

Engineering researchers enhance perovskite solar cells durability with first-of-its-kind chiral-structured 'springy' interface      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has constructed an unprecedented chiral-structured interface in perovskite solar cells, which enhances the reliability and power conversion efficiency of this fast-advancing solar technology and accelerates its commercialization.

Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General
Published

International Space Station crew carries out archeological survey in space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An archaeological strategy adapted for space used daily photos to reveal how astronauts actually use areas aboard the International Space Station -- and how this differs from intended uses.

Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Findings from first archaeology project in space      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first-ever archeological survey in space has provided new insights into how astronauts use and adapt their living space on the International Space Station, which could influence the design of new space stations after the ISS is decommissioned.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Physics: Optics
Published

Stacking molecules like plates improves organic solar device performance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found that how well light-converting molecules stack together in a solid is important for how well they convert light into electric current. A rigid molecule that stacked well showed excellent electricity generation in an organic solar cell and photocatalyst, easily outperforming a similar flexible molecule that did not stack well. This new way of improving the design of molecules could be used to pioneer the next generation of light-converting devices.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Carvings at ancient monument may be world's oldest calendars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Markings on a stone pillar at a 12,000 year-old archaeological site in Turkey likely represent the world's oldest solar calendar, created as a memorial to a devastating comet strike, experts suggest.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Engineering researchers crack the code to boost solar cell efficiency and durability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Photovoltaic (PV) technologies, which convert light into electricity, are increasingly applied worldwide to generate renewable energy. Researchers have now developed a molecular treatment that significantly enhances the efficiency and durability of perovskite solar cells. Their breakthrough will potentially accelerate the large-scale production of this clean energy.

Archaeology: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Paleontology: Climate
Published

Underwater mapping reveals new insights into melting of Antarctica's ice shelves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Clues to future sea level rise have been revealed by the first detailed maps of the underside of a floating ice shelf in Antarctica. An international research team deployed an unmanned submersible beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Physics: Optics
Published

More electricity from the sun      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A coating of solar cells with special organic molecules could pave the way for a new generation of solar panels. This coating can increase the efficiency of monolithic tandem cells made of silicon and perovskite while lowering their cost -- because they are produced from industrial, microstructured, standard silicon wafers.

Biology: Biochemistry Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

New understanding of fly behavior has potential application in robotics, public safety      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have identified an automatic behavior in flies that helps them assess wind conditions -- its presence and direction -- before deploying a strategy to follow a scent to its source. The fact that they can do this is surprising -- can you tell if there's a gentle breeze if you stick your head out of a moving car? Flies aren't just reacting to an odor with a preprogrammed response: they are responding in context-appropriate manner. This knowledge potentially could be applied to train more sophisticated algorithms for scent-detecting drones to find the source of chemical leaks.