Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

It's hearty, it's meaty, it's mold      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists are exploring how tuning the genomes of mushrooms and molds can transform these food sources into gourmet, nutrient-packed meals made with minimal processing and a light environmental footprint.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Physics: Optics
Published

Perovskite solar cells: Vacuum process may offer a short track to commercialization      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Which process is best suited for mass production of perovskite solar cells? While solvent-based manufacturing processes are used in laboratories around the world, vacuum vapor-phase deposition processes are still the standard for the production of thin films for photovoltaics or organic light-emitting diodes. A new study that reveals major differences in the scientific discussion of these production processes.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

What kinds of seismic signals did Swifties send at LA concert?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seattle may have experienced its own Swift Quake last July, but at an August 2023 concert Taylor Swift's fans in Los Angeles gave scientists a lot of shaking to ponder. After some debate, a research team concluded that it was likely the dancing and jumping motions of the audience at SoFi Stadium -- not the musical beats or reverberations of the sound system -- that generated the concert's distinct harmonic tremors.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Sonic youth: Healthy reef sounds increase coral settlement      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Healthy coral reefs have rich soundscapes, full of the croaks, purrs, and grunts of various fishes and the crackling of snapping shrimp. Larval coral uses these sounds as cues to identify the best places to settle and grow. The authors found that sound could potentially be a vital tool in the effort to restore coral reefs. Broadcasting the sounds of a healthy reef to a reef that is degraded encourages coral larvae to settle there. This indicates that it's possible that 'acoustic enrichment' can be a key intervention to support imperiled reefs.

Chemistry: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: Optics
Published

New high-performance solar cell material      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study reports the discovery of an entirely new stable, earth-abundant, high-performance material for solar absorbers -- the central part of a solar cell that turns light into electricity. While identifying new solar materials is typically very time-consuming, the researchers used a unique high-throughput computational screening method to quickly evaluate around 40,000 candidate materials.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
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Scientists propose new theory that explains sand ripples on Mars and on Earth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sand ripples are symmetrical. Yet wind -- which causes them -- is very much not. Furthermore, sand ripples can be found on Mars and on Earth. They would be even more fascinating if the same effect found on Mars could be found here on Earth as well. What if one unified theory could explain their formation on both planets?

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Interstellar signal linked to aliens was actually just a truck      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sound waves thought to be from a 2014 meteor fireball north of Papua New Guinea were almost certainly vibrations from a truck rumbling along a nearby road, new research shows. The findings raise doubts that materials pulled last year from the ocean are alien materials from that meteor, as was widely reported.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Do some electric fish sense the world through comrades' auras?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It would be a game-changer if all members of a basketball team could see out of each other's eyes in addition to their own. Biologists have found evidence that this kind of collective sensing occurs in close-knit groups of African weakly electric fish, also known as elephantnose fish. This instantaneous sharing of sensory intelligence could help the fish locate food, friends and foes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Tiny worms tolerate Chornobyl radiation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study finds that exposure to chronic radiation from Chornobyl has not damaged the genomes of microscopic worms living there today -- which doesn't mean that the region is safe, the scientists caution, but suggests that these worms are exceptionally resilient.

Energy: Alternative Fuels
Published

Evolving hydrogen-storage technology: Guidelines developed for the design of anti-evaporation catalysts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has identified materials capable of catalyzing the conversion of ortho-hydrogen to para-hydrogen. These catalysts should be essential to the spread of mass-transportation/storage of liquid hydrogen.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
Published

Researchers invent new triple-junction tandem solar cells with world-record efficiency      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have developed a novel triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell that can achieve a certified world-record power conversion efficiency of 27.1 per cent across a solar energy absorption area of 1 sq cm, representing the best-performing triple-junction perovskite/Si tandem solar cell thus far. To achieve this, the team engineered a new cyanate-integrated perovskite solar cell that is stable and energy efficient.

Biology: Cell Biology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Dung beetles show their love by sharing the load      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Dung beetles share the load when it comes to showing their affection for each-other, when transporting a 'brood ball'.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General
Published

Study unlocks nanoscale secrets for designing next-generation solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has revealed ways to optimize efficiency and better control degradation, by engineering the nanoscale structure of perovskite devices.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
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Building bionic jellyfish for ocean exploration      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers show how biohybrid robots based on jellyfish could be used to gather climate science data from deep in the Earth's oceans.

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

Researchers improve the stability of perovskite solar cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Perovskite solar cells are considered the strongest contender to replace silicon solar cells. While they achieve high power conversion energy, they also suffer from lead leakage and perovskite degradation due to moisture. Now scientists leverage the technique of interfacial passivation, where lead ions are bound by crown ether B18C6, obtaining 21.7% power conversion energy. The crown ether also resists degradation due to moisture for 300 hours at room temperature and 85% humidity.