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Categories: Energy: Alternative Fuels, Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published Mammoth problem with extinction timeline



Paleontologists say environmental DNA is not always helpful in identifying when animals like mammoths went extinct because genetic material found in sediment could have come from animals that died thousands of years earlier.
Published New quantum computing feat is a modern twist on a 150-year-old thought experiment


New research demonstrates a 20x improvement in resetting a quantum bit to its '0' state, using a modern version of the 'Maxwell's demon'.
Published Cooling down solar cells, naturally


Too much sun and too much heat can reduce the efficiency of photovoltaics. A solar farm with optimally spaced panels facing the correct direction could cool itself through convection using the surrounding wind. Researchers explored how to exploit the geometry of solar farms to enhance natural cooling mechanisms.
Published Researchers create method for making net-zero aviation fuel


An interdisciplinary team of researchers has developed a potential breakthrough in green aviation: a recipe for a net-zero fuel for planes that will pull carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air.
Published DNA sequence enhances understanding origins of jaws


Researchers have discovered and characterized a DNA sequence found in jawed vertebrates, such as sharks and humans, but absent in jawless vertebrates, such as lampreys. This DNA is important for the shaping of the joint surfaces during embryo development.
Published Ancient superpredator got big by front-loading its growth in its youth



Whatcheeria, a six-foot-long salamander-like creature that lived 340 million years ago, was the T. rex of its time: the biggest, baddest predator in its habitat. A new study reveals how they grew to their 'giant' size: instead of growing slow and steady throughout their lives like many modern reptiles and amphibians, they did most of their growing when they were young.
Published 525-million-year-old fossil defies textbook explanation for brain evolution


According to a new study, fossils of a tiny sea creature with a delicately preserved nervous system solve a century-old debate over how the brain evolved in arthropods, the most species-rich group in the animal kingdom. Combining detailed anatomical studies of the fossilized nervous system with analyses of gene expression patterns in living descendants, they conclude that a shared blueprint of brain organization has been maintained from the Cambrian until today.
Published Ancient Roman coins reveal long-lost emperor


A gold coin long dismissed as a forgery appears to be authentic and depicts a long-lost Roman emperor named Sponsian, according to a new study.
Published Simple semiconductor solutions could boost solar energy generation and enable better space probes


A 'simple' tweak to perovskite solar cells during the fabrication stage could help to unlock the untold potential of the renewable energy source, according to new research.
Published 1,700-year-old spider monkey remains discovered in Teotihuacán, Mexico



The complete skeletal remains of a spider monkey -- seen as an exotic curiosity in pre-Hispanic Mexico -- grants researchers new evidence regarding social-political ties between two ancient powerhouses: Teotihuacán and Maya Indigenous rulers. The remains of other animals were also discovered, as well as thousands of Maya-style mural fragments and over 14,000 ceramic sherds from a grand feast. These pieces are more than 1,700 years old.
Published New insights into energy loss open doors for one up-and-coming solar tech


A new method for describing energy loss in organic solar cells has paved the way for building better and more efficient devices.
Published Offshore wind farms may harm seabirds, but scientists see potential for net positive impact


The development of offshore wind energy is expanding globally, with the potential to be an important source of clean renewable energy. Yet offshore wind farms pose significant risks to seabirds and other marine wildlife. A new study outlines a framework for addressing the impacts of offshore wind farms on marine bird populations and highlights conservation strategies that could potentially more than offset those impacts.
Published How fine bubbles lead to more efficient catalysts


Catalysts are of utmost relevance for the production of chemicals and energy storage with hydrogen. Researchers have now discovered that the formation of bubbles in the pores of a catalyst can be essential for its activity. Their findings help to optimize catalyst materials for reactions in which gases are formed from liquids -- and which play a central role in a future green hydrogen economy.
Published New discoveries made about a promising solar cell material, thanks to new microscope


A team of scientists has developed a new characterization tool that allowed the scientists to gain unique insight into a possible alternative material for solar cells.
Published Footprints claimed as evidence of ice age humans in North America need better dating, new research shows


The preserved footprints found in New Mexico's Lake Otero Basin would upend scientific understanding of how, and when, humans first arrived in North America, if they are accurately dated. A new study brings the age claim into question.
Published Welsh 'weird wonder' fossils add piece to puzzle of arthropod evolution



International team of researchers describe new fossil species discovered in fossil deposit near Llandrindod Wells in mid-Wales. The fossil, Mierridduryn bonniae, shares many features with Cambrian 'weird wonder' Opabinia, but is 40 million years younger. Robust phylogenetic analyses suggest that Mierridduryn is either the third opabiniid ever discovered, or is a distinct group that is key for understanding the evolution of the arthropod head.
Published Prehistoric predator? Artificial intelligence says no


Artificial intelligence has revealed that prehistoric footprints thought to be made by a vicious dinosaur predator were in fact from a timid herbivore.
Published Oldest evidence of the controlled use of fire to cook food, researchers report



The remains of a huge carp fish mark the earliest signs of cooking by prehistoric human to 780,000 years ago, predating the available data by some 600,000 years, according to researchers.
Published How photoelectrodes change in contact with water


Every green leaf is able to convert solar energy into chemical energy, storing it in chemical compounds. However, an important sub-process of photosynthesis can already be technically imitated -- solar hydrogen production: Sunlight generates a current in a so-called photoelectrode that can be used to split water molecules. This produces hydrogen, a versatile fuel that stores solar energy in chemical form and can release it when needed.
Published Improving the performance of electrodeless plasma thrusters for space propulsion


Space missions already use electric propulsion devices, where electromagnetic fields are utilized to generate the thrust of spacecraft. One such electrodeless device, which harnesses radio frequency (rf) to generate plasma and a magnetic nozzle (MN) to channel and accelerate plasma, has shown immense promise in pushing the boundaries of space travel. But scientists have so far failed to achieve efficient conversion of the rf power to thrust energy. Now, a researcher has achieved a stunning 30% conversion efficiency.