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Categories: Energy: Batteries, Paleontology: General
Published How shifting climates may have shaped early elephants' trunks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have provided new insights into how ancestral elephants developed their dextrous trunks. A study of the evolution of longirostrine gomphotheres, an ancestor of the modern day elephant, suggests moving into open-land grazing helped develop their coiling and grasping trunks.
Published Promising salt for heat storage
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Salt batteries can store summer heat to be used in winter, but which salt works best for the purpose?
Published Earliest known European common hippopotamus fossil reveals their Middle Pleistocene dispersal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Modern hippos first dispersed in Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, according to a new study.
Published Trilobites rise from the ashes to reveal ancient map
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ten newly discovered species of trilobites, hidden for 490 million years in a little-studied part of Thailand, could be the missing pieces in an intricate puzzle of ancient world geography.
Published Long in the Bluetooth: Scientists develop a more efficient way to transmit data between our devices
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a more energy efficient way of connecting our personal devices. New technology consumes less power than Bluetooth and can improve battery life of tech accessories, including earbuds and fitness trackers. Future applications could see us unlocking a door by touching its handle or shaking hands to exchange phone numbers.
Published Deep dive on sea level rise: New modelling gives better predictions on Antarctic ice sheet melt
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using historical records from around Australia, an international team of researchers have put forward the most accurate prediction to date of past Antarctic ice sheet melt, providing a more realistic forecast of future sea level rise. The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest block of ice on earth, containing over 30 million cubic kilometers of water. Hence, its melting could have a devasting impact on future sea levels. To find out just how big that impact might be, the research team turned to the past.
Published Like the phoenix, Australia's giant birds of prey rise again from limestone caves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australia's only vulture, and a fearsome extinct eagle, are among the earliest recorded birds of prey from the Pleistocene period more than 50,000 years ago -- and now researchers are bringing them to 'life' again. Along with new scientific information, a bold new pictorial reconstruction of a newly named eagle and the only known Australian vulture will be unveiled at the World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves in South Australia's Limestone Coast this month.
Published Birds set foot near South Pole in Early Cretaceous, Australian tracks show
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The discovery of 27 avian footprints on the southern Australia coast -- dating back to the Early Cretaceous when Australia was still connected to Antarctica -- opens another window onto early avian evolution and possible migratory behavior.
Published Plants that survived dinosaur extinction pulled nitrogen from air
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ancient cycad lineages that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs may have done so by relying on symbiotic bacteria in their roots to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The finding came from an effort to understand ancient atmospheres, but became an insight into plant evolution instead.
Published Multiple evolutionary trajectories in aquatic crocodiles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the geological past, several groups of crocodiles evolved towards a morphology adapted to marine life. However, the extent of these adaptations and their evolutionary trajectories remained unknown. An exhaustive study of their morphology has now shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms at work, thanks to three-dimensional reconstructions.
Published Using cosmetic ingredient for battery protection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has devised a battery electrode protective film using biopolymers sourced from cosmetic ingredients.
Published Study sheds light on how Earth cycles fossil-carbon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researches used rhenium as a proxy for fossil carbon in order to quantify the rate at which Earth naturally releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and found that high rates of carbon breakdown persist across the different geographical profiles of a river basin.
Published New study reveals surprising insights into feeding habits of carnivorous dinosaurs in North America
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research sheds light on the dining habits of ancient carnivorous dinosaurs from Jurassic rocks of the USA. A recent study explores the bite marks left on the ancient bones of the giant long-necked sauropod dinosaurs like Diplodocus and Brontosaurus by carnivorous theropod dinosaurs.
Published Evolution of taste: Early sharks were able to perceive bitter substances
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New genetic data show that humans and sharks share bitter taste receptors, even though their evolutionary pathways separated nearly 500 million years ago.
Published Template for success: Shaping hard carbon electrodes for next-generation batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sodium- and potassium-ion batteries are promising next-generation alternatives to the ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, their energy density still lags behind that of LIBs. To tackle this issue, researchers explored an innovative strategy to turn hard carbon into an excellent negative electrode material. Using inorganic zinc-based compounds as a template during synthesis, they prepared nanostructured hard carbon, which exhibits excellent performance in both alternative batteries.
Published Recreation of ancient seawater reveals which nutrients shaped the evolution of early life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists know very little about conditions in the ocean when life first evolved, but new research has revealed how geological processes controlled which nutrients were available to fuel their development.
Published Advances in lithium-metal batteries, paving the way for safer, more powerful devices
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The boom in phones, laptops and other personal devices over the last few decades has been made possible by the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, but as climate change demands more powerful batteries for electric vehicles and grid-scale renewable storage, lithium-ion technology might not be enough. Lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) have theoretical capacities an order of magnitude greater than lithium-ion, but a more literal boom has stymied research for decades.
Published Palaeo-CSI: Mosasaurs were picky eaters
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mosasaurs, those large marine reptiles from the long-gone Cretaceous world, were quite picky in their choice of diet. Researchers came to this conclusion after studying the wear marks on mosasaur teeth.
Published The secret to longer lasting batteries might be in how soap works
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers show that one of the most promising substances for designing longer lasting lithium batteries form micelle-like structures like they do in soap.
Published Why a surprising discovery, warming seas and the demise of the 'Meg' may spell trouble for more and more sharks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some unexpected shark strandings and subsequent surprises following autopsies have, ironically, taken marine biologists millions of years back in time as they look to the future with concern. Adding chapters to an evolutionary tale involving the infamous megalodon shark (the 'Meg'), they think their work suggests there are more warm-blooded sharks out there than previously believed, and -- based on the Meg's demise -- these species may be at great risk from warming seas.