Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Fossil bird's skull reconstruction reveals a brain made for smelling and eyes made for daylight      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Piecing together the crushed skull of a fossil bird that lived alongside the dinosaurs helped researchers extrapolate what its brain would have looked like: big olfactory bulbs would have meant that this bird, the earliest known animal to eat fruit, had a better sense of smell than most modern birds. And the bones around its eye sockets revealed that it would have been better at seeing by day than at night.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Keeping electricity affordable on wireless charging highways      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Efficient pricing will be crucial to minimize energy costs for private operators who provide on-the-highway wireless charging for electric cars -- and for consumers who will use this service, according to new research.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Watching lithium in real time could improve performance of EV battery materials      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have found that the irregular movement of lithium ions in next-generation battery materials could be reducing their capacity and hindering their performance.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Chemists boost eco-friendly battery performance using catalysts with unconventional phase nanostructures      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The metal-carbon dioxide battery is a promising and environmentally friendly technology, but its energy efficiency is limited. Recently, a research team has discovered an innovative way to overcome this problem by introducing an unconventional phase nanomaterial as a catalyst, boosting battery energy efficiency up to 83.8%. The study reveals a novel design of catalysts for the new generation of meta-gas batteries that can contribute to carbon neutral goals.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Battery tech breakthrough paves way for mass adoption of affordable electric car      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A breakthrough in electric vehicle battery design has enabled a 10-minute charge time for a typical EV battery. This is a record-breaking combination of a shorter charge time and more energy acquired for longer travel range.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Could South American volcanoes have triggered whale extinctions?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Today, increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are warming up the planet. Climate change can disrupt the balance of ecosystems and contribute to endangerment and extinction of some species. New research suggests that a period of intense volcanism in the Central Andes may be the missing link in the story of past climate changes that led to the extinctions of ancient marine mammals.

Archaeology: General Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Reign of Papua New Guinea Highland's megafauna lasted long after humans arrived      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A giant kangaroo that once roamed on four legs through remote forests in the Papua New Guinea Highlands may have survived as recently as 20,000 years ago -- long after large-bodied megafauna on mainland Australia went extinct, new research indicates. Palaeontologists, archaeologists and geoscientists, have used new techniques to re-examine megafauna bones from the rich Nombe Rock Shelter fossil site in Chimbu Province in a bid to better understand the intriguing natural history of PNG.

Energy: Batteries
Published

The battery that runs 630 km on a single charge      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team succeeds in developing anode-free Li batteries with maximized energy density, improving energy density by 40%.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries
Published

Scientists develop inexpensive device that can harvest energy from a light breeze and store it as electricity      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have developed a low-cost device that can harness energy from wind as gentle as a light breeze and store it as electricity.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Seaweed-based battery powers confidence in sustainable energy storage      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team uses nanomaterials made from seaweed to create a strong battery separator, paving the way for greener and more efficient energy storage.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries
Published

More reasons to go solar when gearing up for a greener drive      (via sciencedaily.com) 

With electric vehicles sales soaring worldwide, potential buyers are not just weighing up the price tag, but also the logistics and expense of charging the planet-friendly cars. A new study shows households with solar panels and batteries will be the big winners.

Anthropology: Early Humans Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Revealing the genome of the common ancestor of all mammals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team has reconstructed the genome organization of the earliest common ancestor of all mammals. The reconstructed ancestral genome could help in understanding the evolution of mammals and in conservation of modern animals. The earliest mammal ancestor likely looked like the fossil animal 'Morganucodon' which lived about 200 million years ago.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Magnetic field helps thick battery electrodes tackle electric vehicle challenges      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As electric vehicles grow in popularity, the spotlight shines more brightly on some of their remaining major issues. Researchers are tackling two of the bigger challenges facing electric vehicles: limited range and slow recharging.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Cobalt-free cathode for lithium-ion batteries      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers offer a new mixture of metallic elements to serve as lithium-ion cathodes. This 'high-entropy doping strategy' is part of an effort to remove cobalt -- and expensive and geopolitically problematic mineral -- from LI batteries.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

These female hummingbirds evolved to look like males -- apparently to evade aggression      (via sciencedaily.com) 

1 in 5 adult female white-necked jacobin hummingbirds look like males. New research shows that this is a rare case of 'deceptive mimicry' within a species: Females with male-like plumage are trying to pass themselves off as males, and as a result receive a benefit in the form of reduced aggression from males.

Energy: Batteries
Published

High-accuracy electric vehicle battery monitoring with diamond quantum sensors for driving range extension      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The issue of battery usage inefficiency in electric vehicles resulting from an inaccurate battery charge measurement may finally get resolved, thanks to a diamond quantum sensor prototype. The sensor can measure currents in a wide range as well as detect milliampere-level currents in a noisy environment, improving the detection accuracy from 10% to within 1%.

Energy: Batteries
Published

Robo-bug: A rechargeable, remote-control cyborg cockroach      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have engineered a system for creating remote controlled cyborg cockroaches, equipped with a tiny wireless control module that is powered by a rechargeable battery attached to a solar cell. This achievement will help make the use of cyborg insects a practical reality.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Did primitive cetaceans feed like marine reptiles?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Did the first ancestors of whales pick up where the mosasaurs left off 66 million years ago, after the extinction of all the large predatory marine reptiles? A study has looked into the possible convergences in morphology and behavior that may exist between these two groups of large marine predatory animals.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Batteries
Published

A sustainable battery with a biodegradable electrolyte made from crab shells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Accelerating demand for renewable energy and electric vehicles is sparking a high demand for the batteries that store generated energy and power engines. But the batteries behind these sustainability solutions aren't always sustainable themselves. Scientists have now create a zinc battery with a biodegradable electrolyte from an unexpected source -- crab shells.

Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Inside the head of one of Australia's smallest fossil crocs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Approximately 13.5 million years ago, north-west Queensland was home to an unusual and particularly tiny species of crocodile and now scientists are unlocking its secrets.