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Categories: Energy: Batteries, Paleontology: Climate
Published Promising salt for heat storage



Salt batteries can store summer heat to be used in winter, but which salt works best for the purpose?
Published Deoxygenation levels similar to today's played a major role in marine extinctions during major past climate change event



Scientists have made a surprising discovery that sheds new light on the role that oceanic deoxygenation (anoxia) played in one of the most devastating extinction events in Earth's history. Their finding has implications for current day ecosystems -- and serves as a warning that marine environments are likely more fragile than apparent. New research, published today in leading international journal Nature Geosciences, suggests that oceanic anoxia played an important role in ecosystem disruption and extinctions in marine environments during the Triassic--Jurassic mass extinction, a major extinction event that occurred around 200 million years ago. Surprisingly however, the study shows that the global extent of euxinia (an extreme form of de-oxygenated conditions) was similar to the present day.
Published Long in the Bluetooth: Scientists develop a more efficient way to transmit data between our devices



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



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 Plants that survived dinosaur extinction pulled nitrogen from air



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 Using cosmetic ingredient for battery protection



A research team has devised a battery electrode protective film using biopolymers sourced from cosmetic ingredients.
Published Template for success: Shaping hard carbon electrodes for next-generation batteries



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 Advances in lithium-metal batteries, paving the way for safer, more powerful devices



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 The secret to longer lasting batteries might be in how soap works



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 Lightening the load: Researchers develop autonomous electrochemistry robot



Researchers have developed an automated laboratory robot to run complex electrochemical experiments and analyze data. The Electrolab will be used to explore next-generation energy storage materials and chemical reactions that promote alternative and sustainable energy.
Published How salt from the Caribbean affects our climate



Past cold periods such as the Little Ice Age were associated with reduced strength of North Atlantic currents and increased surface salinity in the Caribbean. This was accompanied by disturbances in the distribution of salt to the north leading to longer, stronger cooling phases in the northern hemisphere.
Published Photo battery achieves competitive voltage



Researchers have developed a monolithically integrated photo battery using organic materials. The photo battery achieves an unprecedented high discharge potential of 3.6 volts. The system is capable of powering miniature devices.
Published New designs for solid-state electrolytes may soon revolutionize the battery industry



Researchers have announced a major breakthrough in the field of next-generation solid-state batteries. It is believed that their new findings will enable the creation of batteries based on a novel chloride-based solid electrolyte that exhibits exceptional ionic conductivity.
Published Making electric vehicles last



In the realm of electric vehicles, powered by stored electric energy, the key lies in rechargeable batteries capable of enduring multiple charge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries have been the poster child for this application. However, due to limitations in energy storage capacity and other associated challenges, the focus has shifted to an intriguing alternative known as dual-ion batteries (DIBs).
Published How a climate model can illustrate and explain ice-age climate variability



During the last ice age, the last glacial maximum about 20,000 years ago, the climate in the North Atlantic underwent much greater multi-centennial variability than it does in the present warm period. This is supported by evidence found in ice and seafloor cores. Researchers have now shown, based on a climate model, that internal mechanisms such as temperature and salinity distribution in the ocean are driving this multi-centennial variability.
Published Study links changes in global water cycle to higher temperatures



A new study takes an important step toward reconstructing a global history of water over the past 2,000 years. Using geologic and biologic evidence preserved in natural archives -- including 759 different paleoclimate records from globally distributed corals, trees, ice, cave formations and sediments -- the researchers showed that the global water cycle has changed during periods of higher and lower temperatures in the recent past.
Published New map of 20th century land use in Britain helps researchers demystify biodiversity change



Researchers have mapped how land use changed across Britain throughout the last century. The new map reveals how and where some 50 per cent of semi-natural grassland was lost, including 90 per cent of the country's lowland meadows and pasture, as the nation intensified its agriculture.
Published Efficient biohybrid batteries



Formic acid, which can be produced electrochemically from carbon dioxide, is a promising energy carrier. A research team has now developed a fast-charging hybrid battery system that combines the electrochemical generation of formic acid as an energy carrier with a microbial fuel cell. This novel, fast-charging biohybrid battery system can be used to monitor the toxicity of drinking water, just one of many potential future applications.
Published New battery technology could lead to safer, high-energy electric vehicles



Researchers studying how lithium batteries fail have developed a new technology that could enable next-generation electric vehicles (EVs) and other devices that are less prone to battery fires while increasing energy storage.
Published Meltwater flowing beneath Antarctic glaciers may be accelerating their retreat



A new Antarctic ice sheet modeling study suggests that meltwater flowing out to sea from beneath Antarctic glaciers is making them lose ice faster.