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Categories: Anthropology: Cultures, Energy: Technology
Published DNA Origami nanoturbine sets new horizon for nanomotors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers introduce a pioneering breakthrough in the world of nanomotors -- the DNA origami nanoturbine. This nanoscale device could represent a paradigm shift, harnessing power from ion gradients or electrical potential across a solid-state nanopore to drive the turbine into mechanical rotations. The core of this pioneering discovery is the design, construction, and driven motion of a 'DNA origami' turbine, which features three chiral blades, all within a minuscule 25-nanometer frame, operating in a solid-state nanopore. By ingeniously designing two chiral turbines, researchers now have the capability to dictate the direction of rotation, clockwise or anticlockwise.
Published In Prehispanic Cancun, immigrants were treated just like Maya locals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ancient people immigrated to Cancun Island and were treated just like locals, according to a new study.
Published Climate change likely impacted human populations in the Neolithic and Bronze Age
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Human populations in Neolithic Europe fluctuated with changing climates, according to a new study.
Published Bitcoin mining has 'very worrying' impacts on land and water, not only carbon
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have grown in market share, they've been criticized for their heavy carbon footprint: Cryptocurrency mining is an energy-intensive endeavor. Mining has massive water and land footprints as well, according to a new study that is the first to detail country-by-country environmental impacts of bitcoin mining.
Published Scientists develop new method to create stable, efficient next-gen solar cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Next-generation solar materials are cheaper and more sustainable to produce than traditional silicon solar cells, but hurdles remain in making the devices durable enough to withstand real-world conditions. A new technique could simplify the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells, named for their unique crystalline structure that excels at absorbing visible light.
Published Challenging prehistoric gender roles: Research finds that women were hunters, too
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Anthropologists challenge the traditional view of men as hunters and women as gatherers in prehistoric times. Their research reveals evidence of gender equality in roles and suggests that women were physically capable of hunting. The study sheds light on the gender bias in past research and calls for a more nuanced understanding of prehistoric gender roles.
Published Researchers identify the oldest pieces of Baltic amber found on the Iberian Peninsula: imports began over 5,000 years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Baltic amber is a luxury material used in jewellery and handicrafts all over the world. Researchers have shown that Baltic amber arrived on the Iberian Peninsula at least in the 4th millennium BC, more than a millennium earlier than previously thought.
Published Cobalt-free battery for cleaner, greener power
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source High-capacity and reliable rechargeable batteries are a critical component of many devices and even modes of transport. They play a key role in the shift to a greener world. A wide variety of elements are used in their production, including cobalt, the production of which contributes to some environmental, economic, and social issues. A team now presents a viable alternative to cobalt which in some ways can outperform state-of-the-art battery chemistry. It also survives a large number of recharge cycles, and the underlying theory can be applied to other problems.
Published The encounter between Neanderthals and Sapiens as told by their genomes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source About 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years in the western part of the Eurasian continent, gave way to Homo sapiens, who had arrived from Africa. This replacement was not sudden, and the two species coexisted for a few millennia, resulting in the integration of Neanderthal DNA into the genome of Sapiens. Researchers have analyzed the distribution of the portion of DNA inherited from Neanderthals in the genomes of humans (Homo sapiens) over the last 40,000 years. These statistical analyses revealed subtle variations in time and geographical space.
Published Potential for 110% electricity increases in U. S. urban buildings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research study tackled the critical issue of how city-scale building energy consumption in urban environments will evolve under the influence of climate change.
Published As surging threats teeter electrical power grids, scientists offer insights to make them more resilient
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Power grids -- the web of electrical networks that sprawl across countries and continents -- are under stress. Extreme weather events and volatile energy demands often push the system to the brink. Although these high-impact events can be very damaging, often overlooked is the impact of minor disruptions that trigger a domino effect throughout the system, according to a study analyzing European power blackouts. The findings showed that recovering power within 13 hours can reduce up to 52% of the power loss stemming from cascading events.
Published From a five-layer graphene sandwich, a rare electronic state emerges
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When stacked in five layers in a rhombohedral pattern, graphene takes on a rare 'multiferroic' state, exhibiting both unconventional magnetism and an exotic electronic behavior known as ferro-valleytricity.
Published World may have crossed solar power 'tipping point'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The world may have crossed a 'tipping point' that will inevitably make solar power our main source of energy, new research suggests.
Published Decontamination method zaps pollutants from soil
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A rapid, high-heat electrothermal soil remediation process flushes out both organic pollutants and heavy metals in seconds without damaging soil fertility.
Published Harnessing molecular power: Electricity generation on the nanoscale
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers tested a molecular energy harvesting device that captures the energy from the natural motion of molecules in a liquid. Their work showed molecular motion can be used to generate a stable electric current. To create the device, they submerged nanoarrays of piezoelectric material in liquid, allowing the movement of the liquid to move the strands like seaweed waving in the ocean, except in this case the movement is on the molecular scale, and the strands are made of zinc oxide. When the zinc oxide material waves, bends, or deforms under motion, it generates electric potential.
Published Solar design would harness 40% of the sun's heat to produce clean hydrogen fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have designed a system that can efficiently produce 'solar thermochemical hydrogen.' It harnesses the sun's heat to split water and generate hydrogen -- a clean fuel that emits no greenhouse gas emissions.
Published A non-exploitative economy favored the splendor of the Iberian Peninsula's Copper Age communities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study describes the productive forces of the Chalcolithic communities of the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula as being very diverse, both in the type of tasks performed and in intensity, with a high degree of cooperation and no apparent signs of dependence between the different types of settlements or of political centralization. The work, based on the analysis of macrolithic tool data and the additional support of bioarchaeological information, allows to confirm the large ditched enclosure of Valencina de la Concepción (Seville) as a macro-populated area, inhabited by thousands of people, and not only as a place of worship.
Published An electrical switch to control chemical reactions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New pharmaceuticals, cleaner fuels, biodegradable plastics: in order to meet society's needs, chemists have to develop new synthesis methods to obtain new products that do not exist in their natural state. A research group has discovered how to use an external electric field to control and accelerate a chemical reaction, like a 'switch'. This work could have a considerable impact on the development of new molecules, enabling not only more environmentally friendly synthesis, but also very simple external control of a chemical reaction.
Published Revolutionizing energy storage: Metal nanoclusters for stable lithium--sulfur batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) offer a higher energy storage potential. However, issues like formation of lithium polysulfides and lithium dendrites lead to capacity loss and raise safety concerns. Now, researchers have developed a graphene separator embedded with platinum-doped gold nanoclusters, which enhance lithium-ion transport and facilitate redox reactions. This breakthrough addresses the long-standing issues associated with LSBs, setting the stage for their commercialization.
Published Magnetoelectric material can reconnect severed nerves
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Neuroengineers designed the first self-rectifying magnetoelectric material and showed it can not only precisely stimulate neurons remotely but also reconnect a broken sciatic nerve in a rat model.