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Categories: Energy: Technology, Paleontology: General
Published Capturing CO2 with electricity: A microbial enzyme inspires electrochemistry



Humanity continuously emits greenhouse gases and thereby worsens global warming. Increasing research efforts go into developing strategies to convert these gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), into valuable products. CO2 accumulates dramatically over the years and is chemically very stable, thus challenging to transform. Yet, for billions of years, some microbes have actively captured CO2 using highly efficient enzymes. Scientists have now isolated one of these enzymes. When the enzyme was electronically branched on an electrode, they observed the conversion of CO2 to formate with perfect efficiency. This phenomenon will inspire new CO2-fixation systems because of its remarkable directionality and rates.
Published A new twist on rechargeable battery performance



Rechargeable battery performance could be improved by a new understanding of how they work at the molecular level. Researchers upend what's known about how rechargeable batteries function.
Published New study removes human bias from debate over dinosaurs' demise



Researchers tried a new approach to resolve the scientific debate over whether it was a giant asteroid or volcanoes that wiped out the dinosaurs -- they removed scientists from the debate and let the computers decide. The researchers created a model powered by 130 interconnected processors that, without human input, reverse-engineered the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction until they reached a scenario that matched the fossil record. The model determined that while a meteorite contributed to the cataclysm, the outpouring of climate-altering gases from the nearly 1-million-year eruptions of volcanoes in western India's Deccan Traps would have been sufficient to trigger the extinction and clear the way for the ascendance of mammals.
Published Milestone for novel atomic clock



An international research team has taken a decisive step toward a new generation of atomic clocks. The researchers have created a much more precise pulse generator based on the element scandium, which enables an accuracy of one second in 300 billion years -- that is about a thousand times more precise than the current standard atomic clock based on caesium.
Published New research reveals extreme heat likely to wipe out humans and mammals in the distant future



A new study shows unprecedented heat is likely to lead to the next mass extinction, akin to when the dinosaurs died out, eliminating nearly all mammals in some 250 million years time.
Published Copper-based catalysts efficiently turn carbon dioxide into methane


Copper-based catalysts developed by materials scientists help speed up the rate of carbon dioxide-to-methane conversion.
Published Nanofluidic device generates power with saltwater



There is a largely untapped energy source along the world's coastlines: the difference in salinity between seawater and freshwater. A new nanodevice can harness this difference to generate power.
Published Pollen analysis suggests peopling of Siberia and Europe by modern humans occurred during a major Pleistocene warming spell



A new study appearing in Science Advances compares Pleistocene vegetation communities around Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, to the oldest archeological traces of Homo sapiens in the region. The researchers use the 'remarkable evidence' to tell a compelling story from 45,000-50,000 years ago with new detail: how the first humans migrated across Europe and Asia.
Published Dinosaur feathers reveal traces of ancient proteins



Palaeontologists have discovered X-ray evidence of proteins in fossil feathers that sheds new light on feather evolution.
Published No shortcuts: New approach may help extract more heat from geothermal reservoirs


Geothermal heat offers a promising source of renewable energy with almost zero emissions, but it remains a relatively expensive option to generate electricity. A new technique may help prevent 'short-circuits' that can cause geothermal power plants to halt production, potentially improving the efficiency of geothermal power, the researchers said.
Published New method for purifying drinking water could be used in disaster zones


Scientists have developed a new desalination method that pumps water through a membrane without using any external pressure.
Published Researchers reveal the origins of zirconium nitride's superior performance


A group of researchers have unraveled the mysteries behind a recently identified material -- zirconium nitride (ZrN) -- that helps power clean energy reactions. Their proposed framework will help future designs for transition metal nitrides, paving a path for generating cleaner energy.
Published One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors


Researchers created nanoribbons made of phosphorus and tiny amounts of arsenic, which they found were able to conduct electricity at temperatures above -140 degrees Celsius, while retaining the highly useful properties of the phosphorus-only ribbons.
Published Material would allow users to 'tune' windows to block targeted wavelengths of light


Researchers have demonstrated a material for next generation dynamic windows, which would allow building occupants to switch their windows between three modes: transparent, or 'normal' windows; windows that block infrared light, helping to keep a building cool; and tinted windows that control glare while maintaining the view.
Published Sustainable energy for aviation: What are our options?


Scientists and industry leaders worldwide are looking for answers on how to make aviation sustainable by 2050 and choosing a viable sustainable fuel is a major sticking point. Aerospace engineers took a full inventory of the options to make a data-driven assessment about how they stack up in comparison. He reviewed over 300 research projects from across different sectors, not just aerospace, to synthesize the ideas and draw conclusions to help direct the dialogue about sustainable aviation toward a permanent solution.
Published Efficient next-generation solar panels on horizon following breakthrough


A scientific breakthrough brings mass production of the next generation of cheaper and lighter perovskite solar cells one step closer.
Published Slow growth in crocodile ancestors pre-dated their semi-aquatic lifestyle



A groundbreaking study is reshaping our understanding of crocodile evolution by pinpointing the onset of slow growth rates to the Late Triassic period, much earlier than the previously assumed Early Jurassic timeline. The research highlights newly discovered fossil crocodile ancestors (known as crocodylomorphs) that exhibited slow growth rates, similar to modern-day crocodilians. Intriguingly, these early crocodylomorphs were not the lethargic, semi-aquatic creatures we are familiar with today; they were small, active, and fully terrestrial. The study also suggests that this slow-growth strategy was not a mere evolutionary quirk but a survival mechanism, as only the slow-growing crocodylomorphs managed to survive the End-Triassic mass extinction. This stands in stark contrast to the fast-growing dinosaurs of the same era, setting the stage for the divergent evolutionary paths that would later define their modern descendants.
Published Prehistoric fish fills 100 million year gap in evolution of the skull



X-rays of an ancient jawless fish shows earliest-known example of internal cartilage skull, unlike that of any other known vertebrate.
Published Electrons take flight at the nanoscale


A study showing how electrons flow around sharp bends, such as those found in integrated circuits, has the potential to improve how these circuits, commonly used in electronic and optoelectronic devices, are designed.
Published Combustion powers bug-sized robots to leap, lift and race


Researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion and can outrace, outlift, outflex and outleap its electric-driven competitors.