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Categories: Energy: Technology, Paleontology: General
Published Bees evolved from ancient supercontinent, diversified faster than suspected
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The origin of bees is tens of millions of years older than most previous estimates, a new study shows. A team led by Washington State University researchers traced the bee genealogy back more than 120 million years to an ancient supercontinent, Gondwana, which included today's continents of Africa and South America.
Published Genome analysis of 46,000-year-old roundworm from Siberian permafrost reveals novel species
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Some organisms, such as tardigrades, rotifers, and nematodes, can survive harsh conditions by entering a dormant state known as 'cryptobiosis.' In 2018, researchers found two roundworms (nematode) species in the Siberian Permafrost. Radiocarbon dating indicated that the nematode individuals have remained in cryptobiosis since the late Pleistocene, about 46,000 years ago. Researchers have now used genome sequencing, assembly, and phylogenetic analysis and found that the permafrost nematode belongs to a previously undescribed species, Panagrolaimus kolymaensis.
Published New archosaur species shows that precursor of dinosaurs and pterosaurs was armored
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have described a new species of armored reptile that lived near the time of the first appearance of dinosaurs. With bony plates on its backbone, this archosaur fossil reveals that armor was a boomerang trait in the story of dinosaur and pterosaur evolution: the group's ancestors were armored, but this characteristic was lost and then independently re-evolved multiple times later among specialized dinosaurs like ankylosaurs, stegosaurs, and others.
Published Missing island explains how endemic species on the Miyako Islands emerged
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Miyako Islands are home to various native species of snake and lizards. How these species came to call these islands home has long puzzled scientists. A group of researchers have compiled the latest geological and biological data, proposing that an island once facilitated migration between Okinawa and Miyako Islands.
Published A butterfly's first flight inspires a new way to produce force and electricity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have uncovered the promising capability of chitin as a sustainable smart biomaterial. Through water exchange with the environment, humidity-responsive chitinous films can generate mechanical and electrical energy for potential use in engineering and biomedical applications.
Published Spurge purge: Plant fossils reveal ancient South America-to-Asia 'escape route'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Newly identified plant fossils found in Argentina suggest that a group of spurges long thought to have Asian origins may have first appeared in Gondwanan South America.
Published 'Quantum avalanche' explains how nonconductors turn into conductors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study takes a new approach to answer a long-standing mystery about insulator-to-metal transitions.
Published Renewable solar energy can help purify water, the environment
(via sciencedaily.com) Chemists have demonstrated that water remediation can be powered in part -- and perhaps even exclusively -- by renewable energy sources.
Published Miocene period fossil forest of Wataria found in Japan
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An exquisitely preserved fossil forest from Japan provides missing links and helps reconstruct a whole Eurasia plant from the late Miocene epoch.
Published These bones were made for walking
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The genetic changes that made it possible for humans to walk upright have been uncovered in a study that also shows how slight variations in skeletal proportions are linked to arthritis.
Published Paleontologists identify two new species of sabertooth cat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sabertooth cats make up a diverse group of long-toothed predators that roamed Africa around 6-7 million years ago, around the time that hominins -- the group that includes modern humans -- began to evolve. By examining one of the largest global Pliocene collections of fossils in Langebaanweg, north of Cape Town in South Africa, researchers present two new sabertooth species and the first family tree of the region's ancient sabertooths. Their results suggest that the distribution of sabertooths throughout ancient Africa might have been different than previously assumed, and the study provides important information about Africa's paleoenvironment.
Published Device makes hydrogen from sunlight with record efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) Engineers have created a device that turns sunlight into hydrogen with record-breaking efficiency by integrating next-generation halide perovskite semiconductors with electrocatalysts in a single, durable, cost-effective and scalable device.
Published Aluminum materials show promising performance for safer, cheaper, more powerful batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers are using aluminum foil to create batteries with higher energy density and greater stability. The team's new battery system could enable electric vehicles to run longer on a single charge and would be cheaper to manufacture -- all while having a positive impact on the environment.
Published Researchers put a new twist on graphite
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers report that it is possible to imbue graphite -- the bulk, 3D material found in No. 2 pencils -- with physical properties similar to graphite's 2D counterpart, graphene. Not only was this breakthrough unexpected, the team also believes its approach could be used to test whether similar types of bulk materials can also take on 2D-like properties. If so, 2D sheets won't be the only source for scientists to fuel technological revolutions. Bulk, 3D materials could be just as useful.
Published Flying reptiles had nurturing parental style
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Did the pterosaurs, flying reptiles from the days of the dinosaurs, practice parental care or not? New research shows that pterosaurs were indeed caring parents -- but only the larger species.
Published Dry manufacturing process offers path to cleaner, more affordable high-energy EV batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Early experiments have revealed significant benefits to a dry battery manufacturing process. This eliminates the use of toxic solvents while showing promise for delivering a battery that is durable, less weighed down by inactive elements and able to maintain high energy storage capacity after use. Such improvements could boost wider EV adoption, helping to reduce carbon emissions and achieve U.S. climate goals.
Published Researchers achieve historic milestone in energy capacity of supercapacitors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a new landmark chemistry study, researchers describe how they have achieved the highest level of energy storage -- also known as capacitance -- in a supercapacitor ever recorded.
Published Unusual fossil shows rare evidence of a mammal attacking a dinosaur
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have described an unusual fossil from around 125 million years ago in China that shows a dramatic moment in time when a carnivorous mammal attacked a larger plant-eating dinosaur. The two animals are locked in mortal combat, and it's among the first evidence to show actual predatory behavior by a mammal on a dinosaur. The fossil's presence challenges the view that dinosaurs had few threats from their mammal contemporaries during the Cretaceous, when dinosaurs were the dominant animals.
Published Bifacial perovskite solar cells point to higher efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) A bifacial perovskite solar cell, which allows sunlight to reach both sides of the device, holds the potential to produce higher energy yields at lower overall costs.
Published New fossil flying reptile 'Elvis' takes flight
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In an exciting scientific development, an international team of researchers have officially named a newly discovered 145-million-year-old pterosaur. The animal had enormous 2-meter wingspan and was nicknamed 'Elvis' when the fossil was first unearthed in Bavaria, Germany because of the giant pompadour-like bony crest on its skull. Now the animal has been given a formal scientific name of Petrodactyle wellnhoferi. The name translates as 'Wellnhofer's stone-finger' honouring legendary German palaeontologist Peter Wellnhofer who spent his career working on German pterosaurs. Petrodactyle is a very complete skeleton with nearly every bone preserved and in remarkable detail.