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Categories: Energy: Technology, Paleontology: General
Published Which came first: The reptile or the egg?



The earliest reptiles, birds and mammals may have borne live young, researchers have revealed.
Published Novel ferroelectrics for more efficient microelectronics



A team of researchers is exploring novel materials that have potential to make microelectronics more energy efficient. Their recent work explores recently discovered wurtzite ferroelectrics, which are mainly composed of materials that are already incorporated in semiconductor technology for integrated circuits. These materials allow for the integration of new power-efficient devices for applications such as non-volatile memory, electro-optics, and energy harvesting.
Published Megawatt electrical motor designed by engineers could help electrify aviation



Aerospace engineers designed a 1-megawatt electrical motor that is a stepping stone toward electrifying the largest aircraft.
Published Ancient herbivore's diet weakened teeth leading to eventual starvation, study suggests



Researchers have shed light on the life of the ancient reptile Rhynchosaur, which walked the earth between 250-225 million years ago, before being replaced by the dinosaurs.
Published Lost giants: New study reveals the abundance decline of African megafauna



A groundbreaking new paper focuses on the size and abundance of living and fossil African large mammals, shedding light on the ecological dynamics behind the decline of these iconic creatures. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the causes of megafaunal extinctions in Africa and provide new insights into the restructuring of ecosystems over millions of years.
Published Greenhouse gas emissions at 'an all-time high' -- and it is causing an unprecedented rate of global warming, say scientists



Human-induced warming, largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels, reached an average of 1.14°C for the most recent decade (2013 to 2022) above pre-industrial levels. This is up from 1.07°C between 2010 and 2019. Human-induced warming is now increasing at a pace of over 0.2°C per decade. The analysis also found that greenhouse gas emissions were 'at an all-time high', with human activity resulting in the equivalent of 54 (+/-5.3) gigatonnes (or billion metric tonnes) of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere on average every year over the last decade (2012-2021). Given the speed at which the global climate system is changing, the scientists argue that policymakers, climate negotiators and civil society groups need to have access to up-to-date and robust scientific evidence on which to base decisions.
Published New dino, 'Iani,' was face of a changing planet



A newly discovered plant-eating dinosaur may have been a species' 'last gasp' during a period when Earth's warming climate forced massive changes to global dinosaur populations.
Published Remains of an extinct world of organisms discovered



Newly discovered biomarker signatures point to a whole range of previously unknown organisms that dominated complex life on Earth about a billion years ago. They differed from complex eukaryotic life as we know it, such as animals, plants and algae in their cell structure and likely metabolism, which was adapted to a world that had far less oxygen in the atmosphere than today.
Published New superconducting diode could improve performance of quantum computers and artificial intelligence



A team has developed a more energy-efficient, tunable superconducting diode -- a promising component for future electronic devices -- that could help scale up quantum computers for industry and improve artificial intelligence systems.
Published Multiple species of semi-aquatic dinosaur may have roamed pre-historic Britain



Palaeontologists studying a British dinosaur tooth have concluded that several distinct groups of spinosaurs -- dinosaurs with fearsome crocodile-like skulls -- inhabited southern England over 100 million years ago.
Published The clams that fell behind, and what they can tell us about evolution and extinction



A new study examined how bivalves -- the group that includes clams, mussels, scallops, and oysters -- evolved among many others in the period of rapid evolution known as the Cambrian Explosion. The team found that though many other lineages burst into action and quickly evolved a wide variety of forms and functions, the bivalves lagged behind. The study has implications for how we understand evolution and the impact of extinctions.
Published Flexible nanoelectrodes can provide fine-grained brain stimulation



Engineers have developed ultraflexible implantable nanoelectrodes that can administer long-term, fine-grained brain stimulation.
Published New catalyst lowers cost for producing environmentally sustainable hydrogen from water



A team has developed a new catalyst composed of elements abundant in the Earth. It could make possible the low-cost and energy-efficient production of hydrogen for use in transportation and industrial applications.
Published The next generation of solar energy collectors could be rocks



The next generation of sustainable energy technology might be built from some low-tech materials: rocks and the sun. Using a new approach known as concentrated solar power, heat from the sun is stored then used to dry foods or create electricity. A team has found that certain soapstone and granite samples from Tanzania are well suited for storing this solar heat, featuring high energy densities and stability even at high temperatures.
Published Hidden in plain sight: Windshield washer fluid is an unexpected emission source



Exhaust fumes probably come to mind when considering vehicle emissions, but they aren't the only source of pollutants released by a daily commute. Researchers report that alcohols in windshield washer fluid account for a larger fraction of real-world vehicle emissions than previous estimates have suggested. Notably, the levels of these non-fuel-derived gases will likely remain unchanged, even as more drivers transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles.
Published Quarter-ton marsupial roamed long distances across Australia's arid interior



One of Australia's first long-distance walkers has been described after palaeontologists used advanced 3D scans and other technology to take a new look at the partial remains of a 3.5 million year old marsupial from central Australia. They have named a new genus of diprotodontid Ambulator, meaning walker or wanderer, because the locomotory adaptations of the legs and feet of this quarter-tonne animal would have made it well suited to roam long distances in search of food and water when compared to earlier relatives.
Published 107-million-year-old pterosaur bones: Oldest in Australia



A team of researchers have confirmed that 107-million-year-old pterosaur bones discovered more than 30 years ago are the oldest of their kind ever found in Australia, providing a rare glimpse into the life of these powerful, flying reptiles that lived among the dinosaurs.
Published Absolute vs. relative efficiency: How efficient are blue LEDs, actually?



The absolute internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of indium gallium nitride (InGaN) based blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at low temperatures is often assumed to be 100%. However, a new study has found that the assumption of always perfect IQE is wrong: the IQE of an LED can be as low as 27.5%.
Published Hydrogen battery: Storing hydrogen in coal may help power clean energy economy



The quest to develop hydrogen as a clean energy source that could curb our dependence on fossil fuels may lead to an unexpected place -- coal. Scientists have found that coal may represent a potential way to store hydrogen gas, much like batteries store energy for future use, addressing a major hurdle in developing a clean energy supply chain.
Published Forging a dream material with semiconductor quantum dots



Researchers have succeeded in creating a 'superlattice' of semiconductor quantum dots that can behave like a metal, potentially imparting exciting new properties to this popular class of materials.