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Categories: Energy: Technology, Offbeat: Plants and Animals

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Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Environmental: General
Published

Study on battery recycling shows China is in first place      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has concluded that China will be the first country worldwide to become independent of the need to mine the raw materials which are essential for batteries. They have also established that this development could be accelerated in all the regions they looked at -- including the USA and Europe.

Biology: Botany Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

It turns out, this fossil 'plant' is really a fossil baby turtle      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers re-examined a plant fossil found decades ago in Colombia and realized that it wasn't a plant at all: it's a fossilized baby turtle. It's a rare find, because juvenile turtles' shells are soft and often don't fossilize well.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Wild birds lead people to honey -- and learn from them      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study finds the greater honeyguide can learn distinct vocal signals to help people in Africa locate bee colonies. In parts of Africa, people communicate with a wild bird -- the greater honeyguide -- in order to locate bee colonies and harvest their stores of honey and beeswax. It's a rare example of cooperation between humans and wild animals, and a potential instance of cultural coevolution.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Jays jump in while crows hold out for the treat      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has found that two similar species of birds behave very differently around their favorite food when they have company. Biologists compared the behavior of two species of corvids, Eurasian jays and New Caledonian crows, both capable of displaying self-control through delayed gratification. The researchers found that jays will settle for an immediate, less preferred food option when another bird is present, while crows will always hold out for their favorite food, regardless of the social context.

Biology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Mice pass the mirror test, a classic indicator of self-recognition      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that mice display behavior that resembles self-recognition when they see themselves in the mirror. When the researchers marked the foreheads of black-furred mice with a spot of white ink, the mice spent more time grooming their heads in front of the mirror -- presumably to try and wash away the ink spot. However, the mice only showed this self-recognition-like behavior if they were already accustomed to mirrors, if they had socialized with other mice who looked like them, and if the ink spot was relatively large.

Chemistry: General Energy: Technology Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Tracking undetectable space junk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Satellite and spacecraft operators may finally be able to detect small pieces of debris orbiting Earth using a new approach. Colliding pieces of space debris emit electric signals that could help track small debris littering Earth's orbit, potentially saving satellites and spacecraft.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Quantum physics: Superconducting Nanowires Detect Single Protein Ions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has achieved a breakthrough in the detection of protein ions: Due to their high energy sensitivity, superconducting nanowire detectors achieve almost 100% quantum efficiency and exceed the detection efficiency of conventional ion detectors at low energies by a factor of up to a 1,000. In contrast to conventional detectors, they can also distinguish macromolecules by their impact energy. This allows for more sensitive detection of proteins and it provides additional information in mass spectrometry.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: General
Published

More than a meteorite: New clues about the demise of dinosaurs      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have ultimately set the stage for the dinosaur extinction, challenging the traditional narrative that a meteorite alone delivered the final blow to the ancient giants.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

More than 100 'magic mushroom' genomes point the way to new cultivars      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have amassed genome data for dozens of 'magic mushroom' isolates and cultivars, with the goal to learn more about how their domestication and cultivation has changed them. The findings may point the way to the production of intriguing new cultivars, say the researchers.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Earliest-known fossil mosquito suggests males were bloodsuckers too      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found the earliest-known fossil mosquito in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon. What's more, the well-preserved insects are two males of the same species with piercing mouthparts, suggesting they likely sucked blood. That's noteworthy because, among modern-day mosquitoes, only females are hematophagous, meaning that they use piercing mouthparts to feed on the blood of people and other animals.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Ecology: Trees Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Crocodile family tree mapped: New light shed on croc evolution      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Around 250 million years ago, 700 species of reptiles closely related to the modern-day crocodile roamed the earth, now new research reveals how a complex interplay between climate change, species competition and habitat can help explain why just 23 species of crocodile survive today.     

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Molecular Ecology: Invasive Species Geoscience: Geochemistry Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Unlocking the secret strength of marine mussels      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

How do you create strong, yet quick-release connections between living and non-living tissues? This is a question that continues to puzzle bioengineers who aim to create materials that bond together for advanced biomedical applications. Looking to nature for inspiration, this research zeroed in on the marine mussel byssus, a fibrous holdfast, which these bivalve mollusks use to anchor themselves in seashore habitats.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Energy: Technology Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Scientists use A.I.-generated images to map visual functions in the brain      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated the use of AI-selected natural images and AI-generated synthetic images as neuroscientific tools for probing the visual processing areas of the brain. The goal is to apply a data-driven approach to understand how vision is organized while potentially removing biases that may arise when looking at responses to a more limited set of researcher-selected images.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Sea fireflies synchronize their sparkle to seek soulmates      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In sea fireflies' underwater ballet, the males sway together in perfect, illuminated synchronization, basking in the glow of their secreted iridescent mucus.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General
Published

Smart microgrids can restore power more efficiently and reliably in an outage      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new AI model that optimizes the use of renewables and other energy sources outperforms traditional power restoration techniques for islanded microgrids, a new paper shows. 

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Energy: Technology Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Researchers show an old law still holds for quirky quantum materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Long before researchers discovered the electron and its role in generating electrical current, they knew about electricity and were exploring its potential. One thing they learned early on was that metals were great conductors of both electricity and heat. And in 1853, two scientists showed that those two admirable properties of metals were somehow related: At any given temperature, the ratio of electronic conductivity to thermal conductivity was roughly the same in any metal they tested. This so-called Wiedemann-Franz law has held ever since -- except in quantum materials. Now, a theoretical argument put forth by physicists suggests that the law should, in fact, approximately hold for one type of quantum material, the cuprate superconductors.

Biology: Zoology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Broadband buzz: Periodical cicadas' chorus measured with fiber optic cables      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Through an emerging technology called distributed fiber optic sensing, cables bringing high-speed internet to American households can be used to detect temperature changes, vibrations, and even sound. And periodical cicadas -- the insects that emerge by the billions every 13 or 17 years and make a racket with their mating calls -- are loud enough to be detected. A new study shows how fiber optic sensing could open new pathways for charting populations of these famously ephemeral bugs.