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Categories: Energy: Technology, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published Vastly more sustainable, cost-effective method to desalinate industrial wastewater



Engineers are developing a cutting-edge process that can reduce energy consumption and cost of water desalination.
Published How tidal range electricity generation could meet future demand and storage problems



Tidal range schemes are financially viable and could lower energy bills say researchers. Research combined a tidal range power generation model with its cost model to demonstrate the viability of tidal power. The research demonstrates the benefits of tidal energy, which does not suffer from unpredictable intermittency as power is generated both day and night, and in windy or calm weather. The creation of a tidal barrage could operate for 120 years or more to meet future demand and storage problems.
Published These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms



In the age of dinosaurs, many marine reptiles had extremely long necks compared to reptiles today. While it was clearly a successful evolutionary strategy, paleontologists have long suspected that their long-necked bodies made them vulnerable to predators. Now, after almost 200 years of continued research, direct fossil evidence confirms this scenario for the first time in the most graphic way imaginable.
Published To boost supply chains, scientists are looking at ways to recover valuable materials from water



Researchers are exploring the different ways of harvesting materials from water.
Published New dinosaur discovered: Ankylosaurs may have been far more diverse than originally thought



First armoured dinosaur to be described from the Isle of Wight in 142 years, shows Ankylosaurs may have been far more diverse than originally thought
Published Engineers develop a soft, printable, metal-free electrode



Engineers developed a metal-free, Jelly-like material that is as soft and tough as biological tissue and can conduct electricity similarly to conventional metals. The new material, which is a type of high-performance conducting polymer hydrogel, may one day replace metals in the electrodes of medical devices.
Published Energy harvesting via vibrations: Researchers develop highly durable and efficient device



An international research group has engineered a new energy-generating device by combining piezoelectric composites with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), a commonly used material that is both light and strong. The new device transforms vibrations from the surrounding environment into electricity, providing an efficient and reliable means for self-powered sensors.
Published Metaverse could put a dent in global warming



For many technology enthusiasts, the metaverse has the potential to transform almost every facet of human life, from work to education to entertainment. Now, new research shows it could have environmental benefits, too.
Published Ants have a specialized communication processing center that has not been found in other social insects



Have you ever noticed an ant in your home, only to find that a week later the whole colony has moved in? The traps you set up catch only a few of these ants, but soon, the rest of the colony has mysteriously disappeared. Now, a study explores how certain danger-signaling pheromones -- the scent markers ants emit to communicate with each other -- activate a specific part of the ants' brains and can change the behavior of an entire nest.
Published The life below our feet: Team discovers microbes thriving in groundwater and producing oxygen in the dark



A survey of groundwater samples drawn from aquifers beneath more than 80,000 square miles of Canadian prairie reveals ancient groundwaters harbor not only diverse and active microbial communities, but also unexpectedly large numbers of microbial cells. Strikingly, some of these microbes seem to produce 'dark oxygen' (in the absence of sunlight) in such abundance that the oxygen may nourish not only those microbes, but may leak into the environment and support other oxygen-reliant microbes that can't produce it themselves.
Published First side-necked turtle ever discovered in UK



The first side-necked turtle ever to be found in the UK has been discovered by an amateur fossil collector and palaeontologists.
Published Skipping evolution: Some kangaroos didn't hop



Extinct kangaroos used alternative methods to their famous hop according to comprehensive analysis.
Published All-electric rideshare fleet could reduce carbon emissions, increase traffic issues



Two major ridesharing companies have promised all-electric fleets by 2030 in an effort to reduce their carbon footprint. To understand additional impacts of this transition, researchers conducted life-cycle comparisons of battery-powered electric vehicle fleets to a gas-powered one, using real-world rideshare data. They found up to a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from full electrification; however, traffic problems and air pollution could increase.
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 Octopuses rewire their brains to adapt to seasonal temperature shifts



Octopuses don't thermoregulate, so their powerful brains are exposed to -- and potentially threatened by -- changes in temperature. Researchers report that two-spot octopuses adapt to seasonal temperature shifts by producing different neural proteins under warm versus cool conditions. The octopuses achieve this by editing their RNA, the messenger molecule between DNA and proteins. This rewiring likely protects their brains, and the researchers suspect that this unusual strategy is used widely amongst octopuses and squid.
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 Water molecules define the materials around us



A new paper argues that materials like wood, bacteria, and fungi belong to a newly identified class of matter, 'hydration solids.' The new findings emerged from ongoing research into the strange behavior of spores, dormant bacterial cells.
Published To groom or not to groom: 'Triage' in the ant kingdom



Social ants are masters of cooperative disease defense. They collectively take care of each other to prevent the spread of infections within a colony. But how does an individual ant know whom it should groom? A multidisciplinary team of researchers combined experimental and theoretical approaches to get a detailed look into ants' sanitary decision-making.
Published When pigeons dream



Dreams have been considered a hallmark of human sleep for a long time. Latest findings, however, suggest that when pigeons sleep, they might experience visions of flight. Researchers studied brain activation patterns in sleeping pigeons, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The study revealed that similar to mammals, most of the brain is highly active during REM sleep. However, this wake-like state might come at a cost of reduced waste removal from the brain.