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Categories: Engineering: Nanotechnology, Paleontology: Climate
Published Stab-resistant fabric gains strength from carbon nanotubes, polyacrylate
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fabrics that resist knife cuts can help prevent injuries and save lives. But a sharp enough knife or a very forceful jab can get through some of these materials. Now, researchers report that carbon nanotubes and polyacrylate strengthen conventional aramid to produce lightweight, soft fabrics that provide better protection. Applications include anti-stabbing clothing, helmets and insoles, as well as cut-resistant packaging.
Published X-ray analysis sheds new light on prehistoric predator's last meal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source We now know more about the diet of a prehistoric creature that grew up to two and a half meters long and lived in Australian waters during the time of the dinosaurs, thanks to the power of x-rays. Researchers used micro-CT scans to peer inside the fossilized stomach remains of a small marine reptile -- a plesiosaur nicknamed 'Eric' after a song from the comedy group Monty Python -- to determine what the creature ate in the lead up to its death.
Published Novel nanocages for delivery of small interfering RNAs
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are novel therapeutics that can be used to treat a wide range of diseases. This has led to a growing demand for selective, efficient, and safe ways of delivering siRNA in cells. Now, in a cooperation between the Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden, researchers have developed dedicated molecular nanocages for siRNA delivery. In a paper just out in the Journal Chem they present nanocages that are easy to prepare and display tuneable siRNA delivery characteristics.
Published Chemists propose ultrathin material for doubling solar cell efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are studying radical new ways to improve solar power and provide more options for the industry to explore. Chemists are proposing to make solar cells using not silicon, but an abundantly available natural material called molybdenum disulfide. Using a creative combination of photoelectrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, the researchers conducted a series of experiments showing that extremely thin films of molybdenum disulfide display unprecedented charge carrier properties that could someday drastically improve solar technologies.
Published The diversity of present tree species is shaped by climate change in the last 21,000 years
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new global survey of 1000 forest areas shows how climate change since the peak of the last ice age has had a major impact on the diversity and distribution of tree species we see today. The results can help us predict how ecosystems will react to future changes, thus having an impact on conservation management around the globe.
Published Nullarbor rocks reveal Australia's transformation from lush to dust
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered how long ago the Australian Nullarbor plain dried out, with a new approach shedding light on how ancient climate change altered some of the driest regions of our planet.
Published Physicists discover transformable nano-scale electronic devices
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The nano-scale electronic parts in devices like smartphones are solid, static objects that once designed and built cannot transform into anything else. But physicists have reported the discovery of nano-scale devices that can transform into many different shapes and sizes even though they exist in solid states.
Published A novel platinum nanocluster for improved oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hydrogen, derived from polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), is an excellent source of clean energy. However, PEFCs require platinum (Pt), which is a limited resource. Some studies have shown that Pt nanoclusters (NCs) have higher activity than conventionally used Pt nanoparticles, however the origin of their higher activity is unclear. Now, researchers have synthesized a novel Pt NC catalyst with unprecedented activity and identified the reason for its high performance.
Published Processing data at the speed of light
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have developed an extremely small and fast nano-excitonic transistor.
Published Implantable device shrinks pancreatic tumors
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nanomedicine researchers have found a way to tame pancreatic cancer -- one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat cancers -- by delivering immunotherapy directly into the tumor with a device that is smaller than a grain of rice.
Published Professor unearths the ancient fossil plant history of Burnaby Mountain
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research led by a paleobotanist provides clues about what plants existed in the Burnaby Mountain area (British Columbia, Canada) 40 million years ago during the late Eocene, when the climate was much warmer than it is today.
Published Pollution monitoring through precise detection of gold nanoparticles in woodlice
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers introduce a novel imaging method to detect gold nanoparticles in woodlice. Their method, known as four-wave mixing microscopy, flashes light that the gold nanoparticles absorb. The light flashes again and the subsequent scattering reveals the nanoparticles' locations. With information about the quantity, location, and impact of gold nanoparticles within the organism, scientists can better understand the potential harm other metals may have on nature.
Published Study re-evaluates hazards and climate impacts of massive underwater volcanic eruptions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Material left on the seafloor by bronze-age underwater volcanic eruptions is helping researchers better understand the size, hazards and climate impact of their parent eruptions, according to new research.
Published New atomic-scale understanding of catalysis could unlock massive energy savings
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In an advance they consider a breakthrough in computational chemistry research, chemical engineers have developed a model of how catalytic reactions work at the atomic scale. This understanding could allow engineers and chemists to develop more efficient catalysts and tune industrial processes -- potentially with enormous energy savings, given that 90% of the products we encounter in our lives are produced, at least partially, via catalysis.
Published Fully recyclable printed electronics ditch toxic chemicals for water
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have produced fully recyclable printed electronics that replace the use of chemicals with water in the fabrication process. By bypassing the need for hazardous chemicals, the demonstration points down a path industry could follow to reduce its environmental footprint and human health risks.
Published Two-dimensional nanoparticles with great potential
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has discovered how catalysts and many other nanoplatelets can be produced in an environmentally friendly way from readily available materials and in sufficient quantities.
Published Super-sized nanocage could deliver bigger drug cargoes
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Nanocages are tiny artificial containers that can be used to deliver therapeutics to a target destination in the body. But some drug molecules are like gifts that are too big for a standard-sized nanocage 'box'. Now researchers describe how they have built a super-sized nanocage that could be used to deliver larger drug cargoes. They have built a bigger box.
Published Researchers correlate Arctic warming to extreme winter weather in midlatitude and its future
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A warmer Arctic has been linked to extreme winter weather in the midlatitude regions. But, it is not clear how global warming affects this link. In a new study, researchers show, using weather data and climate models, that while the 'Warm Arctic-Cold Continent' pattern will continue as the climate continues to warm, Arctic warming will become a less reliable predictor of extreme winter weather in the future.
Published Ice sheets can collapse faster than previously thought possible
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ice sheets can retreat up to 600 meters a day during periods of climate warming, 20 times faster than the highest rate of retreat previously measured. An international team of researchers used high-resolution imagery of the seafloor to reveal just how quickly a former ice sheet that extended from Norway retreated at the end of the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago.
Published The unexpected contribution of medieval monks to volcanology
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By observing the night sky, medieval monks unwittingly recorded some of history's largest volcanic eruptions. An international team of researchers drew on readings of 12th and 13th century European and Middle Eastern chronicles, along with ice core and tree ring data, to accurately date some of the biggest volcanic eruptions the world has ever seen. Their results uncover new information about one of the most volcanically active periods in Earth's history, which some think helped to trigger the Little Ice Age, a long interval of cooling that saw the advance of European glaciers.