Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Researchers develop a paper-thin loudspeaker      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers created an ultrathin loudspeaker that can turn any rigid surface into a high-quality, active audio source. The fabrication process can enable the thin-film devices to be produced at scale.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Cheaper hydrogen fuel cell could mean better green energy options      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a hydrogen fuel cell that uses iron instead of rare and costly platinum, enabling greater use of the technology.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

The physics of a singing saw      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have used the singing saw to demonstrate how the geometry of a curved sheet, like curved metal, could be tuned to create high-quality, long-lasting oscillations for applications in sensing, nanoelectronics, photonics and more.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Extract from a common kitchen spice could be key to greener, more efficient fuel cells      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered a novel way to combine curcumin -- the substance in turmeric -- and gold nanoparticles to create an electrode that requires 100 times less energy to efficiently convert ethanol into electricity.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Tumors partially destroyed with sound don't come back      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Noninvasive sound technology breaks down liver tumors in rats, kills cancer cells and spurs the immune system to prevent further spread -- an advance that could lead to improved cancer outcomes in humans.

Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

What is causing the rise in black lung disease?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Silica exposure is a driving force behind rising rates of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, according to a new study that compared the pathology and mineralogy of the disease across generations. The study offers scientific evidence explaining why progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of black lung disease, is occurring more frequently and among younger coal workers in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Ultrasound gave us our first baby pictures can it also help the blind see?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

While there are no successful non-invasive therapeutics currently available for the treatment of vision loss, researchers at have come up with a new idea to address this growing problem. Currently, ophthalmologists use electronic technology to directly stimulate retinal neurons by implanting electrode devices inside the eye, a technique that requires expensive and invasive surgery. A research team is now exploring a non-surgical solution that could restore sight by using another of the five senses: Sound.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Space: The Solar System
Published

'Ears' for rover Perseverance's exploration of Mars      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have built instruments to give humans eyes and a nose on Mars -- and now they are helping add ears as well.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Dual-mode endoscope offers unprecedented insights into uterine health      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new endoscope design that combines ultrasound with optical coherence tomography can assess the structural features of the endometrium with unprecedented detail. This dual-mode endoscope could help doctors diagnose infertility problems that are related to endometrial receptivity with greater accuracy than current imaging technologies.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Scavenger nanoparticles could make fuel cell-powered vehicles a reality      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineers have developed a material that could give fuel cell systems a competitive edge over the battery systems that currently power most electric vehicles.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

New method purifies hydrogen from heavy carbon monoxide mixtures      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Refining metals, manufacturing fertilizers and powering fuel cells for heavy vehicles are all processes that require purified hydrogen. But purifying, or separating, that hydrogen from a mix of other gases can be difficult, with several steps. Chemical engineers have now demonstrated that the process can be simplified using a pump outfitted with newly developed membrane materials.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

The Rule of Two helps make spaces sound better      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers developed a new acoustic measurement technique in a room with more acoustic combinations than there are ants on Earth.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Fuel from waste wood      (via sciencedaily.com) 

According to the latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions is required to limit the consequences of climate change. Producing fuel from renewable sources such as waste wood and straw or renewable electricity would be one way to reduce carbon emissions from the area of transportation.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Carbon-coated nickel enables fuel cell free of precious metals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A nitrogen doped carbon-coated nickel anode can catalyze an essential reaction in hydrogen fuel cells at a fraction of the cost of the precious metals currently used, researchers have found.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Warming oceans are getting louder      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Climate change is speeding sound transmission in the oceans and the way it varies over the globe with physical properties of the oceans. Two 'acoustic hotspots' of future sound speed increases are predicted east of Greenland and in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, East of Newfoundland. In these locations, the average speed of sound is likely to increase by more than 1.5% if 'business-as-usual' high rates of greenhouse gas emissions continue through 2100.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Concert hall acoustics for non-invasive ultrasound brain treatments      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Engineers have developed a device that is a first step to enabling noninvasive, ultrasound-based therapies for the brain. For example, ultrasound waves are currently being used in clinical trials to treat epilepsy.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Quantum dots shine bright to help scientists see inflammatory cells in fat      (via sciencedaily.com) 

To accurately diagnose and treat diseases, doctors and researchers need to see inside bodies. Medical imaging tools have come a long way since the humble x-ray, but most existing tools remain too coarse to quantify numbers or specific types of cells inside deep tissues of the body. Quantum dots can do that, according to new research in mice.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Wind, solar could replace coal power in Texas      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A fraction of the wind and solar projects already proposed in Texas could eliminate the state's remaining coal power plants and their emissions, according to engineers.

Energy: Fossil Fuels
Published

Could we make cars out of petroleum residue?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a way to make lightweight fibers, for possible use in the bodies of cars, out of an ultracheap feedstock: the waste material from the refining of petroleum.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

New acoustic fabric converts audible sounds into electrical signals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a new acoustic fabric converts audible sounds into electrical signals. They designed a fabric that works like a microphone, converting sound first into mechanical vibrations, then into electrical signals, similarly to how our ears hear.