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Categories: Chemistry: General, Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published There is much to improve in identifying all the chemicals around us
(via sciencedaily.com) What chemicals are we exposed to on a daily basis? That is the central question of 'non-targeted analysis' or NTA, an emerging field of analytical science that aims to identify all chemicals around us. A daunting task, because how can you be sure to detect everything if you don't know exactly what you're looking for?
Published Nanoparticles made from plant viruses could be farmers' new ally in pest control
(via sciencedaily.com) Engineers have devised a new solution to control a major agricultural menace, root-damaging nematodes. Using plant viruses, the researchers created nanoparticles that can deliver pesticide molecules to previously inaccessible depths in the soil. This 'precision farming' approach could potentially minimize environmental toxicity and cut costs for farmers.
Published Scaling up the power of nanotechnology
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers created a proof of concept of a nanocapsule -- a microscopic container -- capable of delivering a specific 'payload' to a targeted location. While beyond the scope of this study, the discovery could one day impact how drugs, nutrients and other types of chemical compounds are delivered within humans or plants.
Published Extensive impact of metal mining contamination on rivers and floodplains
(via sciencedaily.com) A groundbreaking study has provided new insights into the extensive impact of metal mining contamination on rivers and floodplains across the world, with an estimated 23 million people believed to be affected by potentially dangerous concentrations of toxic waste. The study used a new georeferenced global database of 185,000 metal mines compiled by the team alongside a combination of process-based modelling and empirical testing to predict the dispersal of mine waste in river systems to offer a comprehensive understanding of the environmental and health challenges associated with metal mining activities, examining both historical and active mining operations. With the rapid growth of metal mining crucial to the world making the transition to green energy, the study provides governments, mining companies, environmental regulators, and communities impacted by mining operations with a tool to understand the impacts of environmental impact of mining. Ultimately it is hoped that this will make it easier to mitigate the environmental effects of historical and present mining and help to minimise the impacts of future mining development on communities, while also protecting food and water security.
Published New recycling method fights plastic waste
(via sciencedaily.com) Almost 80% of plastic in the waste stream ends up in landfills or accumulates in the environment. Scientists have now developed a technology that converts a conventionally unrecyclable mixture of plastic waste into useful chemicals, presenting a new strategy in the toolkit to combat global plastic waste.
Published Researchers reveal the origins of zirconium nitride's superior performance
(via sciencedaily.com) A group of researchers have unraveled the mysteries behind a recently identified material -- zirconium nitride (ZrN) -- that helps power clean energy reactions. Their proposed framework will help future designs for transition metal nitrides, paving a path for generating cleaner energy.
Published One-atom-thick ribbons could improve batteries, solar cells and sensors
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers created nanoribbons made of phosphorus and tiny amounts of arsenic, which they found were able to conduct electricity at temperatures above -140 degrees Celsius, while retaining the highly useful properties of the phosphorus-only ribbons.
Published Making contact: Researchers wire up individual graphene nanoribbons
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a method of 'wiring up' graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), a class of one-dimensional materials that are of interest in the scaling of microelectronic devices. Using a direct-write scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) based process, the nanometer-scale metal contacts were fabricated on individual GNRs and could control the electronic character of the GNRs. The researchers say that this is the first demonstration of making metal contacts to specific GNRs with certainty and that those contacts induce device functionality needed for transistor function.
Published Let it flow: Recreating water flow for virtual reality
(via sciencedaily.com) A research team has harnessed the power of deep reinforcement learning to replicate the flow of water when disturbed. The replication allowed for recreating water flow in real time based on only a small amount of data, opening up the possibility for virtual reality interactions involving water.
Published New Si-based photocatalyst enables efficient solar-driven hydrogen production and biomass refinery
(via sciencedaily.com) A research team has achieved a significant breakthrough in the development of a hybrid silicon photocatalyst.
Published Imaging the smallest atoms provides insights into an enzyme's unusual biochemistry
(via sciencedaily.com) A team has used neutron crystallography to image all of the atoms in a radical intermediate of a copper amine oxidase enzyme. They disclosed previously unknown details, such as precise conformational changes, that help to explain the enzyme's biochemistry. This work might help researchers engineer enzymes that facilitate unusual chemistry or are highly efficient at room temperature that are useful in chemical industry.
Published Fast-track strain engineering for speedy biomanufacturing
(via sciencedaily.com) Using engineered microbes as microscopic factories has given the world steady sources of life-saving drugs, revolutionized the food industry, and allowed us to make sustainable versions of valuable chemicals previously made from petroleum. But behind each biomanufactured product on the market today is the investment of years of work and many millions of dollars in research and development funding. Scientists want to help the burgeoning industry reach new heights by accelerating and streamlining the process of engineering microbes to produce important compounds with commercial-ready efficiency.
Published New recipes for origin of life may point way to distant, inhabited planets
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Life on a faraway planet -- if it's out there -- might not look anything like life on Earth. But there are only so many chemical ingredients in the universe's pantry, and only so many ways to mix them. Scientists have now exploited those limitations to write a cookbook of hundreds of chemical recipes with the potential to give rise to life. Their ingredient list could focus the search for life elsewhere in the universe by pointing out the most likely conditions -- planetary versions of mixing techniques, oven temperatures and baking times -- for the recipes to come together.
Published Precisely arranging nanoparticles
(via sciencedaily.com) In the incredibly small world of molecules, the elementary building blocks -- the atoms -- join together in a very regular pattern. In contrast, in the macroscopic world with its larger particles, there is much greater disorder when particles connect. A research team has now succeeded in achieving the same precise arrangement of atoms shown in molecules, but using nanometer-sized particles, known as 'plasmonic molecules' -- combinations of nanoscale metallic structures that have unique properties.
Published Combustion powers bug-sized robots to leap, lift and race
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion and can outrace, outlift, outflex and outleap its electric-driven competitors.
Published Cheap and efficient catalyst could boost renewable energy storage
(via sciencedaily.com) Storing renewable energy as hydrogen could soon become much easier thanks to a new catalyst based on single atoms of platinum.
Published Engineers grow full wafers of high-performing 2D semiconductor that integrates with state-of-the-art chips
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have grown a high-performing 2D semiconductor to a full-size, industrial-scale wafer. In addition, the semiconductor material, indium selenide (InSe), can be deposited at temperatures low enough to integrate with a silicon chip.
Published Scientists develop method to detect deadly infectious diseases
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have developed a way of detecting the early onset of deadly infectious diseases using a test so ultrasensitive that it could someday revolutionize medical approaches to epidemics. The test is an electronic sensor contained within a computer chip. It employs nanoballs -- microscopic spherical clumps made of tinier particles of genetic material -- and combines that technology with advanced electronics.
Published Crucial third clue to finding new diamond deposits
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers studying diamond-rich rocks from Western Australia's Argyle volcano have identified the missing third key ingredient needed to bring valuable pink diamonds to the Earth's surface where they can be mined, which could greatly help in the global hunt for new deposits.
Published Assessing unintended consequences in AI-based neurosurgical training
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study shows that human instruction is still necessary to detect and compensate for unintended, and sometimes negative, changes in neurosurgeon behavior after virtual reality AI training. This finding has implications for other fields of training.