Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

New nano-device could mean your run could power your electrical wearables      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Your early morning run could soon help harvest enough electricity to power your wearable devices, thanks to new nanotechnology.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Computer Science: General Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

DNA tech offers both data storage and computing functions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have demonstrated a technology capable of a suite of data storage and computing functions -- repeatedly storing, retrieving, computing, erasing or rewriting data -- that uses DNA rather than conventional electronics. Previous DNA data storage and computing technologies could complete some but not all of these tasks.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature
Published

From pets to pests: How domestic rabbits survive the wilderness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

How do rabbits go from fluffy pets to marauding invaders? Rabbits have colonized countries worldwide, often with dire economic and ecological consequences, but their secret has until now been a mystery. Biologists sequenced the genomes of nearly 300 rabbits from across three continents to unveil the key genetic changes that make these animals master colonizers.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

Honey bees may play key role in spreading viruses to wild bumblebees      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Honey bees may play a role in increasing virus levels in wild bumble bees each spring, according to researchers who analyzed seasonal trends of parasite and virus transmission in bees.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Molecular wires with a twist      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed molecular wires with periodic twists. By controlling the lengths of regions between twists, the electrical conductivity of individual polymer chains can be enhanced. This work may lead to novel organic electronics or single-molecule wires.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

'Masters of shape-shifting': How darkling beetles conquered the world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Large-scale genomic analysis of darkling beetles, a hyper-diverse insect group of more than 30,000 species worldwide, rolls back the curtain on a 150-million-year evolutionary tale of one of Earth's most ecologically important yet inconspicuous creatures, according to new research.

Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science
Published

Will climate change lead to the extinction of a newly discovered tarantula species?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists have discovered a new species of tarantula from the Madrean Sky Island biodiversity hotspot in southeastern Arizona. This remarkable new species is endemic to the Chiricahua Mountains and is predominately distributed in mid- to high-elevation forests, which are increasingly threatened due to climate change.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: General
Published

Morphable materials: Researchers coax nanoparticles to reconfigure themselves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A view into how nanoscale building blocks can rearrange into different organized structures on command is now possible with an approach that combines an electron microscope, a small sample holder with microscopic channels, and computer simulations, according to a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Invasive Species
Published

The bee's knees: New tests created to find fake honey      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed new ways to detect sugar syrup adulteration in honey, paving the way for fast and accurate tests to discover fake products.

Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Revolutionizing thermoelectric technology: Hourglass-shaped materials achieve a 360% efficiency boost      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking technology has been unveiled that improves the efficiency of thermoelectric materials, which are key in converting waste heat into electricity, by altering their geometry to resemble an hourglass. Unlike previous research that solely depended on the material properties of thermoelectric substances, this new approach is expected to have widespread applications in thermoelectric power generation.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Batteries Energy: Technology Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Research provides a roadmap for improving electrochemical performance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study expands understanding on how electrons move through the conductive parts of complex fluids found in electrochemical devices such as batteries. This work can help overcome existing knowledge gaps for engineers seeking to improve the performance of these devices.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Quantum Computers Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
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Quantum pumping in molecular junctions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a new theoretical modelling technique that could potentially be used in the development of switches or amplifiers in molecular electronics.

Engineering: Nanotechnology Offbeat: General Physics: General Physics: Optics Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Physicists throw world's smallest disco party      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new milestone has been set for levitated optomechanics as a group of scientists observed the Berry phase of electron spins in nano-sized diamonds levitated in vacuum.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Scientists create material that can take the temperature of nanoscale objects      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists recently discovered a one-dimensional nanoscale material whose color changes as temperature changes.

Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Historic map reveals how mussel farm is bringing shellfish reefs back to the seabed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New analysis has shown that the UK's first large scale offshore mussel farm might in fact serve as a form of restoration rather than creating habitats never seen in the area before. A map dating from 1871 shows a large area of the seabed -- stretching from Torquay in the west and beyond Lyme Regis to the east -- as being home to 'rich shell beds'. The region has now been transformed from muddy sediment with limited biodiversity into reefs, which research has shown have the potential to benefit a number of commercial fish and crustacean species and the ecosystem more generally.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Exploring the structures of xenon-containing crystallites      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Noble gases have a reputation for being unreactive, inert elements, but more than 60 years ago Neil Bartlett demonstrated the first way to bond xenon. He created XePtF6, an orange-yellow solid. Because it's difficult to grow sufficiently large crystals that contain noble gases, some of their structures -- and therefore functions -- remain elusive. Now, researchers have successfully examined tiny crystallites of noble gas compounds. They report structures of multiple xenon compounds.

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

Giant fossil seeds from Borneo record ancient plant migration      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ancient fossil beans about the size of modern limes, and among the largest seeds in the fossil record, may provide new insight into the evolution of today's diverse Southeast Asian and Australian rainforests, according to researchers who identified the plants.