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Categories: Biology: Botany, Energy: Technology
Published The secret to longer lasting batteries might be in how soap works
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers show that one of the most promising substances for designing longer lasting lithium batteries form micelle-like structures like they do in soap.
Published Deep decarbonization scenarios reveal importance of accelerating zero-emission vehicle adoption
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The rapid adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles will move the nation close to an 80% or more drop in transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from the 2019 level according to researchers.
Published Lightening the load: Researchers develop autonomous electrochemistry robot
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed an automated laboratory robot to run complex electrochemical experiments and analyze data. The Electrolab will be used to explore next-generation energy storage materials and chemical reactions that promote alternative and sustainable energy.
Published The fascinating relationship between mice and a plant that flowers once a century in terms of seed dispersal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered several factors that affect field mouse behavior using seeds from dwarf bamboo plants, a plant that flowers once in a century. Their findings not only suggest the previously underappreciated role of mice in the forest ecosystem, but also show that they store small sasa seeds for later use. These challenge a previously held model of mouse behavior.
Published Plants' ingenious defense against mutational damage
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source How do plants deal with mutations in their 'power stations'? By exploiting randomness to create diversity, say researchers.
Published Electric vehicles are driven less than gas cars
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source One of the largest studies to date finds the current generation of EV owners drive far fewer miles than owners of gas vehicles, translating to lower emissions savings from EVs.
Published Decarbonizing light-duty transportation in the United States: Study reveals strategies to achieve goal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers found that meeting greenhouse gas emissions goals for light-duty vehicles, which are passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks, is possible, but not just by increasing electric vehicle sales.
Published Large herbivores such as elephants, bison and moose contribute to tree diversity
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using global satellite data, a research team has mapped the tree cover of the world's protected areas. The study shows that regions with abundant large herbivores in many settings have a more variable tree cover, which is expected to benefit biodiversity overall.
Published The kids aren't alright: Saplings reveal how changing climate may undermine forests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers studied how young trees respond to a hotter, drier climate. Their findings can help shape forest management policy and our understanding of how landscapes will change.
Published To restore ecosystems, think about thwarting hungry herbivores
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Re-establishing plantings of trees, grasses and other vegetation is essential for restoring degraded ecosystems, but a new survey of almost 2,600 restoration projects from nearly every type of ecosystem on Earth finds that most projects fail to recognize and control one of the new plants' chief threats: hungry critters that eat plants.
Published Researchers develop solid-state thermal transistor for better heat management
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has unveiled a first-of-its-kind stable and fully solid-state thermal transistor that uses an electric field to control a semiconductor device's heat movement. The group's study details how the device works and its potential applications. With top speed and performance, the transistor could open new frontiers in heat management of computer chips through an atomic-level design and molecular engineering. The advance could also further the understanding of how heat is regulated in the human body.
Published Making electric vehicles last
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the realm of electric vehicles, powered by stored electric energy, the key lies in rechargeable batteries capable of enduring multiple charge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries have been the poster child for this application. However, due to limitations in energy storage capacity and other associated challenges, the focus has shifted to an intriguing alternative known as dual-ion batteries (DIBs).
Published Self-powered microbial fuel cell biosensor for monitoring organic freshwater pollution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Biodegradable waste from plant and animal sources released into freshwater ecosystems is a significant environmental concern. Nonetheless, current methods for assessing water quality seem more or less impractical due to their complexity and high costs. In a promising development, a team of researchers has successfully constructed a self-sustaining and buoyant biosensor using inexpensive carbon-based materials for monitoring water quality at the inlets of freshwater lakes and rivers.
Published Two million European households could abandon the electrical grid by 2050
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers report that 53% of European freestanding homes could have supplied all their own energy needs in 2020 using only local rooftop solar radiation, and this technical feasibility could increase to 75% in 2050. The study shows that there is no economic advantage for individual households to be fully self-sufficient under current or future conditions, though in some cases the costs are on par with remaining on-grid. The researchers estimate that self-sufficiency will be economically feasible for 5% (two million) of Europe's 41 million freestanding single-family homes in 2050, if households are willing to pay up to 50% more than the cost of remaining fully grid dependent.
Published How sunflowers see the sun
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Sunflowers famously turn their faces to follow the sun as it crosses the sky. But how do sunflowers 'see' the sun to follow it? Plant biologists show that they use a different, novel mechanism from that previously thought.
Published Efficient biohybrid batteries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Formic acid, which can be produced electrochemically from carbon dioxide, is a promising energy carrier. A research team has now developed a fast-charging hybrid battery system that combines the electrochemical generation of formic acid as an energy carrier with a microbial fuel cell. This novel, fast-charging biohybrid battery system can be used to monitor the toxicity of drinking water, just one of many potential future applications.
Published How common desert shrub efficiently harvests water from the air
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of scientists has revealed the mechanism a desert plant native to the United Arab Emirates uses to capture moisture from the desert air in order to survive.
Published Australasia's hidden pollination crisis could threaten biodiversity and food security
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australasia's hidden pollination crisis, mirroring global threats, could pose a significant risk to regional biodiversity and food security, new research has found.
Published Wireless device makes magnetism appear in non-magnetic materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have succeeded in bringing wireless technology to the fundamental level of magnetic devices. The emergence and control of magnetic properties in cobalt nitride layers (initially non-magnetic) by voltage, without connecting the sample to electrical wiring, represents a paradigm shift that can facilitate the creation of magnetic nanorobots for biomedicine and computing systems where basic information management processes do not require wiring.
Published New battery technology could lead to safer, high-energy electric vehicles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers studying how lithium batteries fail have developed a new technology that could enable next-generation electric vehicles (EVs) and other devices that are less prone to battery fires while increasing energy storage.