Science
The latest in science news, from the depths of space to the quantum realm.
New charging approach could extend battery life by at least 20%
November 07, 2022
The many cells that make up a lithium battery pack are not all equal; some will degrade and die faster than others. New research out of Stanford has found that the whole battery can live much longer if each cell gets an individual charging treatment.
Energy
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TAE makes world-first readings of magnetically-confined H-B fusion
February 28, 2023Most current fusion power projects require tritium – an incredibly scarce and problematic fuel. TAE is targeting cheaper, safer hydrogen-boron (H-B) fusion, and it's just announced a world-first measurement of H-B fusion in magnetically confined plasma. -
GE installs world's first spiral-welded wind turbine tower
February 26, 2023Denver's Keystone Tower Systems says it can cut the cost of wind energy with tech borrowed from pipemaking. It uses spiral welding techniques to roll sheet steel into huge turbine towers on-site, stronger, faster and cheaper than current techniques. -
Silver mirror triples efficiency of perovskite solar cells
February 19, 2023Perovskites are one of the most promising new materials for solar cell technology. Now engineers at the University of Rochester have developed a way to more than triple the material’s efficiency by adding a layer of reflective silver underneath it.
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Medical
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World first reveals brain links between high blood pressure and dementia
March 28, 2023Evidence has been mounting that high blood pressure can clear a path to dementia. Now, for the first time, researchers have identified the nine areas of the brain that show how, opening the door to potentially preventing related cognitive decline. -
Sugar-powered teabag-like implant successfully manages type 1 diabetes
March 28, 2023This internal fuel cell powered by excess glucose in the blood works in tandem with engineered beta cells that can produce and secrete insulin on command. It could spell a new level of autonomy in treatment for type 1 diabetes sufferers. -
Light therapy could slow heart aging and fend off deadly disease
March 27, 2023One in five older Americans have been diagnosed with heart disease, and age-related cardiovascular decline is the biggest killer of adults over 65. Now, further research into light therapy opens the door to staving off this deadly condition.
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Space
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James Webb sheds more light on exoplanets’ ability to support life
March 28, 2023Researchers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to measure the temperature of the innermost planet in the TRAPPIST-1 system, shedding more light on the ability of planets like these to support life. -
Damaged Soyuz spacecraft returns to Earth without crew
March 28, 2023A damaged Soyuz space capsule returned from the International Space Station (ISS) today without a crew. At 7:46 am EDT (5:46 pm local time), the descent module of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft made an automated parachute ground landing in Kazakhstan. -
World's first 3D-printed space rocket lifts off
March 23, 2023It was a glass half-full situation on March 22, 2023 as Relativity Space carried out the first successful launch of an almost entirely 3D-printed rocket from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 11:23 pm EDT.
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Materials
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Origami-inspired technique used to created folded glass objects
March 28, 2023Most three-dimensional glass objects are produced via either a molding, blowing or 3D-printing process. Chinese scientists, however, have devised a technique of folding such items into shape – and it has some key advantages over other methods. -
Factory-sized facility being built to produce carbon-negative concrete
March 28, 2023Concrete has been used in construction for thousands of years, it's everywhere. But its production is a major contributor to global carbon emissions. A project spun out of VTT Finland is looking to make concrete manufacture carbon negative. -
Tomato waste used for BPA-free food can coating
March 20, 2023You may have heard how the BPA (bisphenol A) in some food-packaging plastics has been linked to various health problems. Scientists are thus developing a more innocuous alternative, and it's made from tomato waste which would otherwise be discarded.
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Biology
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Robotic beehive provides vital life support to chilly honeybees
March 23, 2023In a win for both bees and ecologists, a team of roboticists and biologists has developed a robotic honeycomb that both keeps the bees toasty during cold snaps and allows them to be studied unobtrusively. -
DREAM complex could hold key to fighting cancer and living longer
March 23, 2023Research which shows why DNA is repaired in certain cells but not in others could help ward off the ravages of aging, and diseases including cancer. It all hinges on a protein group called the DREAM complex. -
Poor sense of direction? Blame your brain compass
March 23, 2023You might wonder what mice on a stage inside a 360-degree virtual-reality dome might have to do with dementia, but studying how the brain makes sense of changing visual cues could lead to better understanding of why people with cognitive loss feel lost.
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Environment
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Protecting and restoring wildlife offers a new climate solution
March 28, 2023A new study has found that sea and land wildlife are the "missing link" between biodiversity and climate. By protecting and restoring wildlife we can enhance natural carbon capture mechanisms and reduce climate change. -
Widening of "doomsday glacier's" main ice stream would accelerate ice loss
March 27, 2023A new study by Stanford University suggests that an 80-mile-wide (130-km) stream of ice in the heart of Antarctica's "doomsday glacier" may expand over the next 20 years, which would increase its ice loss and contribute to sea level rises. -
Antarctic snowfalls found to affect short-term sea level rises
March 23, 2023Based on a 25-year record of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet, a team of scientists led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have shown that changes in snowfall over Antarctica can have significant short-term effects on global sea level rises.
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Physics
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Startling new evidence suggests black holes drive expansion of universe
February 19, 2023A groundbreaking new study could answer a perplexing astrophysics mystery without complicating our current models. Physicists suggest that black holes could contain a strange form of energy that’s accelerating the expansion of the universe. -
Detailed new map of all matter in the universe hints at something missing
February 07, 2023Astronomers have put together one of the most comprehensive maps of all the matter in the universe. The huge undertaking hints at a slightly smoother universe than we thought, suggesting that something might be missing from our models. -
Physicists discover completely new type of quantum entanglement
January 05, 2023Physicists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a completely new type of quantum entanglement, the spooky phenomenon that binds particles across any distance. This allowed scientists to peer inside nuclei in more detail than ever before.
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Electronics
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Meta-display concept could retire LCD panels in big-screen TVs
February 23, 2023A research team from the UK's Nottingham Trent University, the Australian National University and the University of New South Wales Canberra has developed a display prototype that could replace the LCD panels common to many of today's big-screen TVs. -
Software update and tiny chip could turn phones into full-on RFID readers
February 22, 2023RFID tags wirelessly provide information on products or other items, but they can only be read by dedicated portable devices. That may soon change, however, as a tag-integrated chip and a software update could allow smartphones to do the job. -
BIND connector keeps the "stretch" in stretchable electronic devices
February 16, 2023While the field of stretchable electronics does hold a lot of promise, joining the parts of such devices together can be tricky. A new connector is designed to help, as it stretches between the components plus it links them in a matter of seconds.
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Quantum Computing
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Silicon quantum computing surpasses 99% accuracy in three studies
January 19, 2022Three teams of scientists have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing. All three groups demonstrated better than 99 percent accuracy in silicon-based quantum devices, paving the way for practical, scalable, error-free quantum computers. -
IBM unleashes the Eagle, the world's most powerful quantum processor
November 16, 2021IBM has unveiled the Eagle, the world’s most powerful quantum processor. Boasting 127 quantum bits (qubits), the Eagle is a major step towards commercial quantum computers outperforming traditional machines. -
Quantum computing hits the desktop, no cryo-cooling required
September 27, 2021An Australian/German company is developing powerful quantum accelerators the size of graphics cards. They work at room temperature, undercutting and outperforming today's huge, cryo-cooled quantum supercomputers, promising industry-wide disruption.
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