Science

A Texan company promises clean hydrogen at less than US$1/kg, after testing a fascinating new technique in the lab and the field. The idea is to pump specially developed microbes into depleted oil wells, where they'll eat oil and excrete hydrogen.

The Chinese city of Dalian has just switched on a world-leading new energy storage system, expected to supply enough power for up to 200,000 residents each day, with an initial capacity of 400 MWh and output of 100 MW.

The German steel giant is investing $1.9 billion in a hydrogen-powered direct-reduction system that can create high-quality steel without needing the rare, high-grade iron ore required by most green steel processes. This could open the floodgates.

A newly developed, highly sensitive biosensor likened to a “deep surveillance” system has hinted at more accurate ways to diagnose brain cancer, with an ability to detect and pinpoint the location of tumors from less than a drop of blood.

Scientists at Cambridge have identified a protein that plays a key role in cancer metastasis, which not only hints at a new potential treatment but reveals for the first time that this process isn’t unique to cancer, as previously thought.

Scientists studying the brains of so-called “SuperAgers” have discovered a set of significantly enlarged neurons associated with memory that also appeared more resistant to characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease.

Space startup SpinLaunch's kinetic launch system will require payloads to endure 10,000 g and speeds of 5,000 mph (8,000 km/h) and in this regard, the company may have just passed its biggest test yet.

New evidence has emerged in the debate about whether there’s liquid water on Mars. In a study led by the University of Cambridge, scientists examined the topology of Martian ice sheets and found signatures that match subglacial lakes here on Earth.

Texan startup Firefly Aerospace has joined the growing group of orbit-capable space startups, with the successful launch of its Alpha rocket over the weekend, which saw a set of satellites deployed into low-Earth orbit.

In a bid to reduce the environmental burden associated with both the manufacturing and disposal of plastics, scientists have demonstrated a new upcycling technique that turns one common form of it into another.

Last year, engineers at Purdue University used their expertise in materials science to produce the world’s whitest paint, and have now made some tweaks to the recipe and produced a version that is thinner and lighter.

Engineers have developed a new 3D-printed titanium alloy with a unique microstructure that makes it ultra-strong. Not only is it stronger than other forms of titanium, but it has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any 3D-printed metal ever made.

Evolution occurs as species adapt to environmental pressures, and few environments exert pressures like the Chernobyl exclusion zone. A new study shows evolution in action as frogs within the radioactive region are turning blacker than those outside.

Ever wonder how deep-sea fish and other animals are able to survive in an environment where the water pressure would kill us humans? According to a recent study, the secret lies in a chemical that occurs naturally in their cells.

An ecologist from Utah State University is warning one of the world’s largest living things, a colony of genetically identical trees sharing a single root system, is in danger of breaking up into distinct parts, for the first time in its long history.

Early last month, Siemens Gamesa reported that recyclable turbine blades had been successfully installed at the Kaskasi offshore wind farm in the North Sea. Now the company has announced the market availability of an onshore equivalent.

Although there are now a number of systems that capture carbon emissions from smokestacks, many people may still wonder – what is that captured carbon used for? Well, Swiss company On is making shoes out of the stuff.

A new United Nations report has delved into the widening gap between our aspirations in fighting climate change and the reality of the situation, and reinforced the notion that we are very much headed in the wrong direction.

Scientists have developed a way to produce a web of quantum entangled photons using a far more simple setup than usual. The key is a precisely patterned surface 100 times thinner than paper, which could replace a roomful of optical equipment.

University of Oxford physicists have linked two atomic clocks through quantum entanglement for the first time. The feat can help make these clocks so precise that they begin to approach the fundamental limit of precision set by quantum mechanics.

Physicists at the Max Planck Institute have developed an efficient new method to drive the quantum entanglement of photons, and demonstrated it by entangling a record number of photons. The technique could be a boon for quantum computers.

While the Amazon Kindle does simulate the experience of reading a paper book, it doesn't let you hand-write notes onto the pages – at least, not until now. The new Kindle Scribe allows users to do exactly that, utilizing an included stylus.

USB devices are set to become much faster in the near future. The USB Promoter Group has now announced the USB4 Version 2.0 specification, which will double data transmission rates to a blistering 80 Gbps.

Old electronics are tricky to recycle, meaning they clog up landfills while locking valuable metals away. Now scientists have demonstrated printed circuits that can be degraded on demand, returning their materials to reusable forms.

Three 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 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.

An 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.