Science

We've already heard about hoses that get wrapped around existing hot water pipes, using heat radiated from the pipe to heat water inside the hose. A new wrap-around device, however, uses that same pipe-heat to generate electricity.

Perovskite solar cells have come a long way in a short time, but there’s still room for improvement. Engineers have now added a layer of quantum dots to the recipe, resulting in a more stable solar cell with near-record efficiency.

For quantum batteries, the bigger the battery, the faster it charges. For the first time, team of scientists has now demonstrated the quantum mechanical principle of superabsorption that underpins quantum batteries in a proof-of-concept device.

New research in old mice undergoing an increasingly demanding fitness regime has shown how exercise can lead to rejuvenated skeletal muscle, with the tissue showing characteristics of mice eight weeks younger.

An experimental drug under investigation as a potential cancer treatment has shown exciting potential in an entirely unrelated field of medicine, with scientists finding it confers benefits for weight loss and metabolic health in mice.

Scientists have developed an advanced new brain sensor that promises to take the safety and efficiency of cancer and epilepsy treatment into new terrain, by recording electrical signals in record-breaking resolution.

After a 30-day journey, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached its destination at the Lagrange 2 point about one million miles from Earth. From this location the telescope can continually face interstellar space with the Sun and Earth behind it.

A new company has entered the commercial space race. Startup Radian Aerospace has emerged from stealth to announce it has secured US$27.5 million in seed funding to develop a single-stage to orbit (SSTO) spaceplane designed to lift and land horizontally.

NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected high amounts of an unexpected form of carbon on Mars. That might not sound too exciting, but the kicker is that here on Earth, this chemical signature is usually associated with life.

By carefully tinkering with the chemical structure of a common household plastic, scientists have managed to upcycle it into a reusable adhesive with unique properties, billing it as one of the toughest materials known to science.

Researchers have produced a new form of plastic with "unprecedented" mechanical properties that are maintained throughout standard recycling processes, and managed to do so using sugar-derived materials as the starting point.

As useful as steel is, its main weakness may be its vulnerability to corrosion. Researchers in Korea have now developed a new alloy coating that boosts steel’s resistance to rust, by adding a simple extra step in the surface treatment.

How do whales gulp down huge amounts of water and krill without drowning themselves with every mouthful? Researchers have now discovered an “oral plug” in the throats of some species that blocks either their airways or esophagus as needed.

German scientists have announced the discovery of what is claimed to be the world's largest fish breeding area known to date. Described as a globally unique ecosystem, it consists of tens of millions of icefish nests on the Antarctic sea floor.

The DNA mutations that drive evolution are generally thought to be random, but a new study suggests otherwise. Comparing the genomes of plants grown in a lab, scientists found mutations are far less likely to occur in genes essential for survival.

The environmental impacts of iceberg A-68 are still being assessed. A new study has calculated that the largest chunk, A-68A, released billions of tonnes of freshwater into the sea near a marine nature reserve, with untold effects on the ecosystem.

Manufacturing of chemicals has grown so rapidly that governments are now unable to assess, let alone control the risks to Earth's ecosystems, taking us beyond a safe "planetary boundary" and endangering the planet's stability.

A new method quickly converts carbon dioxide into solid carbon, which can be stored indefinitely or turned into useful materials. The technology works by bubbling CO2 up through a tube of liquid metal, and could be used at the source of emissions.

The universe is governed by two sets of seemingly incompatible laws of physics – classical and quantum physics. MIT physicists have now observed the moment atoms switch from one to the other, as they form intriguing “quantum tornadoes.”

Physicists at CERN have discovered that antimatter falls down. It sounds obvious, but scientists hadn’t yet been able to confirm that it responds to gravity in the same way as regular matter does. A new experiment provides the best answer so far.

A new model by a team of scientists led by Yale University suggests that the ever elusive dark matter that has so far escaped the detection of scientists may be trapped inside primordial black holes left over after the Big Bang.

Scientists have developed an advanced new type of humidity sensor inspired by camel noses that is capable of detecting low levels of water molecules in the air, giving it the potential to help find water sources in extreme environments.

Indium is one of the rarest metals on Earth, but it’s a key ingredient in ubiquitous electronic devices. Engineers have demonstrated a way to swap indium for graphene, which is made from common carbon, while retaining the same electronic properties.

LG Display has announced the development of a new TV panel technology called OLED EX that's claimed to boost brightness by up to 30 percent compared to other OLED technologies for improved picture quality on big-screen TVs.

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.