Heating

Concrete is pretty useful, which is why it’s the most widely used construction material in the world. Now, engineers have made it even more useful, creating concrete that can conduct electricity and produce heat, by mixing in nanocarbon black.

In order to stay warm on frigid winter days, small birds may do more than just fluff up their feathers. According to new research, they're actually able to make their blood run hotter, creating a sort of central heating system.

Nobody likes having cold hands while cycling, which is why heated handlebar grips do exist … but what if you prefer your existing fair-weather grips? Well, that's where the Polar Plug system is designed to come in.

A new study led by researchers from University College London suggests that combining traditional chemotherapy with an experimental therapy that uses magnetic nanoparticles to heat tumor cells could significantly enhance the efficacy of both treatments.

When a rope is heated – either by friction or by fire – it may lose its structural integrity, subsequently breaking when put under load. A new surface coating, however, could cause ropes to change color if they've been overheated, providing a warning to users.

While having a hot lunch certainly is nice, it's not always possible if you don't have access to an electrical outlet or a microwave oven. That's where the Dutch-designed Heatbox comes in, as it uses an integrated battery to steam-heat your food.

Researchers at Lancaster University have developed a new material that can store energy for months, and potentially years, at a time. The material can be activated by light, and then release the pent-up energy on demand in the form of heat.

Astronomers at Ohio State University have taken the mean temperature of cosmic gas at different distances and ages, and found that it’s roughly 10 times hotter today than it was 10 billion years ago, thanks to the evolution of galaxies and clusters.

Researchers have developed a new white paint that can reflect over 95 percent of sunlight, which can cool the surface even lower than the ambient temperature. Painted on a building, the new paint could help cut cooling costs and energy use.

In summer months sunlight comes with an unwanted side order of heat. Now, researchers have developed windows that can change color automatically when heated by sunlight, to keep buildings cool – and to top it off, they’re solar panels as well.

Making every micrometer count is a key consideration for designers and engineers working on modern smartphones, and a new nanometer-thick form of graphite that helps keep electronic devices cool could free up some valuable space.

A team of material scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles is reporting a major advance in the area of reflective coatings for buildings, producing a new kind of super white paint that reflects almost all incoming radiation from Sun.