Tech
Researchers have created a database of measurements from existing global power grid systems that will help develop new power systems capable of meeting changing demands, such as the move towards renewable energy sources.
The study, published in Nature Communications, is the first step towards a more collaborative approach to energy research. It is hoped the publicly available data can be used worldwide to design and test new energy concepts in response to current and future challenges.
KAIST researchers have synthesized a collection of nanoparticles, known as carbon dots, capable of emitting multiple wavelengths of light from a single particle. Additionally, the team discovered that the dispersion of the carbon dots, or the interparticle distance between each dot, influences the properties of the light the carbon dots emit. The discovery will allow researchers to understand how to control these carbon dots and create new, environmentally responsible displays, lighting, and sensing technology.
Despite its vanishingly tiny mass, the existence of the axion, once proven, may point to new physics beyond the Standard Model. Born to explain a fundamental symmetry problem in the strong nuclear force associated with the matter-antimatter imbalance in our Universe, this hypothetical particle also makes an attractive dark matter candidate. Though axions would exist in vast enough numbers to be able to account for the "missing" mass from the Universe, the search for this dark matter has been quite challenging so far.
Bioengineers have found why proteins that are designed from scratch tend to be more tolerant to high temperatures than proteins found in nature.
Natural proteins with high 'thermostability' are prized for their wide range of applications, from baking and paper-making to chemical production. Efforts to enhance protein thermostability--and to discover the principles behind this--is one of the hottest topics in biotech.
In ecology, millions of species interact in billions of different ways between them and with their environment. Ecosystems often seem chaotic, or at least overwhelming for someone trying to understand them and make predictions for the future.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are able to detect patterns and predict outcomes in ways that often resemble human reasoning. They pave the way to increasingly powerful cooperation between humans and computers.
A team led by Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering and Environment Prof. ZHAO Tianshou, Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of HKUST Energy Institute, has proposed a novel cathode design concept for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery that substantially improves the performance of this kind of promising next-generation battery.
Optical tweezers are a rapidly growing technology, and have opened up a wide variety of research applications in recent years. The devices operate by trapping particles at the focal points of tightly focused laser beams, allowing researchers to manipulate the objects without any physical contact. So far, optical tweezers have been used to confine objects just micrometres across - yet there is now a growing desire amongst researchers to extend the technology to nanometre-scale particles.
CANYON COUNTRY, CA - The Protein Society is thrilled to announce the appointment of John Kuriyan, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley as Editor-in-Chief of Protein Science, effective January 1, 2022. He will succeed outgoing editor Dr. Brian Matthews, who has served in this role since 2005 and provided continuous outstanding service to our society and the broader community.
Researchers from the Departments of Cell Biology and Medical Physiology at the University of Seville have identified that a high expression of the human protein VRK1 is associated with tumour aggressiveness and low survival among neuroblastoma patients. Aggressive neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid childhood cancers and causes disproportionately high mortality in affected children.
Newly developed chemical substances or cosmetics can be distributed only after passing the risk assessment in human and environment. The developed product distribution is prohibited if it cannot pass the safety assessment for endocrine disruption, such as bisphenol A (BPA), removed from the market. The toxicity assessment of EDCs in the environmental aspect generally requires OECD testing on three species: Daphnia pulex, green algae, and zebrafish. Especially zebrafish is that similar to more than 90% human genes.
RICHLAND, Wash. - A promising technology under development by major battery makers has become even more attractive, thanks to researchers who have taken an unprecedented look at one key barrier to better, longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) scientists have developed a new model for assessing kidney function in cancer patients as part of an international collaboration that involved contributions from the United Kingdom and Sweden. The model gives clinicians a new tool to aid dose determinations for chemotherapy to treat a patient's disease while limiting the drugs' harmful effects.
The global COVID-19 lockdowns caused fossil carbon dioxide emissions to decline by an estimated 2.4 billion tonnes in 2020 - a record drop according to researchers at Future Earth's Global Carbon Project.
The fall is considerably larger than previous significant decreases - 0.5 (in 1981 and 2009), 0.7 (1992), and 0.9 (1945) billion tonnes of CO2 (GtCO2). It means that in 2020 fossil CO2 emissions are predicted to be approximately 34 GtCO2, 7% lower than in 2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for rapid and accurate nucleic acid detection at the point of care. To meet this need, scientists from the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology have developed a novel amplification-free rapid SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection platform based on hybrid capture fluorescence immunoassay (HC-FIA).
New Curtin University-led research has shown the formation of bubbles on electrodes, usually thought to be a hindrance, can be beneficial, with deliberately added bubbles, or oil droplets, able to accelerate processes such as the removal of pollutants such as hydrocarbons from contaminated water and the production of chlorine.
Dr Simone Ciampi, from Curtin's School of Molecular Life Sciences, explained many industrial processes are electrochemical, meaning the desired chemical reaction to create an end product is assisted by the flow of electrical currents.