Global Energy News (news-and-events/news)

Physicists measured how readily a current of electron pairs flows through 'magic-angle' graphene, a major step toward understanding how this unusual material superconducts. By determining how readily electron pairs flow through this material, scientists have taken a big step toward understanding its remarkable properties.

Researchers have revealed novel sequence-structure-property relationships for customizing engineered living materials (ELMs), enabling more precise control over their structure and how they respond to deformation forces like stretching or compression.

New research shows grain yields critical to India's food security are dragged down 10% or more in many parts of the country by nitrogen dioxide pollution from power stations that run on coal. Economic losses from crop damages exceed $800 million per year.

Combining two semiconductor thin films into a tandem solar cell can achieve high efficiencies with a minimal environmental footprint. Teams have now presented a CIGS-perovskite tandem cell that sets a new world record with an efficiency of 24.6%, certified by an independent body.

Running out of gas in a remote area far from a gas station is every driver's worst nightmare. A similar stressor, known as "range anxiety," exists for owners of electric vehicles who worry about how far their EV's can drive without running out of battery. As EVs become more common on roadways -- annual EV sales are estimated to reach 7.2 million by 2030 -- innovative new methods are being developed to more easily charge them.

Engineers took on the well-known battery challenge of degradation in a real-world technology that many of us use daily: wireless earbuds.

A research team has developed a novel multidimensional sampling theory to overcome the limitations of flat optics. The study not only identifies the constraints of conventional sampling theories in metasurface design but also presents an innovative anti-aliasing strategy that significantly enhances optical performance.

Photosynthesis -- mainly carried out by plants -- is based on a remarkably efficient energy conversion process. To generate chemical energy, sunlight must first be captured and transported further. This happens practically loss-free and extremely quickly. A new study shows that quantum mechanical effects play a key role in this process.

Physicists have achieved a breakthrough in data processing by employing an 'inverse-design' approach. This method allows algorithms to configure a system based on desired functions, bypassing manual design and complex simulations. The result is a smart 'universal' device that uses spin waves ('magnons') to perform multiple data processing tasks with exceptional energy efficiency. This innovation marks a transformative advance in unconventional computing, with significant potential for next-generation telecommunications, computing, and neuromorphic systems.

Synthetic biologists have developed a prototype for an innovative biosensor that can detect rare earth elements and be modified for a range of other applications.

A research team presents an AI assessor for Hall-effect ion thrusters, the engines of satellites and space probes.

Recyclers, battery manufacturers, and electric vehicle manufacturers must work together to revolutionize lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling processes to meet ever-growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems.

An international team of scientists have modelled formation and evolution of strongest magnetic fields in the Universe.

Advances in nanotechnology may provide solutions to oil spill cleanups in coastal regions that are more effective, safer and work much faster than current methods, according to a new paper. The paper synthesizes, reviews and analyzes between 40 and 50 studies on the subject to provide a big-picture look of the status of nanotechnologies in coastal oil spill response. The researchers also present their own suggestions and identifying research gaps between using nanomaterials in the lab and how they can be used in real-world applications.

Researchers develop machine learning tools that screen for co-morbid anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder using acoustic voice signals. The team spoke to participants with and without co-morbid AD/MDD and recorded them using a secure telehealth platform. The participants were given a semantic verbal fluency test, in which they were required to name as many animals as possible within a time limit. The team extracted acoustic and phonemic features from the recordings and applied machine learning technique to distinguish subjects with and without comorbid AD/MDD. The results confirmed that a one-minute semantic VFT can be reliably used to screen for AD/MDD.

Researchers have developed a new portable tool that could improve how firefighters douse fires, making the process more efficient and far less risky.

Researchers have used mathematical analysis tools to study the effect of classical music on a fetal heartbeat and identify patterns in heart rate variability. They recruited 36 pregnant women and played two classical pieces for their fetuses. By attaching external heart rate monitors, the researchers could measure the fetal heart rate response to both songs, and by employing nonlinear recurrence quantification analysis, they could identify changes in heart rate variability during and after the music was played. They found evidence music can calm fetal heart rates, potentially providing developmental benefits.

A groundbreaking study on the freezing of water droplets suspended in air sheds light on a key process in Earth's water cycle: the transformation of supercooled water into ice.

A new platform for studying neuroinflammatory diseases, utilizing advanced 3D bioprinting technology has been developed.

Seven years ago, researchers caught an unexpected phenomenon on film: A pool of red dye that somehow 'knew' how to solve a maze filled with milk. Propelled forward by a couple drops of soap, it unerringly found its way, avoiding dead ends and even making 90 degree turns in its path toward the exit.