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Researchers have developed a new catalyst design capable of pushing the projected fuel cell catalyst lifespans to 200,000 hours. The research marks a significant step toward the widespread adoption of fuel cell technology in heavy-duty vehicles, such as long-haul tractor trailers. While platinum-alloy catalysts have historically delivered superior chemical reactions, the alloying elements leach out over time, diminishing catalytic performance. The degradation is further accelerated by the demanding voltage cycles required to power heavy-duty vehicles. To address this challenge, the team has engineered a durable catalyst architecture with a novel design that shields platinum from the degradation typically observed in alloy systems.

Conflicting findings in environmental epidemiology have long stalled consensus on the health effects of toxic chemicals. A new study suggests that one major reason for these inconsistencies may be the limited exposure ranges in individual studies -- leading to underpowered results and unclear conclusions.

BU researchers develop a brain-inspired algorithm that can help people with hearing loss pick out conversations in noisy, crowded spaces.

Photo: Supreme Court, Open Gov License v3.0 Former Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Lady Arden of Heswall (Girton College) has been nominated to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Cambridge. Lady Arden, alongside seven other distinguished individuals, is due to be admitted to her honorary degree at a special Congregation in the Senate-House on Wednesday 25 June. The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, will preside and will be attended by staff, students and alumni as well as special guests. Lady Arden shared: "I am deeply honoured by this announcement. Girton provided me with a firm foundation for commitment to the rule of law and fearless perseverance with a legal career, which was needed because at the time I started there were few women. There are now more women lawyers, and this award celebrates all their achievements too." An outstanding lawyer and judge, Mary Arden studied at Girton College, of which she is an Honorary Fellow, then at the Harvard Law School. Called to the Bar in 1971 and becoming a Queen's Counsel in 1986, she was appointed to the High Court Bench and made a DBE in 1993, being the first woman assigned to the Chancery Division. Subsequently promoted to the Court of Appeal and made a Privy Counsellor, she joined the Supreme Court from 2018 to 2022, with the title of Lady Arden of Heswall. A former Chair of the Law Commission, the engagement with law reform encouraged her to write on the law and its response to social change. Having also chaired the Judges' Working Party on Constitutional Reform and taken a leading role in international judicial relations, she has sat as a member of international courts and is a member of the UK Committee on Standards in Public Life.

The Exploring Law Conference (fomerly known as the Cambridge Sixth Form Law Conference) held at the Faculty of Law on 7-10 April marked the 50th anniversary of the running of the event. The Conference was established "to give year 12 students from all backgrounds the opportunity to accurately experience what studying law...

A recent study has unraveled some of the secrets concealed within the entangled web of quantum systems.

Researchers found a strategy to create catalysts that make the production of hydrogen for clean fuel more efficient and affordable.

Historically, small molecule drugs have been precisely designed down to the atomic scale. Considering their relatively large complex structures, nanomedicines have lagged behind. Researchers argue this precise control should be applied to optimize new nanomedicines.

Researchers have developed a new therapy that can be injected intravenously right after a heart attack to promote healing and prevent heart failure. The therapy both prompts the immune system to encourage tissue repair and promotes survival of heart muscle cells after a heart attack. Researchers tested the therapy in rats and showed that it is effective up to five weeks after injection.

Many products in the modern world are in some way fabricated using computer numerical control (CNC) machines, which use computers to automate machine operations in manufacturing. While simple in concept, the ways to instruct these machines is in reality often complex. A team of researchers has devised a system to demonstrate how to mitigate some of this complexity.

Researchers have long recognized that quantum communication systems would transmit quantum information more faithfully and be impervious to certain forms of error if nonlinear optical processes were used. However, past efforts at incorporating such processes could not operate with the extremely low light levels required for quantum communication.

Researchers have developed a novel high-energy particle detection instrumentation approach that leverages the power of quantum sensors -- devices capable of precisely detecting single particles.

A study describes a new method of recycling silicone waste (caulk, sealants, gels, adhesives, cosmetics, etc.). It has the potential to significantly reduce the sector's environmental impacts. This is the first universal recycling process that brings any type of used silicone material back to an earlier state in its life cycle where each molecule has only one silicon atom. And there is no need for the raw materials currently used to design new silicones. Moreover, since it is chemical and not mechanical recycling, the reuse of the material can be carried out infinitely.

Combining two different kinds of signals could help engineers build prosthetic limbs that better reproduce natural movements, according to a new study. A combination of electromyography and force myography is more accurate at predicting hand movements than either method by itself.

An international team has explored how in future aerial robots could process construction materials precisely in the air -- an approach with great potential for difficult-to-access locations or work at great heights. The flying robots are not intended to replace existing systems on the ground, but rather to complement them in a targeted manner for repairs or in disaster areas, for instance.

When bottom trawls are dragged across the seafloor, they stir up sediments. This not only releases previously stored organic carbon, but also intensifies the oxidation of pyrite, a mineral present in marine sediments, leading to additional emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Plant-based seafood alternatives should have similar flavors, textures and nutritional content to the foods they mimic. And recreating the properties of fried calamari rings, which have a neutral flavor and a firm, chewy texture after being cooked, has been a challenge. Building off previous research, a team describes successfully using plant-based ingredients to mimic calamari that matches the real seafood's characteristic softness and elasticity.

Inspired by the movements of a tiny parasitic worm, engineers have created a 5-inch soft robot that can jump as high as a basketball hoop. Their device, a silicone rod with a carbon-fiber spine, can leap 10 feet high even though it doesn't have legs. The researchers made it after watching high-speed video of nematodes pinching themselves into odd shapes to fling themselves forward and backward.

Using their novel FRESH 3D bioprinting technique, which allows for printing of soft living cells and tissues, a lab has built a tissue model entirely out of collagen.

The iCares bandage uses innovative microfluidic components, sensors, and machine learning to sample and analyze wounds and provide data to help patients and caregivers make treatment decisions.