Hydropower plants that leverage the force of falling water to generate electricity are already an important part of the global energy mix, but a new study suggests they may have much more to offer. Scientists have carried out an analysis of the energy potential of combining these … | Continue reading
French company Nawa technologies says it's already in production on a new electrode design that can radically boost the performance of existing and future battery chemistries, delivering up to 3x the energy density, 10x the power, vastly faster charging and battery lifespans up t … | Continue reading
One of the most persistent scientific mysteries over the past century has been exactly how some organisms seemingly have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Despite several hypotheses, and a large volume of research, there is still no conclusive answer to this myster … | Continue reading
In a move that could lead to new innovations in antibiotic production, the genome of a freeze-dried sample of Sir Alexander Fleming's original mold that led to his discovery of penicillin has been sequenced for the first time. | Continue reading
A new proof of concept study, led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, has demonstrated how speech-analyzing artificial intelligence tools can effectively predict the level of loneliness in older adults. | Continue reading
As the population increasingly moves towards tech jobs, there's now a shortage of coconut harvesters in India. That's why scientists there have built a tree-climbing coconut-harvesting robot, that could perhaps someday take up the slack. | Continue reading
Human activity is placing a growing strain on the planet's biodiversity, and a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has laid bare the extent of the damage so far. Drawing on extensive analysis of species' populations around the world, the report reveals an average declin … | Continue reading
Optical fibers are already used in many fields, but they would have even more applications if they could be manufactured faster and cheaper. An experimental new process is claimed to deliver on both counts, and it utilizes mostly existing technologies. | Continue reading
Mario Kart is the latest game to cross over into the real world via augmented reality (AR). Nintendo has now unveiled Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which lets you drive a little remote-controlled kart around the floor using the Switch console, dodging virtual racers and items. | Continue reading
Last year we caught wind of an interesting aviation concept cooked up by engineers at TU Delft, which consisted of a novel V-shaped design that promises significant efficiency gains over conventional aircraft. The project has now progressed from slick renders of a futuristic airc … | Continue reading
The pursuit of better batteries means the exploration of alternative materials, and one that scientists see a lot of promise in is silicon. A team at Clemson University has come up with a new design that overcomes some of the problems with incorporating this material into lithium … | Continue reading
A cheap, safe, self-charging battery that delivers high power for decades without ever needing a charge? That's a game changer. California-based company NDB is making some outrageous promises with its nano-diamond battery technology, which could completely disrupt the energy gene … | Continue reading
A truly unique piece of Australian real estate is up for grabs. Architect Graham Birchall's personal home, based around a series of 11 intersecting bubble domes, has gone up for sale in Ipswich, Queensland. | Continue reading
Chickens have never had a reputation as intellectual heavyweights and scientists have found the reason why. Experimental breeding suggests that domesticating the chicken 10,00 years ago caused its brain to shrink, changing its behavior. | Continue reading
While consumer-grade 3D printers may be adequate for making things like models or curios, they're not always up to the task of creating objects that stand up to real-world use. That could be about to change, though, thanks to a new printing filament. | Continue reading
The fastest internet speed in the world has been clocked at an incredible 178 terabits per second (Tb/s) – fast enough to download the entire Netflix library in under a second. Engineers in the UK and Japan have developed new ways to modulate light before it’s beamed down optical … | Continue reading
California company NDB says its nano-diamond batteries will absolutely upend the energy equation, acting like tiny nuclear generators. They will blow any energy density comparison out of the water, lasting anywhere from a decade to 28,000 years without ever needing a charge. They … | Continue reading
A device that effectively mimics the natural process of photosynthesis would represent a massive breakthrough for energy researchers, and a team from the University of Cambridge has been at the cutting edge of this technologies for the better part of decade. Its latest step forwa … | Continue reading
Air conditioners are a convenient way to cool down offices and homes, but they use huge amounts of energy in the process. A team of scientists has been developing an alternative solution for those warm summer months called the Cold Tube, which works by absorbing body heat emitted … | Continue reading
We’re quickly learning more about time crystals, strange phases of matter that appear to break time-translation symmetry – something that was thought impossible until recently. Now scientists have observed two time crystals interacting for the first time, which could be the first … | Continue reading
Researchers at Aalto University have developed a photovoltaic device that has an external quantum efficiency of 132 percent. This impossible-sounding feat was achieved using nanostructured black silicon, and could represent a major breakthrough for solar cells and other photodete … | Continue reading
A landmark study, led by researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, presents a novel hypothesis to explain age-related hearing loss, challenging the prevailing view that has dominated over half a century of medical science. The new research offers evidence to suggest age-related … | Continue reading
Scientists have created a new class of laser beam that appears to violate long-held laws of light physics. These new beams, which the team calls “spacetime wave packets,” follow different rules of refraction, which could lead to new communication technologies. | Continue reading
Engineers at MIT led by C. Cem Tasan has discovered why steel razor blades go dull even when cutting hair that's 50-times softer. Using an electron microscopic, they found that a single hair can chip a blade edge under the proper conditions. | Continue reading
An intriguing new study, from a team of Swiss researchers, has revealed neural activity during REM sleep in a particular region of the brain known to affect appetite and feeding behaviors significantly influences waking eating patterns. | Continue reading
A new study by bioengineers at the University of California (UC), Berkeley has revealed an interesting new pathway in efforts to fight off the effects of aging. The team’s research has shown how diluting the blood plasma of older mice can have a strong rejuvenation effect on tiss … | Continue reading
Researchers have for the first time managed to use electricity to switch on magnetism in a material that’s normally non-magnetic. The find could be a step towards making electronic components out of common materials that might not otherwise be suitable. | Continue reading
Capturing the complexities of the human hand is a difficult task – just ask any artist or animator. Now, engineers at Cornell University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed a new wearable system that uses thermal sensors to accurately predict hand positions, wi … | Continue reading
A new review from neuroethicist Eddie Jacobs, and published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies, is suggesting psilocybin may have great potential as a treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Jacobs, from King’s College London and the University of Oxford, says it is … | Continue reading
Researchers from the UK's Durham University and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute claim they've come up with the world's first manufactured non-cuttable material, just 15 percent the density of steel, which they say could make for indestructible bike locks and lightweight armor. | Continue reading
Carefully introducing new materials into the design of today’s lithium-ion batteries has the potential to greatly improve their performance, and scientists have just happened upon a promising possibility in carbon nanotubes. By incorporating these materials into the electrode of … | Continue reading
It's much, much smaller than its Stradivarian cousin, but not even the Borrowers, Lilliputians or Blefuscudians are of sufficiently diminutive proportions to take a bow to the Micronium. The tiny instrument is made up of microscopic springs activated by combs to produce an audibl … | Continue reading
Fireworks are a surefire way to create a spectacle of color and light, but research has revealed these dazzling displays could pose a health risk. A study that is said to be the first to look at the impacts of firework exposure on human cells and animals, has found a range of har … | Continue reading
Virgin Galactic continues to make itself at home in New Mexico, today completing the second successful glide test of its VSS Unity spaceplane since relocating there earlier in the year. The unpowered flight went off without a hitch and saw the spacecraft hit new speeds, as the co … | Continue reading
Scientists at the University of Manchester have developed a new type of smart textile that could make its way into adaptive clothing that keeps the wearer cool in warm weather, and vice versa. The material achieves this through the use of graphene which can be tuned to alter the … | Continue reading
Researchers at Empa and EPFL have created one of the smallest motors ever made. It’s composed of just 16 atoms, and at that tiny size it seems to function right on the boundary between classical physics and the spooky quantum realm. | Continue reading
BMW i Ventures, BMW's hybrid venture firm, announced today it is investing in Prometheus Fuels. The Silicon Valley startup is working on technologies for pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere and processing it into carbon-neutral gasoline. The investment will help the company as it p … | Continue reading
Japanese Diesel engine manufacturer Yanmar has signaled its intention to bring hydrogen fuel cells to the consumer marine market, collaborating with Toyota to develop the technology and prototype it in a small boat by the end of the year. | Continue reading
Powdery mildew is a widespread fungal disease that attacks many crops. And while it typically has to be treated using fungicides, special ultraviolet light-emitting robots could soon prove to be a better way to go. | Continue reading
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have created a form of nitrogen that’s never been seen before. Nicknamed “black nitrogen,” the new substance is crystalline, occurs in two-dimensional sheets, and could one day be useful in advanced electronics. | Continue reading
Compelling new research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is suggesting neuronal activity in the hippocampus prior to the delivery of new information can enhance subsequent memory formation. The discovery points to a kind of "encoding mode … | Continue reading
A California company says its new "turbo air-cooled" fuel cell design can deliver three times the power and four times the lifespan of a regular fuel cell, opening the door for high-speed, long-range, hydrogen-powered electric VTOL aircraft. | Continue reading
Batteries that use a sodium-ion chemistry rather than the commonplace lithium-ion could offer a number of advantages, owing to the cheap and abundant nature of the element. Scientists at Washington State University have come up with a design billed as a potential game changer in … | Continue reading
Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany are developing "microbial cyborgs" that generate usable electricity by combining Shewanella oneidensis bacteria with a nanocomposite material. | Continue reading
As readers who live in cold climates will likely already know, winter is not kind to concrete. That could be about to change, though, thanks to a polymer additive that mimics natural antifreeze. | Continue reading
Electric VTOL air taxis are one of the great emerging technologies of our time, promising to unlock the skies as traffic-free, high-speed, 3D commuting routes. Much quieter and cheaper than helicopter travel, they'll also run on zero-local-emission electric power, and many models … | Continue reading
The US Navy has successfully carried out a demonstration of a high-energy laser weapon installed in a warship. On May 16, 2020, the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) locked onto and disabled an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with its Solid-State Laser - Technolo … | Continue reading
Brain injuries can vary greatly in their severity, but assessing the extent of the damage is far from a simple undertaking. Scientists in the UK have developed a new AI algorithm that could help narrow the margin for error, with the ability to detect and categorize different type … | Continue reading