The air-purifying hydrogen SUV with winter endurance record
From Hyundai 24/09/23 (Press release from Dec 2021) Offenbach, 22 December 2021 – Hyundai NEXO set its first Endurance Record in extreme conditions at the International Record Centre for Decarbonised Vehicles in Val Thorens. French professional race car driver Adrien Tambay drove a production NEXO at an altitude of 2,220 metres for six hours, covering […]
Wood you believe it? Archaeologists discover world’s oldest wooden structure
From University of Liverpool 22/09/23 Half a million years ago, earlier than was previously thought possible, humans were building structures made of wood, according to new research by a team from the University of Liverpool and Aberystwyth University. The research, published in the journal Nature, reports on the excavation of well-preserved wood at the archaeological […]
Breakdown breakthrough: Previously unrecyclable plastic mix now recyclable
From DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory 22/09/23 Almost 80% of plastic in the waste stream ends up in landfills or accumulates in the environment. Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists have developed a technology that converts a conventionally unrecyclable mixture of plastic waste into useful chemicals, presenting a new strategy in the toolkit to combat global plastic […]
Concerning! Novel analysis reveals link between chemicals in everyday products and later puberty
From Bioscientifica Ltd 22/09/23 Children exposed to higher levels of synthetic chemicals in everyday products, such as water-resistant clothes, umbrellas, and food packaging, are more likely to mature later during puberty, according to research presented at the 61st Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting in The Hague. The findings may help better regulate the […]
I know what you are thinking: AI detects person’s intentions from just brain wave data
From DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology) 22/09/23 The research team led by Professor Sanghyun Park from the Department of Robotics and Mechanical Engineering at DGIST (President Kuk Yang) announced that they have developed a few-shot learning model capable of accurately classifying brain waves using a small amount of information. A large amount […]
Innovators regenerate neurons to restore walking in mice after paralysis injury
From Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 22/09/23 When the spinal cords of mice and humans are partially damaged, the initial paralysis is followed by the extensive, spontaneous recovery of motor function. However, after a complete spinal cord injury, this natural repair of the spinal cord doesn’t occur and there is no recovery. Meaningful recovery after […]
Plant talk: Warning plants of impending pest, weather dangers with light-triggered genes
From University of Cambridge 22/09/23 Imagine if humans could ‘talk’ to plants and warn them of approaching pest attacks or extreme weather. A team of plant scientists at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) would like to turn this science fiction into reality using light-based messaging to ‘talk’ to plants. Early lab experiments with tobacco […]
Crumb chronicles: The latest in bread innovations
From American Chemical Society 21/09/23 Whether light and fluffy or thin and flexible, bread holds an important place in many cultures and cuisines. And despite millennia of baking experience, scientists are still striving to improve this staple food. Below are some recent papers published in ACS journals that report insights into the quality, healthfulness, and […]
Shifting shades: Colour-changing eco-paint cools buildings in summer, warms in winter
From American Chemical Society 21/09/23 As summer turns to fall, many people will be turning off the air conditioning and firing up heaters instead. But traditional heating and cooling systems are energy intensive, and because they typically run on fossil fuels, they aren’t sustainable. Now, by mimicking a desert-dwelling chameleon, a team reporting in ACS’ […]
Nature’s squinting: Urban light pollution linked to smaller eyes in birds
From Washington State University 21/09/23 The bright lights of big cities could be causing an evolutionary adaptation for smaller eyes in some birds, a new study indicates. Researchers found that two common songbirds, the Northern Cardinal and Carolina Wren, that live year-round in the urban core of San Antonio, Texas, had eyes about 5% smaller […]