Science News

Equipping self-driving cars with external displays that use colored lights to communicate their next maneuver could help keep cyclists safe on the roads of the future, researchers say.

Would it be possible to build a refinery that is completely fossil-free, and thereby significantly contributing to a carbon-neutral society by as early as 2050? According to two chemists from Utrecht University it is. In a Nature article, they present a roadmap in which oil refineries could be reinvented to be completely fossil-free. Processes will be electrified if possible, and raw materials will change to CO2, agricultural and municipal waste. "We wanted to see what would be needed to make a fossil-free refinery and took that to the extreme."

Finding reliable, eco-friendly power sources is crucial as our world grapples with increasing energy needs and the urgent call to combat climate change. Solar energy offers one solution, with scientists devising ever more efficient materials for capturing sunlight.

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, the demand for reliable energy storage solutions has never been greater. With our reliance on electronic devices growing, especially in aviation, space exploration, and satellite operations, the need for energy storage that can withstand extreme temperatures is paramount.

Researchers in the emerging field of spatial computing have developed a prototype augmented reality headset that uses holographic imaging to overlay full-color, 3D moving images on the lenses of what would appear to be an ordinary pair of glasses. Unlike the bulky headsets of present-day augmented reality systems, the new approach delivers a visually satisfying 3D viewing experience in a compact, comfortable, and attractive form factor suitable for all-day wear.

What determines the cycle life of batteries? And, more importantly, how can we extend it? An international research team led by TU Delft has discovered that local disorder in the oxide cathode material increases the number of times Li-ion batteries can be charged and discharged. Their results have been published in Nature.

The rapid advancement in photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which combine multiple optical devices and functionalities on a single chip, has revolutionized optical communications and computing systems.

China's National Center for Space Weather on Sunday issued a solar flare warning as a strong solar flare (X1.3-class) erupted from the sun. Other strong solar flares may erupt in the next three days, the center said. The X1.6 class solar flare erupted at 2:01 pm Sunday Beijing time and had an impact on the ionosphere over China. It is expected that in the next three days, there is still a possibility of M-class or X-class solar flares, said the center in its warning.

A team of researchers have collaborated to characterize electron-hole separation in the light-absorbing layer of kesterite thin-film solar cells. This study is expected to improve the efficiency of solar cells and promote the use of green energy. The research is published in the journal Carbon Energy.

When old food packaging, discarded children's toys and other mismanaged plastic waste break down into microplastics, they become even harder to clean up from oceans and waterways. These tiny bits of plastic also attract bacteria, including those that cause disease.

Professor Hongkyung Lee of DGIST's Energy Science and Engineering collaborated with Dr. Chanhoon Kim's Clean Energy Conversion Group at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) to introduce a stabilization technology for unstable battery systems through the adoption of a dual-layer coating method. The work is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.

Getting robots to perform even a simple task requires a great deal of behind-the-scenes work. Part of the challenge is planning and executing movements, everything from turning wheels to lifting a robotic arm. To make this happen, roboticists collaborate with programmers to develop a set of trajectories—or pathways—that are clear of obstacles and doable for the robot.

Billions of people are using different kinds of energy each day and 2023 was a record-breaking year for renewable energy sources—ones that don't emit planet-warming pollutants like carbon dioxide and methane—according to a report published Wednesday by Ember, a think tank based in London.

The natural gas industry is one of the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters in the United States, and significant amounts of natural gas are used for electricity, heating, and industrial and chemical processes. Strategies like electrification of process equipment could cut GHG emissions in natural gas systems and accelerate transitioning today's energy system to 100% clean electricity by 2035.

Solar energy is a crucial asset in the fight against climate change, and researchers at the University of Ottawa have devised a smart approach to optimize its effectiveness. Their innovative method includes incorporating artificial ground reflectors, a simple yet powerful enhancement.

Professor Dirk Helbing of ETH Zurich and Austria's Complexity Science Hub expects future digital technologies to penetrate the human body even more in the future. However, he believes that society is not prepared for the risks involved. In a new article, he puts forward a new legal framework to protect our most intimate data from misuse.

A study has outlined the critical needs and essential technologies for a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation to augment satellite navigation systems, significantly improving the Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services. This research specifically targets the diverse demands of different users for LEO augmented Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), the possible contribution of LEOs to PNT performances, and the key technologies referring to the LEO-based navigation augmentation system.

In 2030, around 1.2 million lithium-ion batteries of electric cars, buses and construction machinery will be decommissioned worldwide because they will reach the end of their planned service life, their warranty will expire or the entire vehicles will be scrapped.

Researchers at ETH Zurich led by Robert Boes are developing specific solutions to optimize electricity production from Swiss hydropower plants. This will ensure that hydropower remains the backbone of Switzerland's electricity supply in the future.

Macquarie University researchers have debunked a 75-year-old theory about how humans determine where sounds are coming from, and it could unlock the secret to creating a next generation of more adaptable and efficient hearing devices ranging from hearing aids to smartphones.