Science News

Mass spectrometry, a technique that can precisely identify the chemical components of a sample, could be used to monitor the health of people who suffer from chronic illnesses. For instance, a mass spectrometer can measure hormone levels in the blood of someone with hypothyroidism.

The Gulf Coast of the United States is often hit by tropical cyclones (TCs), hurricanes and other extreme weather phenomena, which can cause widespread electricity outages. Climate change and global warming are expected to increase the risk of these events occurring, which could significantly disrupt activities in the area.

In an era where the quest for sustainable energy sources has become paramount, researchers are tirelessly exploring innovative avenues to enhance fuel production processes. One of the most important tools in converting chemical energy into electrical energy and vice versa is electrocatalysis, which is already used in various green-energy technologies.

The fact that colossal amounts of energy are needed to Google away, talk to Siri, ask ChatGPT to get something done, or use AI in any sense, has gradually become common knowledge.

In natural ecosystems, the herd mentality plays a major role—from schools of fish, to beehives to ant colonies. This collective behavior allows the whole to exceed the sum of its parts and better respond to threats and challenges.

The Palmer Glacier on Oregon's Mount Hood isn't the moon, but it's a good place to practice.

In railway maintenance, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technologies marks a shift from traditional inspection methods. A new study published in High-speed Railway introduces a high-performance rail inspection system, leveraging the latest advancements in AI, specifically employing YOLOv8 for fast and accurate defect detection.

Smart textiles are making virtual reality more immersive and enabling wearers to experience the sensation of physical touch. An ultrathin film that can transmit touch sensations is able to turn textiles into a virtual second skin. For seriously ill children in hospital isolation wards, this new technology offers them the chance to feel the physical closeness of their parents during computer-simulated visits and to experience again the feeling of being held, hugged or cuddled.

A research team has developed a mini-inductor based on amorphous alloys that can achieve both excellent flexibility and high inductance. The study is published in Advanced Functional Materials.

For more than two millennia, paper has been a staple of human civilization. But these days, the use of paper is not limited to writing. It is also playing a pivotal role in ushering in a greener future.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tasks have become increasingly abundant and complex, fueled by large-scale datasets. With the plateau of Moore's law and end of Dennard scaling, energy consumption becomes a major barrier to more widespread applications of today's heavy electronic deep neural models, especially in terminal/edge systems.

If you imagine an industrial wind turbine, you likely picture the windmill design, technically known as a horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT). But the very first wind turbines, which were developed in the Middle East around the 8th century for grinding grain, were vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT), meaning they spun perpendicular to the wind, rather than parallel.

Extrusion, which can produce complex parts made of lightweight metals, is an increasingly important manufacturing process for everything from buildings to electric vehicles. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL's) patented Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE) technique is a step beyond traditional extrusion, capable of creating materials and components with extraordinary properties that cannot be achieved through conventional manufacturing.

As any surfer will tell you, waves pack a powerful punch. Now, we are one step closer to capturing the energy behind the ocean's constant ebb and flow with an improved "blue energy" harvesting device.

As the 2024 total solar eclipse turns day into night this April, some people will celebrate once-in-a-lifetime moments with their loved ones.

A team of physicists and engineers at Technical University of Denmark reports that it is possible to build a working selenium–silicon tandem solar cell, a combination that could theoretically improve the efficiency of solar cells to 40%. The study is published in the journal PRX Energy.

Biologist, materials scientist and bionics specialist Professor Stanislav N. Gorb and his team at Kiel University's Institute of Zoology are known for analyzing the spectacular abilities of animals and translating them into innovative technical applications. For example, they created robot grab arms based on the model of insects and a detachable adhesive film that works in a similar manner to the adhesive organs of insects, spiders and geckos.

Scientists have discovered a stable and highly conductive lithium-ion conductor for use as solid electrolytes for solid-state lithium-ion batteries.

Energy harvesting, an eco-friendly technology, extends beyond solar and wind power in generating electricity from unused or discarded energy in daily life, including vibrations generated by passing car engines or trains. Recent intriguing research aims to enhance the efficiency of energy harvesting using a new type of metasurface that can be reconfigured, resembling the assembly of LEGO bricks.

Windows welcome light into interior spaces, but they also bring in unwanted heat. A new window coating blocks heat-generating ultraviolet and infrared light and lets through visible light, regardless of the sun's angle. The coating can be incorporated onto existing windows or automobiles and can reduce air-conditioning cooling costs by more than one-third in hot climates.