Novel cathode designed for high-performance sodium ion batteries

Due to their large-scale energy storage, sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, it's challenging to develop high-energy and high-power SIBs due to the greater atomic mass and larger ionic radius.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-cathode-high-performance-sodium-ion-batteries.html

How insect wings withstand collisions without breaking

About once a second wings of foraging bees collide with small obstacles such as flowers, leaves or branches during flight without suffering major long-term damage. At the same time, they withstand aerodynamic loads effortlessly—yet the fragile structures make up just two percent of the total mass of an insect's body. Scientists from the Zoological Institute at Kiel University (CAU) are investigating how insect wings withstand these different demands without breaking. In an article in the current issue of the journal Advanced Science, they show several special features in the wing structure, thanks to which they are both stable and flexible and can thus adapt to different needs. In the long term, these design strategies could lead to the development of structural elements that are load-bearing, durable and impact resistant at the same time and allow various applications in the fields of robotics, aviation or biomedicine.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-insect-wings-collisions.html

Why day and night aren't equal length on an equinox

Winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere are both coming to an end. That means the days and nights are becoming roughly equal in length, and the path the sun traces across the sky is changing.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-day-night-equal-length-equinox.html

Pandemic brings record fall in global carbon emissions

According to the latest figures published by the Global Carbon Project (GCP), the current coronavirus pandemic has led to a significant reduction in global CO2 emissions. The GCP is an international collaboration of climate researchers, which includes LMU geographers Julia Pongratz, Selma Bultan and Kerstin Hartung as contributors. The group monitors both the amounts of greenhouse gases released into Earth's atmosphere and the quantities absorbed by the world's oceans and sequestered in vegetation on land.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-pandemic-fall-global-carbon-emissions.html

Researchers develop nanofiltration membrane for highly efficient dye/salt separation

A research group led by Prof. Wan Yinhua from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a robust, dually charged loose nanofiltration (NF) membrane for highly efficient dye/salt separation. The study was published in the Journal of Membrane Science on March 21.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-nanofiltration-membrane-highly-efficient-dyesalt.html

Recyclable 'veggie' battery could power future devices more efficiently

A new type of 3D-printed battery which uses electrodes made from vegetable starch and carbon nanotubes could provide mobile devices with a more environmentally-friendly, higher-capacity source of power.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-recyclable-veggie-battery-power-future.html

Hubble captures re-energized planetary nebula

Located around 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Cygnus (the Swan), Abell 78 is an unusual type of planetary nebula.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-hubble-captures-re-energized-planetary-nebula.html

Smaller amphibians have increased extinction risk due to fewer offspring

Research led by Queen's University Belfast has found that the risk of extinction among amphibians—the most endangered animals on the planet—increases for species of smaller body size as their females produce fewer babies per birth.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-smaller-amphibians-extinction-due-offspring.html

Toxic PAH air pollutants from fossil fuels 'multiply' in sunlight

When power stations burn coal, a class of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, form part of the resulting air pollution. Researchers have found that PAH toxins degrade in sunlight into child compounds and byproducts.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-toxic-pah-air-pollutants-fossil.html

Expressing some doubts: Comparative analysis of human and android faces could lead to improvements

Researchers from the Graduate School of Engineering and Symbiotic Intelligent Systems Research Center at Osaka University used motion capture cameras to compare the expressions of android and human faces. They found that the mechanical facial movements of the robots, especially in the upper regions, did not fully reproduce the curved flow lines seen in the faces of actual people. This research may lead to more lifelike and expressive artificial faces.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-analysis-human-android.html

Tracking species invasions with digital biodiversity data

Large online data sources are increasingly important to understand biological invasions. Emerging fields of conservation culturomics and iEcology have a great potential to inform invasion science and practice through novel insights and knowledge. In a recent publication, an international research team led by the Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences is looking at the state of the art of invasion culturomics and iEcology, and their potential applications for research and management of invasive alien species.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-tracking-species-invasions-digital-biodiversity.html

Major 'State of the Planet' report out in advance of first Nobel Prize Summit

Human actions are threatening the resilience and stability of Earth's biosphere—the wafer-thin veil around Earth where life thrives. This has profound implications for the development of civilization, say an international group of researchers in a report published for the first Nobel Prize Summit, a digital gathering to be held in April to discuss the state of the planet in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-major-state-planet-advance-nobel.html

'Doodles of light' in real time mark leap for holograms at home

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have devised and implemented a simplified algorithm for turning freely drawn lines into holograms on a standard desktop CPU. They dramatically cut down the computational cost and power consumption of algorithms that require dedicated hardware. It is fast enough to convert writing into lines in real time, and makes crisp, clear images that meet industry standards. Potential applications include hand-written remote instructions superimposed on landscapes and workbenches.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-doodles-real-holograms-home.html

Water in a loop: How to combat water scarcity on remote islands

Every summer, thousands of tourists travel to Greece's idyllic islands to enjoy their sunny beaches. Even the global pandemic couldn't keep visitors away, but water scarcity might. Many Greek islands survive on water imports and are struggling to meet residents' and agriculture's water needs—let alone those of tourists.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-loop-combat-scarcity-remote-islands.html

No threat to Earth as huge asteroid zooms past

The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year has made its closest approach, posing no threat of a cataclysmic collision but giving astronomers a rare chance to study a rock formed during the beginning of our solar system.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-threat-earth-huge-asteroid.html

Deliveroo eyes £8.8 bn valuation at London float

Meal delivery app Deliveroo is aiming for a valuation of up to £8.8 billion when it shortly launches on the London stock market, the company said Monday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-deliveroo-eyes-bn-valuation-london.html

Global biodiversity awareness tracked with Wikipedia page views

Wikipedia page views could be used to monitor global awareness of biodiversity, proposes a research team from UCL, ZSL, and the RSPB.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-global-biodiversity-awareness-tracked-wikipedia.html

Trump to launch own social media platform: ex-aide

Donald Trump plans to return to social media soon, using "his own platform" after being banned from Twitter and other outlets, a former advisor said Sunday.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-trump-social-media-platform-ex-aide.html

First ever tweet turns 15 years old

Fifteen years ago Jack Dorsey typed out a banal message—"just setting up my twttr"—which became the first ever tweet, launching a global platform that has become a controversial and dominant force in civil society.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-tweet-years.html

Fresh deluge worsens 'one in 100 year' Australia floods

Torrential rain lashed Australia's southeast again Monday, worsening once-in-a-century flooding that has forced 18,000 people to evacuate their homes and shuttered hundreds of schools.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-fresh-deluge-worsens-year-australia.html

Mars findings cataloged in Navajo language

Native people have had ties to land in North America since time immemorial, and now that connection is expanding to the cosmos.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-mars-navajo-language.html

In both gorillas and humans, it takes a village to raise a child

A study by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund shows that gorilla families come together to support young gorillas that lose their mothers.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-gorillas-humans-village-child.html