ScienceDaily: All - July 06, 2024
Today's top research news
Ionic liquids: 'Don't shake it'
Chemists have develop innovative ionic liquid synthesis and purification technology.
Fresh wind blows from historical supernova
A mysterious remnant from a rare type of supernova recorded in 1181 has been explained for the first time. Two white dwarf stars collided, creating a temporary 'guest star,' now labeled supernova (SN) 1181, which was recorded in historical documents in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. However, after the star dimmed, its location and structure remained a mystery until a team pinpointed its location in 2021. Now, through computer modeling and observational analysis, researchers have recreated the structure of the remnant white dwarf, a rare occurrence, explaining its double shock formation. They also discovered that high-speed stellar winds may have started blowing from its surface within just the past 20-30 years. This finding improves our understanding of the diversity of supernova explosions, and highlights the benefits of interdisciplinary research, combining history with modern astronomy to enable new discoveries about our galaxy.
Engineers find a way to protect microbes from extreme conditions
Researchers have now developed a new way to make microbes hardy enough to withstand extreme conditions such as heat and the manufacturing processes used to formulate the microbes into powders or pills for long-term storage.
Image: cones/Shutterstock.com
Migrating starlings are no copycats
Young, na ve starlings are looking for their wintering grounds independently of experienced conspecifics. Starlings are highly social birds throughout the year, but this does not mean that they copy the migration route from each other. By revisiting a classic 'displacement' experiment and by adding new data, a team of researchers have settled a long-lasting debate.
Innovative battery design: More energy and less environmental impact
A new electrolyte design for lithium metal batteries could significantly boost the range of electric vehicles. Researchers have radically reduced the amount of environmentally harmful fluorine required to stabilize these batteries.
A 2D device for quantum cooling
Engineers have created a device that can efficiently convert heat into electrical voltage at temperatures lower than that of outer space. The innovation could help overcome a significant obstacle to the advancement of quantum computing technologies, which require extremely low temperatures to function optimally.