ScienceDaily: Technology - October 02, 2023
Top technology research news
Groundbreaking mathematical proof: New insights into typhoon dynamics unveiled
A research team has provided irrefutable proof that certain spherical vortices exist in a stable state.
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Can ChatGPT help us form personal narratives?
New research found that the language model can produce accurate personal narratives from stream-of-consciousness data.
Small but mighty new gene editor
A new CRISPR-based gene-editing tool has been developed which could lead to better treatments for patients with genetic disorders. The tool is an enzyme, AsCas12f, which has been modified to offer the same effectiveness but at one-third the size of the Cas9 enzyme commonly used for gene editing. The compact size means that more of it can be packed into carrier viruses and delivered into living cells, making it more efficient.
Making elbow room: Giant molecular rotors operate in solid crystal
Concave, umbrella-like metal complexes provide space to enable the largest molecular rotor operational in the solid-state.
Intense lasers shine new light on the electron dynamics of liquids
The behavior of electrons in liquids is crucial to understanding many chemical processes that occur in our world. Using advanced lasers that operate at the attosecond, a team of international researchers has revealed further insights into how electrons behave in liquids.
Ball milling provides high pressure benefits to battery materials
Cheaper, more efficient lithium-ion batteries could be produced by harnessing previously overlooked high pressures generated during the manufacturing process.
Ultrasound may rid groundwater of toxic 'forever chemicals'
New research suggests that ultrasound may have potential in treating a group of harmful chemicals known as PFAS to eliminate them from contaminated groundwater.
A deep look into the progression of Parkinson's Disease
Scientists have used cutting-edge imaging techniques to shed light on the progression of Parkinson's disease by studying how the main culprit, the protein alpha-synuclein, disrupts cellular metabolism.
Unlocking the potential of silicon anode materials for commercialized batteries
A research team presented an analysis protocol to evaluate silicon cathode materials applicable to commercialized batteries.
Novel battery technology with negligible voltage decay
A pivotal breakthrough in battery technology that has profound implications for our energy future has been achieved.
Capturing CO2 with electricity: A microbial enzyme inspires electrochemistry
Humanity continuously emits greenhouse gases and thereby worsens global warming. Increasing research efforts go into developing strategies to convert these gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), into valuable products. CO2 accumulates dramatically over the years and is chemically very stable, thus challenging to transform. Yet, for billions of years, some microbes have actively captured CO2 using highly efficient enzymes. Scientists have now isolated one of these enzymes. When the enzyme was electronically branched on an electrode, they observed the conversion of CO2 to formate with perfect efficiency. This phenomenon will inspire new CO2-fixation systems because of its remarkable directionality and rates.
A new twist on rechargeable battery performance
Rechargeable battery performance could be improved by a new understanding of how they work at the molecular level. Researchers upend what's known about how rechargeable batteries function.
Accelerating sustainable semiconductors with 'multielement ink'
Scientists have demonstrated 'multielement ink' -- the first 'high-entropy' semiconductor that can be processed at low-temperature or room temperature. The new material could enable cost-effective and energy-efficient semiconductor manufacturing.
Watching paint dry -- to understand and control the patterns it leaves behind
A coffee spill leaves behind a dark stain around the puddle’s edge when it dries. But as drops of paint dry, some look like “fried eggs,” with “yolks” of color surrounded by pristine white halos, whereas others appear uniform. To understand this variability, researchers literally watched paint dry. They found that pigment concentration and temperature impacted how the liquid gelled and evaporated, information that could help control patterns in dried paint.
Sperm swimming is caused by the same patterns that are believed to dictate zebra stripes
Patterns of chemical interactions are thought to create patterns in nature such as stripes and spots. This new study shows that the mathematical basis of these patterns also governs how sperm tail moves.
Tiny CRISPR tool could help shred viruses
Scientists mapped out the three-dimensional structure of one of the smallest known CRISPR-Cas13 systems then used that knowledge to modify its structure and improve its accuracy.
Novel bacterial proteins from seafloor shine light on climate and astrobiology
Researchers have unveiled a remarkable discovery: the identification of novel bacterial proteins that play a vital role in the formation and stability of methane clathrates, which trap gigatons of greenhouse gas beneath the seafloor. These newfound proteins not only suppress methane clathrate growth as effectively as toxic chemicals used in drilling but also prove to be eco-friendly and scalable. This innovative breakthrough not only promises to enhance environmental safety in natural gas transportation but also sheds light on the potential for similar biomolecules to support life beyond Earth.
Strength is in this glass's DNA
Scientists were able to fabricate a pure form of glass and coat specialized pieces of DNA with it to create a material that was not only stronger than steel, but incredibly lightweight.
Down goes antimatter! Gravity's effect on matter's elusive twin is revealed
For the first time, in a unique laboratory experiment at CERN, researchers have observed individual atoms of antihydrogen fall under the effects of gravity. In confirming antimatter and regular matter are gravitationally attracted, the finding rules out gravitational repulsion as the reason why antimatter is largely missing from the observable universe.
A close-up of biological nanomachines: Researchers take a deep look at peroxisomal processes
The cell organelles known as 'peroxisomes' dispose toxic substances and fats in the human body, among other things, and, in doing so, they prevent serious illnesses. The 'Pex' group of proteins (peroxisomes biogenesis factors) keep these 'detox units' functioning properly -- and now researchers have shown, at the atomic level, how these highly complex processes proceed.
Investigating the role of greener plastics for Japan's carbon neutral goals
Researchers have investigated the potential in Japan for more sustainable plastic recycling and the market for bioplastics.
Unleashing the power of AI to track animal behavior
Scientists have created a non-invasive movement tracking method called GlowTrack that uses fluorescent dye markers to train artificial intelligence to capture movement, from a single mouse digit to the human hand. GlowTrack has applications spanning biology, robotics, medicine, and beyond.
One-hour training is all you need to control a third robotic arm, study finds
A new study has found that people can learn to use supernumerary robotic arms as effectively as working with a partner in just one hour of training.
Study sheds new light on strange lava worlds
In a new study, scientists have shown that sweeping molten oceans have a large influence on the observed properties of hot rocky Super-Earths, such as their size and evolutionary path.
New insights into the atmosphere and star of an exoplanet
A new study of the intriguing TRAPPIST-1 exoplanetary system has demonstrated the complex interaction between the activity of the system's star and its planetary features.
Light and sound waves reveal negative pressure
Negative pressure is a rare and challenging-to-detect phenomenon in physics. Using liquid-filled optical fibers and sound waves, researchers have now discovered a new method to measure it. In collaboration with the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technologies in
New qubit circuit enables quantum operations with higher accuracy
Researchers have developed a novel superconducting qubit architecture that can perform operations between qubits with much higher accuracy than scientists have yet been able to achieve. This architecture, which utilizes a relatively new type of superconducting qubit called fluxonium, is scalable and could be used to someday build a large-scale quantum computer.
Researchers tackle immune rejection of biomedical implants
To learn more about what causes the body to reject biomedical implants, a team has identified a protein that appears to help drive this response and hopes their discoveries will improve the design and safety of biomedical implants.
Did life exist on Mars? Other planets? With AI's help, we may know soon
Scientists have discovered a simple and reliable test for signs of past or present life on other planets -- 'the holy grail of astrobiology.' Researchers report that, with 90% accuracy, their artificial intelligence-based method distinguished modern and ancient biological samples from those of abiotic origin.
Hidden supermassive black holes reveal their secrets through radio signals
Astronomers have found a striking link between the amount of dust surrounding a supermassive black hole and the strength of the radio emission produced in extremely bright galaxies.
Crystallization as the driving force
Scientists have successfully developed nanomaterials using a so-called bottom-up approach. They exploit the fact that crystals often grow in a specific direction during crystallization. These resulting nanostructures, which appear as 'worm-like and decorated rods,' could be used in various technological applications.
Machine learning unravels mysteries of atomic shapes
New research has used machine learning to find the properties of atomic pieces of geometry, in pioneering work that could drive the development of new results in mathematics.
Copper-based catalysts efficiently turn carbon dioxide into methane
Copper-based catalysts developed by materials scientists help speed up the rate of carbon dioxide-to-methane conversion.
Drug discovery on an unprecedented scale
Boosting virtual screening with machine learning allowed for a 10-fold time reduction in the processing of 1.56 billion drug-like molecules. Researchers teamed up with industry and supercomputers to carry out one of the world's largest virtual drug screens.
Efficient fuel-molecule sieving using graphene
A research team has successfully developed a new method that can prevent the crossover of large fuel molecules and suppress the degradation of electrodes in advanced fuel cell technology using methanol or formic acid. The successful sieving of the fuel molecules is achieved via selective proton transfers due to steric hindrance on holey graphene sheets that have chemical functionalization and act as proton-exchange membranes.
There is much to improve in identifying all the chemicals around us
What chemicals are we exposed to on a daily basis? That is the central question of 'non-targeted analysis' or NTA, an emerging field of analytical science that aims to identify all chemicals around us. A daunting task, because how can you be sure to detect everything if you don't know exactly what you're looking for?
