Triazenolysis: A new chemical process to produce raw materials
Researchers at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion have developed a new chemical process to produce raw materials for the manufacture of polymers, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural compounds......»»
Enzymes evolved mix-and-match characteristics to shape nitrogen metabolism diversity across the planet
To boost crops more efficiently in the future, the evolutionary past may hold key insights. The way that plants process nutrients has a rich back story—they rely on enzymes that have been evolving for billions of years. However, these enzymes are o.....»»
Catalyst "breathes" new life into acrylonitrile production
A team of engineers is reimagining one of the essential processes in modern manufacturing. Their goal? To transform how a chemical called acrylonitrile (ACN) is made—not by building world-scale manufacturing sites, but by using smaller-scale, modul.....»»
United enables Apple’s lost luggage recovery tool for airline flubs
United and Air Canada are the first airline services to let customers use Apple's Find My link for their lost luggage to speed up the process of recovering it......»»
Polluting shipwrecks are the ticking time-bomb at the bottom of our oceans
At the bottom of the oceans and seas lie more than 8,500 shipwrecks from two world wars. These wrecks have been estimated to contain as much as 6 billion gallons of oil, as well as munitions, toxic heavy metals and even chemical weapons......»»
How a piece of plastic shut down DNA testing at crime lab
It was technically a successful scientific discovery when analysts at the Hennepin County, Minnesota, forensic science lab recognized there was a contaminant somewhere in its DNA process. That did not lessen the sense of dread......»»
Physicists introduce approach to control wave patterns via fluid flows
The reliable control of traveling waves emerging from the coupling of oscillations and diffusion in physical, chemical and biological systems is a long-standing challenge within the physics community. Effective approaches to control these waves help.....»»
Eyes on the sun: Naked thallium-205 ion decay reveals history over millions of years
The sun, the essential engine that sustains life on Earth, generates its tremendous energy through the process of nuclear fusion. At the same time, it releases a continuous stream of neutrinos—particles that serve as messengers of its internal dyna.....»»
E. coli dons polymer "Superman cape" for sustainable chemical production
Trillions of bacteria work in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, helping produce everything from beer and facial creams to biodiesel and fertilizer. The pharmaceutical industry, in particular, relies heavily on bacteria for producing substan.....»»
Two key proteins boost tomato"s phosphorus efficiency and plant health
Phosphorus is a critical nutrient for plant growth, yet it is often locked away in soils and inaccessible to plants. The natural process of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis (AMS), in which plants exchange carbon for essential nutrients with fungi, is.....»»
New process creates artificial humic substances for farming
Every farmer and every allotment gardener knows that humus is good for plant growth. But why? Humus contains humic substances. These substances have numerous advantages for the soil. In particular, fertile soil contains about 3% humic acids, while pe.....»»
Ultrafast electron imaging captures never-before-seen nuclear motions in hydrocarbon molecules excited by light
The interactions between light and nitroaromatic hydrocarbon molecules have important implications for chemical processes in our atmosphere that can lead to smog and pollution. However, changes in molecular geometry due to interactions with light can.....»»
Scientists develop cost-effective lasers for extended short-wave infrared applications
Current laser technologies for the extended short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral range rely on expensive and complex materials, limiting their scalability and affordability. To address these challenges, ICFO researchers have presented a novel approach.....»»
CSAM victims sue Apple for $1.2B for dropping planned scanning tool
Thousands of CSAM victims are suing Apple for dropping plans to scan devices for the presence of child sexual abuse materials. In addition to facing more than $1.2B in penalties, the company could be forced to reinstate the plans it dropped after.....»»
Not so simple machines: Cracking the code for materials that can learn
It's easy to think that machine learning is a completely digital phenomenon, made possible by computers and algorithms that can mimic brain-like behaviors. But the first machines were analog and now, a small but growing body of research is showing th.....»»
Saturday citations: The "donut effect"; basically immortal batteries; Neanderthals and H. sapiens
This week, researchers studying data from NASA's Dawn mission reported the identification of 11 sites on Ceres that suggest an internal reservoir of organic materials. A multidisciplinary team published an analysis of the dazzle camouflage patterns d.....»»
Observing gain-induced group delay between multiphoton pulses generated in a spontaneous down-conversion source
Spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) and spontaneous four-wave mixing are powerful nonlinear optical processes that can produce multi-photon beams of light with unique quantum properties. These processes could be leveraged to create various.....»»
Plankton study investigates how marine food webs respond to increasing alkalinity
The ocean naturally absorbs a quarter to a third of man-made CO2 emissions, but this process also leads to the acidification of seawater. By increasing the alkalinity of seawater through the addition of certain minerals (e.g., carbonates and silicate.....»»
Less is more: Why an economical iridium catalyst works so well
Iridium-based catalysts are needed to produce hydrogen using water electrolysis. Now, a team at HZB has shown that the newly developed P2X catalyst, which requires only a quarter of the iridium, is as efficient and stable over time as the best commer.....»»
Shape-changing polymer resembles animal movements with temperature shifts
A team of scientists has created a new shape-changing polymer that could transform how future soft materials are constructed. Made using a material called a liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE), a soft rubber-like material that can be stimulated by ext.....»»
M4 Mac mini was almost even smaller, but design compromises were made
The redesign of the M4 Mac mini could've been even smaller, Apple executives have admitted, but there were quite a few tradeoffs needed to produce the best version yet.The M4 Mac mini [middle] between an older Mac mini [below] and an Apple TV [above].....»»