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Archive for the ‘chemistry’ category: Page 234

Jun 12, 2021

New Chemistry for Cleaner Combustion Engines – From New Clues to the Origins of the Universe

Posted by in categories: chemistry, particle physics

In a decade-long quest, scientists at Berkeley Lab, the University of Hawaii, and Florida International University uncover new clues to the origins of the universe – and land new chemistry for cleaner combustion engines.

For nearly half a century, astrophysicists and organic chemists have been on the hunt for the origins of C6H6, the benzene ring – an elegant, hexagonal molecule comprised of 6 carbon and 6 hydrogen atoms.

Astrophysicists say that the benzene ring could be the fundamental building block of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, the most basic materials formed from the explosion of dying, carbon-rich stars. That swirling mass of matter would eventually give shape to the earliest forms of carbon – precursors to molecules some scientists say are connected to the synthesis of the earliest forms of life on Earth.

Jun 12, 2021

Shine: Automate Toilet Cleaning

Posted by in categories: chemistry, futurism

The Future Bathroom is Here. Clean. Effortless. Chemical-Free.

Jun 11, 2021

Presence of water on exomoons orbiting free-floating planets: a case study

Posted by in categories: alien life, chemistry

A free-floating planet (FFP) is a planetary-mass object that orbits around a non-stellar massive object (e.g. a brown dwarf) or around the Galactic Centre. The presence of exomoons orbiting FFPs has been theoretically predicted by several models. Under specific conditions, these moons are able to retain an atmosphere capable of ensuring the long-term thermal stability of liquid water on their surface. We model this environment with a one-dimensional radiative-convective code coupled to a gas-phase chemical network including cosmic rays and ion-neutral reactions. We find that, under specific conditions and assuming stable orbital parameters over time, liquid water can be formed on the surface of the exomoon. The final amount of water for an Earth-mass exomoon is smaller than the amount of water in Earth oceans, but enough to host the potential development of primordial life.

Jun 11, 2021

New agricultural robots kill individual weeds with electricity

Posted by in categories: chemistry, climatology, robotics/AI, sustainability

Using the full system, farmers could reduce costs by 40% and chemical usage by up to 95%.


Small Robot Company (SRC), a British agritech startup for sustainable farming, has developed AI-enabled robots – named Tom, Dick and Harry – that identify and kill individual weeds with electricity. These agricultural robots could reduce the use of harmful chemicals and heavy machinery, paving the way for a new approach to sustainable crop farming.

Continue reading “New agricultural robots kill individual weeds with electricity” »

Jun 11, 2021

These Tiny Creatures Were Revived After 24,000 Years Frozen in The Siberian Permafrost

Posted by in categories: biological, chemistry

For tens of thousands of years, a microscopic creature lay frozen and immobile underground in the Siberian permafrost.

Yet, when scientists thawed it out, the tiny multicellular animal didn’t just revive — it reproduced, suggesting that there is a mechanism whereby multicellular animals can avoid cell damage during the freezing process and wake up ready to rumble.

“Our report is the hardest proof as of today that multicellular animals could withstand tens of thousands of years in cryptobiosis, the state of almost completely arrested metabolism,” said biologist Stas Malavin of the Soil Cryology Laboratory at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science in Russia.

Jun 10, 2021

Novel liquid crystal metalens offers electric zoom

Posted by in categories: chemistry, nanotechnology, satellites

Researchers from Cornell University’s School of Applied and Engineering Physics and Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology have created a first-of-its-kind metalens—a metamaterial lens—that can be focused using voltage instead of mechanically moving its components.

The proof of concept opens the door to a range of compact varifocal lenses for possible use in many imaging applications such as satellites, telescopes and microscopes, which traditionally focus light using curved lenses that adjust using mechanical parts. In some applications, moving traditional glass or plastic lenses to vary the focal distance is simply not practical due to space, weight or size considerations.

Metalenses are flat arrays of nano-antennas or resonators, less than a micron thick, that act as focusing devices. But until now, once a metalens was fabricated, its was hard to change, according to Melissa Bosch, doctoral student and first author of a paper detailing the research in the American Chemical Society’s journal Nano Letters.

Jun 10, 2021

MIT Develops New Method of Generating Power With Carbon Nanotubes

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy, nanotechnology

By grinding up nanotubes and dipping them in special solvents, the team showed it’s possible to generate enough current to run important electrochemical reactions, and maybe one day to power super-small devices.

Jun 10, 2021

Astronomers spot methanol in a weird part of the galaxy, changing where they might hunt for aliens

Posted by in categories: alien life, chemistry

They’ve only gone and upended a widely held scientific idea.


Lilia Koelemay, a graduate researcher at the University of Arizona, said in a statement about the study that “the detection of these organic molecules at the galactic edge may imply that organic chemistry is still prevalent at the outer reaches of the galaxy, and the [galatic habitable zone] may extend much further from the galactic center than the currently established boundary.”

Koelemay also said, “The widely held assumption was that in the outskirts of our galaxy, the chemistry necessary to form organics just doesn’t occur.”

Continue reading “Astronomers spot methanol in a weird part of the galaxy, changing where they might hunt for aliens” »

Jun 9, 2021

Quantum computing is inevitable, cryptography prepares for the future

Posted by in categories: chemistry, encryption, mathematics, quantum physics, robotics/AI, security

Quantum computing began in the early 1980s. It operates on principles of quantum physics rather than the limitations of circuits and electricity which is why it is capable of processing highly complex mathematical problems so efficiently. Quantum computing could one day achieve things that classical computing simply cannot. The evolution of quantum computers has been slow, but things are accelerating, thanks to the efforts of academic institutions such as Oxford, MIT, and the University of Waterloo, as well as companies like IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Honeywell.

IBM has held a leadership role in this innovation push and has named optimization as the most likely application for consumers and organizations alike.

Honeywell expects to release what it calls the “world’s most powerful quantum computer” for applications like fraud detection, optimization for trading strategies, security, machine learning, and chemistry and materials science.

Jun 9, 2021

Age Resetting Genes Going to Human Studies in Two Years

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, genetics, neuroscience

David Sinclair is a geneticist at Harvard and author of Lifespan.

Nature – Reversal of biological clock restores vision in old mice

Continue reading “Age Resetting Genes Going to Human Studies in Two Years” »