In a breakthrough with promising real-world applications, a team of Rutgers biophysicists, bioengineers, and plant biologists has captured the first live images.
In a groundbreaking study, researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick have captured continuous, 24-hour images of cellulose synthesis, the process by which plant cell walls are built, using living plant cells. This marks the first time the dynamic process of cell-wall construction has been observed in real time, offering critical insights that could lead to the development of more resilient crops, enhanced food production, and lower-cost biofuels.
CityWave, a 459-foot-long solar canopy, is set to become one of the world’s largest urban rooftop photovoltaic installations in Milan’s CityLife district.
Purdue University researchers have developed a new type of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial called a tungsten carbide MXene. This small but mighty material could be used to produce hydrogen fuel for electric vehicles, possibly becoming the key to a more reliable future.
Using the radial velocity method, an international team of astronomers has discovered a new extrasolar planet orbiting a nearby star known as GI 410. The newfound alien world was classified as a sub-Neptune exoplanet with a mass of at least 8.4 Earth masses. The discovery was reported April 4 on the pre-print server arXiv.
The radial velocity (RV) method of detecting an exoplanet is based on the detection of variations in the velocity of the central star, due to the changing direction of the gravitational pull from an unseen exoplanet as it orbits the star. Thanks to this technique, more than 600 exoplanets have been detected so far.
Now, a group of astronomers led by Andres Carmona of the Grenoble Alpes University in France reports another exoplanet detection using the RV technique. The discovery was made with the SPIRou near-infrared spectropolarimeter at the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). The observations were complemented by data from the optical velocimeter SOPHIE at the Haute-Provence Observatory.
Industrial farming practices often deplete the soil of important nutrients and minerals, leaving farmers to rely on artificial fertilizers to support plant growth. In fact, fertilizer use has more than quadrupled since the 1960s, but this comes with serious consequences. Fertilizer production consumes massive amounts of energy, and its use pollutes the water, air, and land.
Plant biologists at the Salk Institute are proposing a new solution to help kick this unsustainable fertilizer habit.
In a new study, the researchers identified a key molecule produced by plant roots, a small peptide called CLE16, that encourages plants and beneficial soil fungi to interact with each other. They say boosting this symbiotic relationship, in which the fungi provide mineral nutrients to the plants through CLE16 supplementation, could be a more natural and sustainable way to encourage crop growth without the use of harmful artificial fertilizers.
Although air pollution is associated with worse cognitive performance, whether these relationships differ by cognitive domain and which sources of air pollution are particularly detrimental to cognition remains understudied. This study examined associations between cognitive scores across three domains in older adults and 8–10 years of exposure to air pollutants (NO2, total PM2.5, and PM2.5 from different emission sources).
Methods.
We used data from the 2018 Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol sub-study of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N=1,127). Outdoor concentrations of each pollutant were estimated for 2008÷10−2017 and summarised using means and group-based trajectories. Linear regression models were used to assess long-term air pollution exposure relationships with memory, executive function, language, and global cognitive function after adjustment for key individual and neighbourhood-level confounders.
🏭 Q: What upgrades are needed for the grid to handle increased energy demand by 2050? A: The grid needs to be upgraded to handle tripled energy throughput by 2050, requiring more power plants, wires, transformers, and substations to support increased demand from EVs, heat pumps, and AI. Innovative Charging Solutions.
🔋 Q: How do Electric Era’s charging stations reduce grid capacity requirements? A: Electric Era’s charging stations with batteries buffer the load, reducing grid capacity requirements by 70% and allowing for faster deployment in better locations like retail amenities and gas station parking lots.
⏱️ Q: What capabilities do Electric Era’s charging stations offer for energy management? A: Electric Era’s stations offer time of use charging and virtual power plant capabilities, storing energy upstream and providing the best time of use pricing to customers, making them more efficient and cost-effective. Energy Storage and Distribution.
☀️ Q: How can the “duck curve” phenomenon be addressed? A: The duck curve can be solved by building extra energy storage to store excess electrons, such as Tesla’s 10–12 GWh deployed last quarter and Electric Era’s smaller storage at more localized locations.
🔌 Q: What is the transformer scarcity problem and how can it be addressed? A: Transformers are being hoarded due to scarcity and strategic importance, exacerbating grid infrastructure issues. A strategic transformer reserve is needed to address this problem, according to Quincy from Electric Era. ## ## Key Insights ## Grid Infrastructure Challenges.
🔌 The 130-year-old grid infrastructure is antiquated and breaking apart, making it expensive and challenging to upgrade for increased energy demand.
La Seine Musicale, the striking concert hall in Paris, is feed by solar energy thanks to the solar panels placed on its structure, creating photovoltaic sound.
Ukrainian startup SorbiForce said they’ve created the world’s first sustainable battery using four key ingredients: carbon, water, salt and agricultural waste.
“With the current way energy storage systems and batteries are designed, they have really big sustainability implications for the planet,” Kevin Drolet, SorbiForce’s CMO, told pv magazine USA. He explained that material scientist Serhii Kaminskyi, SorbiForce’s CEO and co-founder, had long been bothered by those environmental ramifications.
Kaminskyi pulled together a team of experts in the late 2010s to work on solving the problem. This ultimately landed them a spot in the University of Arizona Center for Innovation startup incubator following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war through the U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology initiative.
SorbiForce, a Ukrainian energy storage company now in Arizona, has developed metal-free organic batteries made entirely from agricultural waste.
