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Category: sustainability – Page 3

What can a moon’s tidal friction teach us about its formation and evolution? This is what a recent study published in Science Advances hopes to address as a team of researchers at the University of California Santa Cruz investigated a connection between the spin rate and tidal energy on Saturn’s moon, Titan, to determine more about Titan’s interior. This study has the potential to help researchers better understand the internal processes of Titan, leading to better constraints on the existence of a subsurface ocean.

For the study, the researchers used a combination of data obtained by NASA’s now-retired Cassini spacecraft and a series of mathematical calculations to determine Titan’s tidal dissipation, which is the amount of tidal energy lost in an object from friction and other processes, and for which the only moons in the solar system this has been successfully been accomplished being the Earth’s Moon and Jupiter’s volcanic moon, Io. Better understanding a moon’s tidal dissipation helps researchers better understand its formation and evolution, which the researchers successfully estimated for Titan.

“Tidal dissipation in satellites affects their orbital and rotational evolution and their ability to maintain subsurface oceans,” said Dr. Brynna Downey, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado and lead author of the study. “Now that we have an estimate for the strength of tides on Titan, what does it tell us about how quickly the orbit is changing? What we discovered is that it’s changing very quickly on a geologic timescale.”

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Researchers have been working for decades to understand the architecture of the subatomic world. One of the knottier questions has been where the proton gets its intrinsic angular momentum, otherwise referred to as its spin.

Nuclear physicists surmise that the proton’s spin most likely comes from its constituents: quarks bound together by gluons carrying the strong force. But the details of the quark and gluon contributions have remained elusive.

Now, a new investigation from an international collaboration of physicists compiles evidence from observational results and analysis using lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) to present a compelling argument regarding how much of the proton’s spin comes from its gluons.

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Join Jay Leno in this exclusive episode of Jay Leno’s Garage as we take a first drive and an in-depth tour of the revolutionary 2026 Tesla Model Y! Packed with cutting-edge features, including matrix headlights, improved aerodynamics, and a luxurious, all-new interior, this is Tesla’s most advanced SUV yet. Learn directly from Tesla’s lead designers and engineers about the innovations that make this Model Y a game-changer.

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Excitons, encountered in technologies like solar cells and TVs, are quasiparticles formed by an electron and a positively charged “hole,” moving together in a semiconductor. Created when an electron is excited to a higher energy state, excitons transfer energy without carrying a net charge. While their behavior in traditional semiconductors is well understood, excitons act differently in organic semiconductors.

Recent research led by condensed matter physicist Ivan Biaggio focuses on understanding the mechanisms behind dynamics, quantum entanglement, and dissociation in organic molecular crystals.

The paper is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

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Altilium has filed a patent application for its proprietary EcoCathode™ recycling process, underlining its technical leadership in the UK and its commitment to establishing a national champion for EV battery recycling.

The patent provides a process, apparatus and system for recovering battery metals (such as cobalt, manganese, nickel and lithium) and graphite, and the production of battery precursors and battery-ready cathode active materials (CAM), from black mass (comprising a mixed feed of critical compounds or elements).

Through microstructure reengineering, Altilium’s EcoCathode™ process represents a significant stride in clean technology and sustainable EV battery recycling in the UK. Recovering over 95% of crucial metals from old EV batteries, the technology will contribute to a sustainable domestic supply of battery raw materials, reducing carbon emissions by over 50% and reducing the cost of CAM by more than 20% compared to conventional virgin mining practices.

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Evolution is traditionally associated with a process of increasing complexity and gaining new genes. However, the explosion of the genomic era shows that gene loss and simplification is a much more frequent process in the evolution of species than previously thought, and may favor new biological adaptations that facilitate the survival of living organisms.

This evolutionary driver, which seems counter-intuitive—” less is more” in genetic terms—now reveals a surprising dimension that responds to the new evolutionary concept of “less, but more,” i.e., the phenomenon of massive gene losses followed by large expansions through gene duplications.

This is one of the main conclusions of an article published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, led by a team from the Genetics Section of the Faculty of Biology and the Institute for Research on Biodiversity (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona, in which teams from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have also participated.

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Synaptic vesicles (SVs) store and transport neurotransmitters to the presynaptic active zone for release by exocytosis. After release, SV proteins and excess membrane are recycled via endocytosis, and new SVs can be formed in a clathrin-dependent manner. This process maintains complex molecular composition of SVs through multiple recycling rounds. Previous studies explored the molecular composition of SVs through proteomic analysis and fluorescent microscopy, proposing a model for an average SV. However, the structural heterogeneity and molecular architecture of individual SVs are not well described. Here, we used cryoelectron tomography to visualize molecular details of SVs isolated from mouse brains and inside cultured neurons. We describe several classes of small proteins on the SV surface and long proteinaceous densities inside SVs.

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“The standardization of water-based propulsion is in fact a fundamental step forward to make space technologies more accessible and sustainable, also paving the way for other possible applications,” the researchers concluded.

Several developments have taken place to enhance the efficiency of space propulsion technologies. Recently, scientists tested reflective sails that use the pressure from lasers or starlight to propel spacecraft.

Besides, scientists are also investigating the concept of antimatter rocket propulsion technology to make deep space exploration viable.

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Mercedes-Benz recently presented a brand new solar paint technology that aims to improve an EV’s driving range through the use of solar power. In the best-case scenario, this novel evolution could probably enable EVs to produce sufficient electrical energy for about 20,000 km (12,427 miles) of yearly driving.

The Science Behind Mercedes Solar Paint

Solar paint is a new Mercedes-Benz innovation that embeds highly efficient photovoltaic plates into the car’s body. Unlike ordinary solar panels, commonly seen on rooftops, or as accessories, this paint facilitates conversion of sunlight into electricity without needing to change the car’s appearance. These are tiny photovoltaic cells that are embedded in paint to capture sunlight and convert it to electricity that is needed to recharge the electric vehicle’s battery.

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