Dutch scientists discover tin-based solar breakthrough that keeps hot electrons 1,000 times longer than current panels, changing the future of solar power

Dutch scientists discover tin-based solar breakthrough that keeps hot electrons 1,000 times longer than current panels, changing the future of solar power

Scientists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands have discovered how tin-based perovskite materials allow hot electrons to retain their excess energy for around 1,000 times longer than expected, a finding that could shape the future of solar power. The researchers found that two physical effects, the hot phonon bottleneck and the Burstein–Moss effect, … Read more

Yellow-bellied venomous sea snake returns to California beach after 8 years; rare reappearance after 2018 gives scientists clues about the species’ changing Pacific range

Yellow-bellied venomous sea snake returns to California beach after 8 years; rare reappearance after 2018 gives scientists clues about the species’ changing Pacific range

Yellow-bellied sea snake Representative image by Canva A yellow-bellied sea snake has washed ashore on an Orange County beach, marking the first reported appearance of the venomous species in California since 2018. The rare sighting took place at Crystal Cove, according to video footage cited by the Los Angeles Times. The snake’s return has drawn … Read more

Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands have been a national lakeshore since 1970; a new proposal would turn the 21-island chain into a national park without changing federal ownership

Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands have been a national lakeshore since 1970; a new proposal would turn the 21-island chain into a national park without changing federal ownership

Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands Representative image by Canva On the southern shore of Lake Superior, a scattered archipelago of 21 islands rises from the cold, clear water, crowned with pine forests, sandstone cliffs and historic lighthouses. Since 1970, these Apostle Islands have been protected as a national lakeshore, managed by the National Park Service to balance … Read more

Australia planted eucalyptus trees to fight rising soil salinity; decades later scientists found the plantations were changing groundwater but not the soil nature

Australia planted eucalyptus trees to fight rising soil salinity; decades later scientists found the plantations were changing groundwater but not the soil nature

Eucalyptus cladocalyx ‘nana’. Image Credit: ERA Nurseries Australia planted eucalyptus trees to fight rising soil salinity, hoping that thirsty, deep-rooted vegetation could help control the groundwater processes behind the problem. A long-running experiment in south-western Australia later showed that the effects of such plantations were more complicated than simply planting trees and waiting for the … Read more

Scientists discover how snails turn mucus into five different materials using calcium, collagen VI and changing protein levels

Scientists discover how snails turn mucus into five different materials using calcium, collagen VI and changing protein levels

PC: By Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Snails may move slowly, but the mucus they produce is far more sophisticated than it looks. It has been revealed how grove snails can fine-tune this sticky substance for different purposes. Researchers identified five distinct mucus-based materials, each with its own mechanical properties and function. One helps the snails … Read more

Extreme drought is changing Britain’s wildlife – some effects won’t be seen until next year

Extreme drought is changing Britain’s wildlife – some effects won’t be seen until next year

Ormskirk , While wildfires dominated the headlines this summer, the effects of extreme heat and drought are also visible on a much smaller scale: parched lawns, wilting and browning trees and dry ditches and bogs. These changes may look temporary, but for wildlife they can have consequences that last long after the rain returns. Extreme … Read more

This food package can tell when meat is spoiling by changing colour from purple-red to yellow-green before the damage is obvious

This food package can tell when meat is spoiling by changing colour from purple-red to yellow-green before the damage is obvious

A packet of meat can look fresh on the supermarket shelf even while bacteria are already multiplying inside. By the time a spoiled smell, discolouration or slimy texture becomes obvious, indicating that the meat has gone stale, the food may no longer be safe to eat.To find a solution to this, researchers at Kyushu University … Read more