Researchers from Griffith University’s Centre for Quantum Dynamics and the Australian Attosecond Science Facility in Australia used the country's fastest camera to capture the moment when the bond between two atoms is broken, which could lead to the design of new molecules for materials science or drug discovery. The research, published in Nature Communications, used the camera to measure, in real-time, the time that it takes as well as the distance between the two atoms, when the bond is broken, and found that is takes an amazing 15 million billionths of a second at a distance of half a billionth of a metre. To find out more check out Observing electron localization in a dissociating H2+ molecule in real time.
They're taking the urine!
Scientists have taken a significant step forward in developing a technology that not only uses urine to generate electricity, but can also kill pathogens in wastewater, according to research published in PLOS One. The emerging biotechnology uses fuel cells with microorganisms that feed on urine to generate electricity. A team from the University of the West of England in the UK in collaboration with Oxfam has already demonstrated that it's possible to rig a urinal with cheap urine-powered fuel cells to generate enough electricity for the cubicle lighting. But if it can also kill pathogens in wastewater, it opens up a host of other potential uses, including routine installation in off-grid areas of the world where municipal resources for cleaning waste are in short supply. To find out more check out Urine disinfection and in situ pathogen killing using a Microbial Fuel Cell cascade system.
Deadly heatwaves
Around a third of the world's population is currently exposed to deadly heat for 20 days or more a year, and without action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions the risk will increase substantially as the world warms, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change. Scientists from the UK and US reviewed papers published between 1980-2014, identifying 783 cases relating to heat deaths from 164 cities in 36 countries, and concluded that, by 2100, around three-quarters of humanity could be exposed to deadly temperatures, but large cuts to emissions could reduce the threat to around half. To find out more check out Global risk of deadly heat.
Painting a cleaner energy future
Using paint to generate clean energy could revolutionise the way we produce sustainable, green energy, according to a study published in ACS Nano, a journal of the American Chemical Society. The technology, developed by researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, combines the titanium oxide already used in many wall paints with synthetic molybdenum sulphide, which acts like the silica gel packaging by absorbing moisture to prevent damage to products. The paint absorbs solar energy and moisture from the surrounding air, and then splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, collecting the hydrogen for use in a fuel cell or to power a vehicle. To find out more check out Surface Water Dependent Properties of Sulfur-Rich Molybdenum Sulfides: Electrolyteless Gas Phase Water Splitting.
Melting the size of Texas on West Antarctic ice sheet
Researchers from America and Australia have reported a recent melting event on the surface of West Antarctica of 777,000 square kilometres — an area larger than Texas, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The event lasted for 15 days and took place on the surface of the Ross Ice Shelf — the largest floating ice platform on Earth — in the Antarctic summer of 2016. The surface melting combined with ocean-driven melting, could further compromise the West Antarctica, which contains enough water to raise sea levels by three metres, and could be a harbinger of future events as the planet continues to warm. To find out more go to January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño.
Using tattoos to monitor health
Researchers from MIT and Harvard Medical School have developed a colour-changing tattoo that responds to changes in the body, such as blood sugar and sodium levels, and could be a revolutionary new way to monitor health. The project, called DermalAbyss, uses a tattoo made from a liquid infused with biosensors instead of traditional ink, turning human skin into an "interactive display." The team has developed three different kinds of inks that change colour in response to changes in interstitial fluid — the liquid that flows around and between our cells, and comprises 16 percent of our body weight. So far, the most interesting of the three inks can measure glucose levels, which change colour from blue to brown as blood sugar levels rise and could be used diabetics, who currently have to rely on blood tests throughout the day to monitor their glucose levels. To find out more go to DermalAbyss: Possibilities of Biosensors as a Tattooed Interface.
New form of carbon as hard as rock, and more flexible than rubber
By heating carbon to 1,000 degrees Celsius, and putting it under 250,000 times normal atmospheric pressure, a team of Chinese and American scientists has produced a form of carbon that is incredibly strong and super-flexible that could be used in everything from exoskeletons to spaceships, according to a study published in Science Advances. Called 'compressed glassy carbon,' it's more elastic than organic rubber and silica, and around five times stronger than many common metals and alloys; properties that come from the graphite- and diamond-like bonds, and layers of graphene, which give it both softness and strength. To find out more go to Compressed glassy carbon: An ultrastrong and elastic interpenetrating graphene network.
Synthetic photosynthesis could lead to greener energy
A team of chemists from the Brookhaven National Laboratory and Virginia Tech in the US, have taken a step forward in using synthetic photosynthesis to produce clean energy, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The researchers built two supramolecules — substances that are assembled from a number of molecular subunits or components — made from light-harvesting ruthenium ions attached to a central catalyst of rhodium ions. Photosynthesis is one of nature's most efficient processes, producing oxygen as well the nutrients and energy required for plants to grow. Replicating photosynthesis will allow scientists to not only produce clean energy, but also to remove carbon dioxide from the air. To find out more go to Tetra- and Heptametallic Ru(II),Rh(III) Supramolecular Hydrogen Production Photocatalysts.
Modern humans just got 100,000 years older
The fossil remains — including teeth, skulls, and long bones — of at least five individuals have been uncovered at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco, pushing back the age of the first Homo sapiens by 100,000 years, according to a study published in the journal Nature. An international team of archeologists dated the fossil remains to around 300,000 years ago, and point toward important changes in our biology and behaviour that took place across most of Africa. Until now, the oldest dated Homo sapiens fossils were from a site at Omo Kibish in Ethiopia, and were dated to 195,000 years ago. To find out more go to The age of the hominin fossils from Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, and the origins of the Middle Stone Age.
Just a couple of drinks a day could cause damage to your brain
Just a couple of beers, or glasses of wine, a day maybe enough to damage your brain, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal. The study suggests that even moderate drinking of 14 - 21 units a week could adversely affect the brain, impairing memory and cognitive capabilities, for people over 30 years. Researchers from the University of Oxford and University College London, used data on weekly alcohol consumption and cognitive performance measured repeatedly from 1985 to 2015 for 550 men and women with an average of age of 43 — referred to as a longitudinal study. After adjusting for factors (called confounding), such as age, sex, education, social class, physical and social activity, smoking, stroke risk and medical history, that could have influenced the results, they found that higher alcohol consumption over the 30 year period of the study was associated with increased risk from brain damage that affects memory and spatial navigation. To find out more go to Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline: longitudinal cohort study.