National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Smaller, cheaper battery’s energy density exceeds other flow batteries Ensuring the power grid keeps the lights on in large cities could be easier with a new battery design that packs far more energy than any other battery of its kind and size. The new zinc-polyiodide redox flow battery, described in Nature Communications, uses an electrolyte

Could see a reduction in costs to society of 38 percent through a sharp cut in associated health-care and climate-change costs. Refrigerating coal-plant emissions would reduce levels of dangerous chemicals that pour into the air — including carbon dioxide by more than 90 percent — at a cost of 25 percent efficiency, according to a

Microplastics contaminate the world’s surface waters, yet scientists have only just begun to explore their presence in groundwater systems. A new study is the first to report microplastics in fractured limestone aquifers – a groundwater source that accounts for 25 percent of the global drinking water supply. The study identified microplastic fibers, along with a

Narayana Hrudayalaya, a pioneer in low-cost cardiac care, is building a chain of hospitals that will carry out heart surgeries at the cheapest rates in the world, buttressing India’s reputation as the Meccafor frugal innovation. A series of design and operational advancements, ranging from construction techniques to post-operative care, will mean that an open heart surgery can be performed for as

A University of California, Berkeley, research team led by Ronald Rael, an associate professor of architecture, will unveil today (Friday, March 6) the first and largest powder-based 3-D-printed cement structure built to date. The debut of this groundbreaking project is a demonstration of the architectural potential of 3-D printing. It will close the fifth annual

A system that uses a laser and electrical current to precisely position and align carbon nanotubes represents a potential new tool for creating electronic devices out of the tiny fibers. Because carbon nanotubes have unique thermal and electrical properties, they may have future applications in electronic cooling and as devices in microchips, sensors and circuits.

Polymers Fluoresce in the Presence of Bacteria Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed polymers that fluoresce in the presence of bacteria, paving the way for the rapid detection and assessment of wound infection using ultra-violet light. When contained in a gel and applied to a wound, the level of fluorescence detected will alert

Kids learn better with a friend. They’re more enthusiastic and understand more if they dig into a subject with a companion. But what if that companion is artificial? Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have built a robot, named Minnie, to serve as a reading buddy to middle school kids, and Minnie’s new friends grew

Ingestible electronic devices could monitor physiological conditions or deliver drugs. Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have designed and demonstrated a small voltaic cell that is sustained by the acidic fluids in the stomach. The system can generate enough power to run small sensors or drug delivery devices that can reside in the