Physics can get real strange on the microscopic level. For tiny creatures living on this scale, these eccentricities are what allow them to thrive despite their size—including a worm that researchers dub as one of the “smallest, best jumpers in the world.” For a recent paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers […]
Stressed Ice Generates Electricity, Researchers Find
Don’t mess with ice. When it’s stressed, ice can get seriously sparky. Scientists have discovered that ordinary ice—the same substance found in iced coffee or the frosty sprinkle on mountaintops—is imbued with remarkable electromechanical properties. Ice is flexoelectric, so when it’s bent, stretched, or twisted, it can generate electricity, according to a Nature Physics paper […]
Air Conditioners Can Actually Support the Power Grid. Here’s How
As summer arrives, people are turning on air conditioners in most of the U.S. But if you’re like me, you always feel a little guilty about that. Past generations managed without air conditioning – do I really need it? And how bad is it to use all this electricity for cooling in a warming world? […]
Trump’s EPA Plans to Ditch Emission Limits on Power Plants
The United States was making solid progress on decarbonizing its energy sector. Time to hit rewind on that. According to a report from the New York Times, the Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration has drafted a plan that would eliminate all caps on greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants. The […]
This Slime Generates Electricity When Squeezed
Slime isn’t just for kids’ TV shows anymore—it could be the next breakthrough straight out of sci-fi. Researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada have developed “slime” that produces electricity when compressed, and its potential applications range from clean energy production to medical products. Think elementary school slime project, but on steroids. Their work […]