http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A forthcoming article in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology reveals shifts in the mechanisms bats use to regulate metabolism throughout their seasonal activity period. http://phys.org/news285263623.html Biology Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:40:01 EST news285263623 (Phys.org) —Living in colder climates in the US is more energy demanding than living in warmer climates. This is according to Dr Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan, who has published new research today, 28 March, in Environmental Research Letters. http://phys.org/news283629553.html Technology Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:00:03 EST news283629553 (Phys.org)—Neither smooth nor disordered, gamma-alumina nanoparticles are corrugated with tiny pores inside, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Using a powerful transmission electron microscope, the team obtained ultrahigh-resolution images and chemical data about the particle's surface. They found that the particles were covered with ridges made from a more open, yet symmetrical, arrangement of atoms. The open arrangement on the surfaces, notated as (110), covers 70% of the nanoparticle.  http://phys.org/news278666806.html Nanotechnology Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:50:08 EST news278666806 (Phys.org)—Copper is one of the world's most widely used metals. Now researchers at the University of Dundee have found that blackening copper using industry-standard lasers could make it even more adaptable and efficient. http://phys.org/news277555639.html Physics Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:47:28 EST news277555639 (Phys.org)—As world food and energy demands grow, nations and some corporations increasingly are looking to acquire quality agricultural land for food production. Some nations are gaining land by buying up property – and accompanying water resources – in other, generally less wealthy countries. http://phys.org/news277548214.html Space & Earth Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:50:06 EST news277548214 The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created an energy analysis tool to help individuals and educators experiment with future energy use scenarios. The interactive Buildings, Industry, Transportation, Electricity, and Transportation Scenarios (BITES) allows users to explore how changes in energy demand and supply can impact carbon dioxide emissions and the current U.S. energy trajectory. http://phys.org/news277481438.html Technology Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:10:46 EST news277481438 (Phys.org)—Producing sustainable energy demands materials with specific physical and chemical properties that are controlled by the size and electrical charge of small metal particles, and scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered how to precisely control both properties. Solid catalysts are typically made of tiny metal clusters dispersed on a supporting material. To more effectively distribute the clusters on the support, a layer of "stringy" molecules may be used to tether the clusters to the surface. The PNNL team found that the properties of these strings control the number of charges carried by the catalytic clusters dispersed on top of the layer. http://phys.org/news276511434.html Nanotechnology Fri, 04 Jan 2013 08:44:01 EST news276511434 The most important factor affecting the likelihood of limiting climate change to internationally agreed targets is when people start to do something about it, according new research from IIASA, ETH Zurich, and other institutions. http://phys.org/news276347446.html Space & Earth Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:00:04 EST news276347446 With natural gas production rising, engineers and scientists are seeking ways to convert methane into useful chemicals. A finding in Nature Chemistry suggests a pathway. http://phys.org/news275238487.html Chemistry Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:08:15 EST news275238487 University of Notre Dame researcher Robert Nerenberg can tell you many things you might not know about wastewater treatment plants, including their significant carbon footprint, energy demands and chemical costs. His past research has addressed ways to drastically improve the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment. He now is telling the wastewater treatment industry about his promising new line of research that has the capability of significantly decreasing chemical costs and carbon footprint. http://phys.org/news272301420.html Space & Earth Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:17:38 EST news272301420 Rising energy demands and environmental concerns have intensified the search for valuable energy resources. As myriad public and private entities pursue increased efficiency, reliable renewable energy or unconventional fossil fuel reserves, a young researcher at DOE's Idaho National Laboratory is focused on recycling. http://phys.org/news270202912.html Technology Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:23:47 EST news270202912 (Phys.org)—In order to meet increasing energy demands, power companies have the option of adding new power lines to the existing grid. But in a new study, researchers have found that, contrary to common intuition, adding certain new power lines may cause power outages across the grid due to desynchronization. This finding is an example of Braess's paradox, which was originally discovered in traffic networks to show that adding a road to a congested traffic network may counterintuitively increase overall driving time. This study is the first time that Braess's paradox has been found in oscillator networks. http://phys.org/news270177806.html Physics Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:30:01 EST news270177806 US emissions of carbon dioxide blamed for climate change fell in 2011 and have slipped to a 20-year low this year as the the world's largest economy uses more natural gas and less coal, data shows. http://phys.org/news264428311.html Space & Earth Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:30:01 EST news264428311 Researchers from the University of Southampton have devised a novel method for forming virtual power plants to provide renewable energy production in the UK. http://phys.org/news262437567.html Technology Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:19:33 EST news262437567 As energy demands rise, materials scientists are increasingly interested in developing longer-lasting materials for use in the next generation of advanced nuclear and fusion reactors. However, before researchers can think about the big picture, they have to see what's happening with these materials on the atomic level. http://phys.org/news258706175.html Physics Tue, 12 Jun 2012 07:49:49 EST news258706175 Concerns over increasing global energy demand and the environmental impacts of fossil fuels are motivating the world’s researchers to try to develop alternative, renewable sources of energy. http://phys.org/news256799262.html Chemistry Mon, 21 May 2012 06:08:01 EST news256799262 During the massive oil spill from the ruptured Deepwater Horizon well in 2010, it seemed at first like there might be a quick fix: a containment dome lowered onto the broken pipe to capture the flow so it could be pumped to the surface and disposed of properly. But that attempt quickly failed, because the dome almost instantly became clogged with frozen methane hydrate. http://phys.org/news253374294.html Chemistry Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:30:01 EST news253374294 Scientists working as part of the Metrology for Energy Harvesting Project have developed a new model to deliver the maximum power output for piezoelectric energy harvesters. http://phys.org/news249907345.html Physics Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:42:52 EST news249907345 The global energy demand is still increasing. However, today's concepts for power generation aren't able to deliver the amount of electricity, which is needed in the future. Dr. Fabio La Mantia, junior group leader of the "Semiconductor and Energy Conversion"-group (Center for Electrochemical Sciences) of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, is working on a solution for the problem. http://phys.org/news249560757.html Technology Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:26:11 EST news249560757 Energy efficiency experts at the University of East Anglia (UEA) are calling for ambitious new targets to reduce energy demand across the European Union. http://phys.org/news249541872.html Technology Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:11:20 EST news249541872 The current global energy crisis means that sustainability now supplants necessity as the mother of all invention. Concordia University's Georgios Vatistas, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, has taken this adage to heart with his reinvention of an industrial staple: the heat exchanger. http://phys.org/news248538897.html Technology Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:50:03 EST news248538897 Today's "locavore" movement with its emphasis on eating more locally-produced food is a natural fit for fruits and vegetables in nearly every region, but few entrepreneurs have dared to apply the concept to fish farming. Those who have ventured to turn a vacant barn or garage into an aquaculture business have too often been defeated by high energy and feed costs, building-related woes and serious environmental problems, says aquaculture researcher Andy Danylchuk at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. http://phys.org/news248031336.html Technology Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:37:12 EST news248031336 (AP) -- Britain says coastlines, wildlife and even the nation's most famous dish are under threat from climate change in its first-ever national assessment of likely risks. http://phys.org/news246785758.html Space & Earth Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:36:11 EST news246785758 More than half of all carbon pollution released into the atmosphere comes from five countries, according to a national ranking of greenhouse gas emissions released Thursday. http://phys.org/news241968725.html Space & Earth Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:32:28 EST news241968725 (PhysOrg.com) -- Making wind and solar energy reliable parts of the nation's power grid means storing energy when it is created and discharging it when needed. Vanadium redox flow batteries could be the storage solution. However, an internal membrane's cost and performance has hampered widespread use. Currently, the thin Nafion membrane is responsible for 11% of the entire battery's cost. Research on replacing or refining this membrane was examined by Dr. Birgit Schwenzer and her peers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Their review appears in a special edition of ChemSusChem, a top 20 multidisciplinary chemistry journal. http://phys.org/news240579644.html Chemistry Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:00:01 EST news240579644 A team at Stanford's School of Engineering has demonstrated an ultrafast nanoscale light emitting diode (LED) that is orders of magnitude lower in power consumption than today's laser-based systems and able to transmit data at 10 billion bits per second. The researchers say it is a major step forward in providing a practical ultrafast, low-power light sources for on-chip computer data transmission. http://phys.org/news240578912.html Physics Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:28:54 EST news240578912 The Republic of Congo has embarked on a vast tree-planting programme to guard against the twin scourges of deforestation and soil degradation that plague many African states. http://phys.org/news240388664.html Space & Earth Sun, 13 Nov 2011 06:37:51 EST news240388664 The world faces a "dire" future unless a complete change of course is made to deal with the huge problem of surging energy demand, the International Energy Agency warned on Wednesday. http://phys.org/news238249563.html Technology Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:26:14 EST news238249563 A Chilean court on Thursday overturned a three-month suspension of a project to build a giant hydroelectric dam complex in the Patagonian wilderness, which environmentalists say will destroy a unique habitat. http://phys.org/news237179557.html Space & Earth Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:12:53 EST news237179557 (PhysOrg.com) -- Over 80% of the worlds energy demands continue to be met with fossil fuels. The environmental problems associated with this, such as global warming, are well-known. The efficient supply of energy based on renewable resources is becoming more pressing. Hydrogen technology, which involves the production of hydrogen from biomass for use in electricity production in fuel cells, is a very promising approach. http://phys.org/news236434369.html Chemistry Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:40:01 EST news236434369