What is heat conduction?

Heat is an interesting form of energy. Not only does it sustain life, make us comfortable and help us prepare our food, but understanding its properties is key to many fields of scientific research. For example, knowing how ...

Solving a mystery of thermoelectrics

Materials that can be used for thermoelectric devices—those that turn a temperature difference into an electric voltage—have been known for decades. But until now there has been no good explanation for why just a few ...

Fur and feathers keep animals warm by scattering light

In work that has major implications for improving the performance of building insulation, scientists at the University of Namur in Belgium and the University of Hassan I in Morocco have calculated that hairs that reflect ...

Surviving fasting in the cold

King penguin chicks survive harsh winters with almost no food by minimising the cost of energy production. A new study, to be presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting in Valencia on the 3rd July, shows that ...

Most sustainable office in the world

In Munich, a newly erected office building, called the NuOffice, has been awarded an internationally recognised green design certification in platinum, called the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate.

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