Science Pulse

The upper-left schematic illustrates the flow of a zinc-air battery (ZAB). The iron-cobalt-nickel (Fe-Co-Ni) electrocatalyst (upper right) speeds both the charging and discharging of the ZAB compared to binary metal electrocatalysts or noble metals platinum and ruthenium, which occurs through the oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction, respectively. The diagram in the lower left illustrates the assembly of the ZAB with a flexible solid-state carbon dot/polyvinyl alcohol (CD/PVA) electrolyte that is ideal for wearable technologies. The lower-right panel shows the ZAB with the ternary Fe-Co-Ni electrocatalyst charging a cell phone. Credit: Nano Research Energy, Tsinghua University Press The effective conversion from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy sources requires cost-efficient, high-capacity, rechargeable batteries. Zinc-air batteries (ZAB) can theoretically store large amounts of energy, but current technologies require th...

Millions of Very Hungry Caterpillars Are Munching Their Way through U.S. Forests Drought is facilitating the devastating spread of spongy moth caterpillars across U.S. forests By Zoya Teirstein & Grist Lymantria dispar caterpillar. This is the larva of the Spongy Moth, an invasive species in America. Antje Schulte — Insects/Alamy Stock Photo Take a few steps into a leafy forest in New York’s Hudson Valley, close your eyes, and listen: That’s not the sound of rain, it’s millions of caterpillars chewing and pooping. On a clear spring day, the pitter-patter of spongy moth caterpillars eating their way through oak, maple, crab apple, basswood, and aspen trees can be heard over the sound of birds singing. Bits of green leaves litter the ground like confetti — evidence of the insatiable chewing taking place in the canopy above. Hundreds of caterpillars bob on long, wispy silk threads, waiting for a breeze to carry them to a new tree. The Northeast and Midwest are enduring what is, ...

A picture of a chicken heart with fluorescent nanoplastics. Credits: Wang et al (2024) Nanoplastics can accumulate in developing hearts, according to a study published in Environment International by biologist Meiru Wang from Leiden University. Her research on chicken embryos sheds new light on how these tiny plastic particles pose a threat to our health. Disposable cups, plastic bags and packaging material: Plastics exposed to the elements become brittle over time, and start shedding small particles from their surface into nature. These particles can be as tiny as only a few nanometers in size. You can find these nanoplastics everywhere now: in the sea, in the soil, in the food chain.… «And in our blood,» says Wang. «Nanoplastics have even been found in human placentas.» This prompted Wang to think: What happens when those nanoplastics end up in the blood of the embryo? «During an earlier study, we discovered th...

The novel double-walled nanotube structure developed in this study can absorb electron donor molecules and maintain its crystalline nature during electron transfer, thus facilitating electron transfer observation. Credit: Junpei Yuasa, Tokyo University of Science Electron transfer (ET) is a process in which an electron is transferred from one atom or molecule to another. ET is fundamental to electrochemical reactions with applications in many fields. Nanoscale ET, which involves the transfer of electrons in the range of 1–100 nanometers in solids, is fundamental to the design of multifunctional materials. However, this process is not yet clearly understood. Nanotubes, nanomaterials with unique cylindrical nanostructures, offer a variety of ET properties that can be realized through electron and hole (vacant spaces left by electrons) injections into the nanotubes, making them a suitable candidate for studying nanoscale ET. Although carbon...

This piece is part of Scientific American’s column The Science of Parenting. For more, go here . In February, a group of middle school students in Beverly Hills victimized 16 classmates by sharing deepfaked nude images of them using artificial intelligence. In New Jersey, boys at one high school reportedly targeted more than 30 girls before school officials found out. Schools and families are grappling with online apps that allow someone to turn an ordinary clothed photo into a fake nude image. The incidents in California and New Jersey are two of many involving teens, technology and unforeseen legal ramifications. While parents and school officials generally know that a teenager taking or sharing a nude image of another child is an offense, many do not understand that making and sharing fake pornographic images from clothed pictures of real kids is a federal crime, and a slew of “nudify” or “undress” apps makes it easy for a teenager with a phone to break the law. The apps use ar...

The small cages, with an internal cavity 1–4 nanometers in length, can be tuned to house drugs of different sizes—including chemotherapy drugs and antibiotics. Credit: Dr. Charlie McTernan, King’s College London and the Francis Crick Institute A new method of drug delivery using proline, an amino acid found in chicken feathers and skin tissue, could be used to limit the side effects of chemotherapy and repair important enzymes, new research suggests. Published in the journal Chem , researchers have designed a cage (a box made of single molecules) from biologically-compatible peptides, short amino acids that form the basis of proteins. These cages can house drugs of different sizes and transport them in the body with high levels of precision. The negative side effects associated with chemotherapy, such as hair loss and nerve damage, are a result of «off-site toxicity,» where the treatment kills healthy cells surrounding tum...