Researchers have discovered a biological switch in blue-green algae that reacts to light, thereby altering the movement of electrons inside the cell. The new findings could help optimize biofuel production by algae.
Algae are prime targets for biofuel production. They...
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is using nature to model a more efficient catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells. The new catalyst uses an iron center with molecular chains composed of nitrogen atoms that can extract electrons from hydrogen atoms.
This...
Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) develop a new biofuel production process that generates 20 times more energy than currently known methods. The process highlights a novel use of microbes to produce ethanol and hydrogen from agricultural wastes.
Gemma Reguera,...
The Lithium-air battery technology is a promising solution to make the range of electric vehicles comparable to gasoline-powered vehicles. It has the potential to store ten times more energy than the best lithium-ion battery available in the market nowadays....
Worldwide carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise amidst threats of global warming and climate change. Records show a 3% increase in global emissions in 2011, which translates to an all-time high of 34 billion tons of CO2 released in...
Suzanne Simard, a professor at the University of British Columbia, reveals the latest findings in the realm of forestry. By studying the ecosystems in a forest, she and her team realized that trees actually communicate between them via underground...
Elon Musk, the creator of Paypal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX, does not only concern himself with space travel. He recently talks about a futuristic system of transportation he calls the ‘Hyperloop’. It is a system that never crashes, operates...
Researchers are developing an eco-routing navigation system that can extend the range of electric vehicles by at least ten percent. The system will consider real-time traffic information, road type and grade, and passenger and cargo weight.
Guoyuan Wu, from the...
Liberty Box, developed by EDS USA, offers a new kind of residential solar hot water system. It does not require installation of extra plumbing like conventional solar water heater. Instead, it uses electricity generated from photovoltaic solar panels to...
Thermal mass construction (TMC) operates on the principle that it is more energy-efficient to keep a relatively massive structure at a steady temperature than it is to manipulate the temperature of air. TMC has been hailed as the evolution...
