Lifeboat Foundation

To enhance their catalytic efficiency in degrading organic pollutants, such as RB and urea, researchers further functionalized the surface of the micromotors with laccase, the bio-catalytic counterpart, for the generation of ammonia from urea. Urea is an emerging contaminant, being a common pollutant from residential activities (urea is the main component of urine) and from different industrial processes.

The chemical component laccase accelerates the conversion of urea into ammonia upon contact with contaminated water. This ammonia can be transformed into hydrogen, which is a clean and sustainable energy source.

“This is an interesting discovery. Today, water treatment plants have trouble breaking down all the urea, which can result in eutrophication when the water is released. This is a serious problem in urban areas in particular,” says Rebeca Ferrer, a PhD student from Dr. Katherine Villa’s group at ICIQ.

Ocean Eye will illuminate the hidden realms of marine biodiversity and pave the way for unprecedented insights into the ocean using lidar technology and advanced sensors.

In a groundbreaking initiative, researchers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Aarhus University spearhead the Ocean Eye project. This revolutionary undertaking aims to transform our understanding of marine biodiversity using cutting-edge optical technologies, according to a university press release.

The project utilizes a combination of hyperspectral cameras, lasers, and artificial intelligence on an autonomous vessel to gather comprehensive data on coastal waters, surpassing the limitations of traditional methods.

Continue reading “Scientists test AI laser-drone system to uncover ocean blind spots” »

From predicting EV charge times to pinpointing areas of high wildfire risk, AI is transforming our energy network.

The power grid is growing increasingly complex as more renewable energy sources come online.

The robot can help the construction industry overcome its challenges and reduce its environmental impact.

Michael Lyrenmann via Science Robotics.

A team of researchers has developed a 12-ton (approximately 2,000 pounds) autonomous robot that can construct stone walls from natural and recycled materials using advanced technologies. This could help the construction industry overcome its challenges of low productivity, high waste, and labor shortages while reducing its environmental impact and improving its sustainability.

Upon completion of Mission 1, Astrolab’s FLEX will become the largest and most capable rover to ever travel the Moon, claims the company.

Venturi Astrolab.

Continue reading “Astrolab’s lunar rover gains traction with early customers” »

Tesla has open-sourced all of the design and engineering of the original Roadster, CEO Elon Musk announced today, and plenty of people are wondering if the timing of the release has anything to do with the next-gen Roadster that is now several years behind schedule.

Tesla has opened everything from Owner’s Manuals to Circuits and Connectors for the original Roadster, which was the automaker’s first project fifteen years ago in 2008.

The vehicle was essentially a fundraising campaign for Tesla as it fought to keep its doors open and transform the passenger vehicle industry. It almost bankrupted the company, but now, everything that was developed for Tesla’s initial EV project is available for anyone to take a look at.

For the first time, researchers have succeeded in selectively exciting a molecule using a combination of two extreme-ultraviolet light sources and causing the molecule to dissociate while tracking it over time. This is another step towards specific quantum mechanical control of chemical reactions, which could enable new, previously unknown reaction channels.

The interaction of light with matter, especially with molecules, plays an important role in many areas of nature, for example in biological processes such as photosynthesis. Technologies such as solar cells use this process as well.

On the Earth’s surface, mainly light in the visible, ultraviolet or infrared regime plays a role here. Extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light—radiation with significantly more energy than visible light —is absorbed by the atmosphere and therefore does not reach the Earth’s surface. However, this XUV radiation can be produced and used in the laboratory to enable a selective excitation of electrons in molecules.

Tesla has started discounting new inventory Model Y and Model 3 vehicles again in an apparent new end-of-quarter delivery push.

While Tesla has historically often used price reductions as a way to create demand, but until recently, the automaker has refrained from straight discounts on vehicles.

That changed when Tesla started discounting new inventory vehicles earlier this year.

Ford said Tuesday it is cutting production capacity by roughly 43% to 20 gigawatt hours per year and reducing expected employment from 2,500 jobs to 1,700 jobs. The company declined to disclose how much less it would invest in the plant. Based on the reduced capacity, it would still be about a $2 billion investment.

The decision adds to a recent retreat from EVs by automakers globally. Demand for the vehicles is lower than expected due to higher costs and challenges with supply chains and battery technologies, among other issues.

Reductions at the Marshall, Michigan, plant are part of Ford’s plans announced last month to cut or delay about $12 billion in previously announced EV investments. The company will also postpone construction of another electric vehicle battery plant in Kentucky.