A new, lightweight composite material for energy storage in flexible electronics, electric vehicles and aerospace applications has been experimentally shown to store energy at operating temperatures well above current commercial polymers, according to a team of Penn State scientists. This polymer-based, ultrathin material can be produced using techniques already used in industry. “This is part…
Soil Filters Out Some Emerging Contaminants Before Reaching Groundwater
There is considerable uncertainty surrounding emerging contaminants in aquatic ecosystems and groundwater, and a recent Penn State study of compounds from pharmaceuticals and personal care products didn’t add much clarity. But it did provide insight into the transport of the chemicals, according to researchers in the College of Agricultural Sciences. The research, which was conducted…
Ancient Plankton-Like Microfossils Span 2 Continents
Large, robust, lens-shaped microfossils from the approximately 3.4 billion-year-old Kromberg Formation of the Kaapvaal Craton in eastern South Africa are not only among the oldest elaborate microorganisms known, but are also related to other intricate microfossils of the same age found in the Pilbara Craton of Australia, according to an international team of scientists. The…
Considering Cattle Could Help Eliminate Malaria in India
The goal of eliminating malaria in countries like India could be more achievable if mosquito-control efforts take into account the relationship between mosquitoes and cattle, according to an international team of researchers. “In many parts of the world, the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting malaria are specialist feeders on humans and often rest within human houses,”…
Common Crop Chemical Leaves Bees Susceptible to Deadly Viruses
A chemical that is thought to be safe and is, therefore, widely used on crops — such as almonds, wine grapes and tree fruits — to boost the performance of pesticides, makes honey bee larvae significantly more susceptible to a deadly virus, according to researchers at Penn State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “In…
New Compound Developed to Fight Cytomegalovirus
New Approach Captures the Energy of Slow Motion
A new concept in energy harvesting could capture energy currently wasted due to its characteristic low frequency and use it to power next-generation electronic devices, according to a team of Penn State materials scientists and electrical engineers. The project, funded by Samsung, designed a mechanical energy transducer based on flexible, organic, ionic diodes that points…
New Approach Captures Energy of Slow Motion
A new concept in energy harvesting could capture energy currently wasted due to its characteristic low frequency and use it to power next-generation electronic devices, according to a team of Penn State materials scientists and electrical engineers. The project, funded by Samsung, designed a mechanical energy transducer based on flexible, organic, ionic diodes that points…
Study: Corals Much Older than Previously Thought
Coral genotypes can survive for thousands of years, possibly making them the longest-lived animals in the world, according to researchers at Penn State, the National Marine Fisheries Service and Dial Cordy & Associates. The team recently determined the ages of elkhorn corals — Acropora palmata — in Florida and the Caribbean and estimated the oldest genotypes to…
Metamaterial Device Allows Chameleon-Like Behavior in the Infrared
An electric current will not only heat a hybrid metamaterial, but will also trigger it to change state and fade into the background like a chameleon in what may be the proof-of-concept of the first controllable metamaterial device, or metadevice, according to a team of engineers. “Previous metamaterials work focused mainly on cloaking objects so…
Low-Cost Sensor for Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis Based on Citrate
Using Satellite Images to Better Target Vaccination
Satellite images that capture short-term changes in population size in communities in the developing world can help vaccination campaigns achieve more complete coverage to help prevent and control disease outbreaks. A team of researchers led by Penn State scientists have combined satellite imagery, vaccination records, and measles case reports to illustrate how using predictable population…
Device Controls “Color” of Graphene’s Electrons
A device made of bilayer graphene, an atomically thin hexagonal arrangement of carbon atoms, provides experimental proof of the ability to control the momentum of electrons and offers a path to electronics that could require less energy and give off less heat than standard CMOS transistors. It is one step forward in a new field…
Coral Conservation Efforts Aided by Computer Simulation
Contrary to a prevailing theory, coral larvae could not survive the five-thousand-kilometer trip across the Pacific Ocean to replenish endangered corals in the eastern Pacific, according to new research. Researchers used a supercomputer to simulate billions of coral larvae traveling on ocean currents over a 14.5-year period. The simulations showed that even during extreme environmental…
3D Printing of Patterned Membranes Opens Door to Rapid Advances
A new type of 3-D printing will make it possible for the first time to rapidly prototype and test polymer membranes that are patterned for improved performance, according to Penn State researchers. Ion exchange membranes are used in many types of energy applications, such as fuel cells and certain batteries, as well as in water…