The 2019 Nobel prize in chemistry has been awarded to John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for the development of lithium-ion batteries. Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2218951-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-goes-to-developers-of-lithium-ion-batteries/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: chemistry
The fast dance of electron spins
Metal complexes show a fascinating behavior in their interactions with light, which for example is utilized in organic light emitting diodes, solar cells, quantum computers, or even in cancer therapy. In many of these applications, the electron spin, a kind of inherent rotation of the electrons, plays an important role. Recently, the chemists Sebastian Mai and Leticia González from the Faculty…
Why leaves change color in fall
The vivid yellows and oranges of autumn leaves are there throughout spring and summer, but hidden. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/why-do-tree-leaves-turn-red-in-fall…
Scientists detect water vapor on distant exoplanet
Whoa! It’s a first-ever detection of water vapor in the atmosphere of a potentially habitable super-Earth, located 110 light-years away. The discovery supports the possibility that our galaxy contains many such habitable worlds. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/water-vapor-potentially-habitable-exoplanet-super-earth-k2-18b…
Did underground explosions create Titan’s lakes?
The lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan are filled with liquid methane, not water, and some are surrounded by steep rims. A new study suggests these features might have been caused by explosions of warming nitrogen, which created Titan’s lake basins long ago. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/did-underground-explosions-create-titans-lakes…
A Fingerprint of Earth From Space
Scientists have developed a fingerprint of Earth from space that could one day help identify other habitable worlds light-years from our own. From a report: If researchers find a planet that matched Earth’s fingerprint — which shows what Earth would look like in infrared if seen by an alien civilization — out there in the universe, it could indicate they’ve found…
Chemists Discover Water Microdroplets Spontaneously Produce Hydrogen Peroxide
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Stanford researchers report Aug. 26 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that microscopic droplets of water spontaneously produce hydrogen peroxide. The discovery could pave the way for greener ways to produce the molecule, a common bleaching agent and disinfectant, said Richard Zare, the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science and…
Chemists Make First-Ever Ring of Pure Carbon
A team of researchers has synthesized the first ring-shaped molecule of pure carbon — a circle of 18 atoms. Nature reports: The chemists started with a triangular molecule of carbon and oxygen, which they manipulated with electric currents to create the carbon-18 ring. Initial studies of the properties of the molecule, called a cyclocarbon, suggest that it acts as a semiconductor,…
IAU approves 2nd round of names for Pluto features
New Horizons provided what will be the only close-up images of Pluto many of us will see in our lifetimes. The new feature names from the International Astronomical Union recognize the mission’s forerunners in Earth and space mythology and history. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/iau-approves-new-pluto-feature-names-2019…
New Cause of Cell Aging Discovered: Senescent Cells Stop Producing Nucleotides
New research from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering could be key to our understanding of how the aging process works. The findings potentially pave the way for better cancer treatments and revolutionary new drugs that could vastly improve human health in the twilight years. ScienceDaily reports: “To drink from the fountain of youth, you have to figure out where the…