NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is cruising back to Earth with a sample it collected from the rocky surface of asteroid Bennu. When its sample capsule parachutes down into the Utah desert on Sept. 24, OSIRIS-REx will become the United States’ first-ever mission to return an asteroid sample to Earth. After seven years in space, including a nail-biting touchdown on Bennu to gather dust and rocks, this intrepid mission is about to face one of its biggest challenges yet: deliver the asteroid sample to Earth…
Vicia faba L., commonly referred to as “faba bean” or “broad bean”, is known for its protein-rich seeds and its yield potential in agriculture. It is used for human consumption as well as for animal feed. It also provides much needed ecosystem services in the context of the transition to more sustainable farming systems. In particular, it is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and acquire nutrients through beneficial interactions with soil bacteria or fungi, thus reducing the need for fertilisers….
Volcanic relics scattered throughout the Australian landscape are a map of the northward movement of the continent over a ‘hotspot’ inside the Earth, during the last 35 million years. University of Queensland researchers Dr Tamini Tapu, Associate Professor Teresa Ubide and Professor Paulo Vasconcelos discovered how these relics reveal the inner structure of the Australian volcanoes became increasingly complex as the hotspot’s magma output decreased. Dr Al-Tamini Tapu, whose PhD project at UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences formed the basis of this study, said the…
The higher the receiver temperature, the more efficiently a solar thermal power plant will operate. Convective thermal losses also have an important effect on yield. The HelioGLOW collaborative project by Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and industrial partners is working to address these challenges: The project team investigated a novel ceramic heat-transfer medium including power plant design and air wall for the thermal insulation of the receiver. The trend towards continuously improving production processes is reflected in the…
Researcher awarded for the development of compact high-power EUV source. The future has a color: it is extreme ultraviolet. With the help of EUV light it is possible, for example, to produce smaller and more powerful microchips than ever before. But further research faces a problem: Experiments with laser-like EUV light can usually only be conducted at expensive large-scale research facilities. Jena scientist Robert Klas wants to change that. He has developed a compact EUV laser module that can be…
When viewed from an engineer’s perspective, biology is often messy and imperfect. For example, redundancy is a common feature of biological systems, with the job of one biological component overlapping with that of another. This work investigates whether some types of biological redundancy can – despite the apparent inefficiency – actually be beneficial. Translation: a biological process with a high degree of redundancy Translation is an energetically costly process by which cells convert genetic information into proteins. The decoding process…
Project idea seeks partners. With the project “Material and long-term properties in recycled materials”, Fraunhofer LBF is looking for additional partners to jointly develop fundamental insights into the effect of material composition. Focus is on the feedstocks and the variables influencing compounding (e. g. proportion and condition of virgin material, re-additivation) on the resulting application properties. This is supported by a toolbox with customized analysis methods that visualize fundamental dependencies between molecular parameters and properties. In this way, the project…
The lack of uniform analytical standards currently prevents the comparability of data on microplastics in the environment. Researchers from the University of Bayreuth and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have now, for the first time, compared two automated analysis procedures for microplastic data with regard to the results. Significant deviations were found especially for small particles with comparatively high hazard potential. The study, published in the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, shows that…
Link between chronic liver disease and high susceptibility to viral infections elucidated by Bonn researchers. The results of the study now published in the Journal of Hepatology. Patients suffering from chronic liver disease don’t respond to vaccination and are at high risk of viral infections. In these patients, virus-specific T-cells are defect and unable to eliminate viral pathogens. A research team led by ImmunoSensation2 member Prof. Zeinab Abdullah at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), in collaboration with colleagues from the…
Part of $2.5 million initiative led by NASA. The University of Texas at El Paso has joined a project led by NASA to leverage 3D-printing processes with the aim of manufacturing rechargeable batteries using lunar and Martian regolith, which is the top layer of materials that covers the surface of the moon and Mars. “UTEP is a national leader in additive manufacturing for space applications,” said Kenith Meissner, Ph.D., dean of the UTEP College of Engineering. “I congratulate the team…
Researchers have developed a new type of neural implant that could restore limb function to amputees and others who have lost the use of their arms or legs. In a study carried out in rats, researchers from the University of Cambridge used the device to improve the connection between the brain and paralysed limbs. The device combines flexible electronics and human stem cells – the body’s ‘reprogrammable’ master cells – to better integrate with the nerve and drive limb function….
The first study into the biological response of the upper ocean in the wake of South Pacific cyclones could help predict the impact of warming ocean temperatures, New Zealand researchers believe. Dr Pete Russell, of the University of Otago’s Department of Marine Science, and Dr Christopher Horvat, of the University of Auckland’s Department of Physics, have published a study on the oceanic biological effect of Cyclone Oma which passed near Vanuatu in 2019. “While Oma was a relatively benign cyclone,…
Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Singapore have discovered a new intracellular “smoke detector.” The sensor warns of damage to the mitochondria – the microscopic power plants that supply the cell with energy. If it does not function properly, chronic skin diseases can result. The sensor may also be important for unimpaired heart and bowel function. The results have now been published in the journal Nature Immunology. Every cell in the body has numerous sensors that monitor its function….
Radar system can recognize and track people and objects in room. Recognizing when senior citizens are at risk in the home or helping them find misplaced objects they presumed lost: The technology developed in the successful OMNICONNECT project can help people lead independent lives for longer. The researchers of Fraunhofer IZM have integrated a miniature radar system into an LED ceiling light that can track and recognize movement patterns and locate people or objects in a room. Four radar modules…
Hannover Messe 2023: From deposition welding to 3D printing on the moon: The Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) presents laser system technology even for extraordinary challenges at the Hannover Messe 2023. The LZH develops complete laser system technology with the associated optimized processes. No challenge is too extraordinary – such as Additive Manufacturing in space. At the Hannover Messe from April 17 to 21, the LZH will present its laser systems technology at the joint stand of the State of…
… control light incidence. Controlling light and heat radiation through windows and glass facades at the push of a button, saving energy and still maintaining a clear view? Switchable electrochromic films that turn dark but remain transparent are expected to make this possible in the future. The fact that this can also be retrofitted in existing buildings is to be demonstrated by the joint project “EnOB: FLEX-G 4.0 – Technologies for innovative switchable films as a retrofit solution for energy-saving…
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