Post Scientist

Renewable energy-based distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar panels and electric vehicles can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but their integration in distribution grids introduces challenges due to the variable output of renewables and insufficient energy storage capacity. A study in IET Renewable Power Generation has assessed DERs' effects on the vulnerability of low-voltage distribution systems (the final stage of the electric grid that delivers power from distribution transformers to homes and other buildings). Results indicated that although the use of solar panels and electric vehicles lowers emissions and costs, it causes voltage regulation challenges. Overvoltage happens during the day with the increased solar energy generation, but undervoltage occurs at night due to vehicle charging demand and no solar energy generation. Use of community-scale battery energy storage systems was the most viable solution for mitigating the technical vulnerab...

  Indigenous people of the Andes were the first to domesticate the potato, making the starch-rich crop a dietary staple for this high-altitude population long before it spread to the rest of the world. Today, their descendants in Peru carry the highest known numbers of a gene involved in starch digestion of any population in the world. Now, a study co-led by researchers from UCLA and the University at Buffalo has discovered that natural selection began favoring Indigenous Andeans with an unusually high number of salivary amylase genes, or AMY1, during the period when potatoes were first grown in the Andean highlands, roughly 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications . People with a high number of AMY1 copies tend to produce more of the amylase enzyme in their saliva and are thought to digest starch more effectively, said Abigail Bigham, an associate professor of anthropology at UCLA who studies populations in the Peru...

New research into plant-based food and drinks has found a prevalence of mycotoxins—naturally occurring poisonous compounds produced by fungi—in hundreds of vegetarian and vegan products. A total of 212 plant-based meat alternatives (PMBAs) and plant-based beverages (PBBs) from UK shelves were tested—and all of them contained at least one of 19 mycotoxins, with multiple products containing more than one. The study, led by the University of Parma in Italy and co-authored by Cranfield University, tested a broad spectrum of products readily available to UK consumers, such as burgers, vegetarian chicken pieces, vegan sausages, oat-, almond- and soy-based milks. The study, "Mycotoxin contamination in plant-based beverages and meat alternatives: A survey of the UK market," is published in Food Control . Mycotoxin exposure can lead to health concerns Mycotoxins are particularly prevalent in plant-based foods because the raw materials those foods are made from—such as gr...

New research from Northern Arizona University found that a global greenhouse gas emissions database produced by the Climate TRACE consortium, co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, is underestimating vehicle carbon dioxide emissions in cities by an average of 70%. Today, professor Kevin Gurney of NAU's School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS) published results in Environmental Research Letters analyzing the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from cars and trucks in the recently released Climate TRACE database. He said these findings, combined with a previous study noting similar discrepancies at power plants, raise concerns because accurate and reliable information on greenhouse gas emissions is a critical ingredient for society's response to climate change. "Given the importance of vehicle CO 2 emissions in cities, we carefully examined the Climate TRACE data which relied on promising new artificial intelligence-based approaches,...

  In 2023 and 2024, Earth's average global surface temperature spiked nearly 0.3 degrees Celsius above what was already expected from climate change. Each year was declared the hottest on record and coincided with deadly wildfires, heat waves and historic numbers of climate-related disasters. New study highlights Indian Ocean Dipole Scientists have struggled to explain what caused these anomalously warm years. In a new study, published in the journal Earth System Dynamics , University of Maryland researchers propose a novel answer: They attribute part of the temperature surge to the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), a climate cycle similar to El Niño. It's the first time the IOD has been linked to these two unusually hot years. The researchers built a climate model that predicts global temperatures based on an extensive list of natural and manmade factors. The variables they considered could explain 93% of the global surface temperature anomaly in 2023 and 92% in 2024—the...

  Scientists have discovered the cause of a persistent glitch that continues to disrupt superconducting quantum computers, even when they have built-in defenses. For all their advanced hardware, superconducting quantum computers are vulnerable to errors caused by ionizing radiation from space or the environment. Radiation particles interfere with the chip substrate (the silicon base the processor is built on), which leads to the creation of rogue particles (quasiparticles) that disrupt the qubits, the basic units of quantum computers. A defense with a flaw To protect against this, scientists developed a technique called gap engineering. This involves creating an energy barrier in the superconducting material of the qubits, making it harder for these particles to reach sensitive parts of the device. However, it is not foolproof. Even with this defense, radiation can still cause sudden widespread errors affecting many qubits at once (error bursts). But it was not clear ...

An international study with EPFL researchers suggests that large reductions in carbon emissions from cement and steel building materials may be achievable by 2050 using already-existing construction technologies. Production of construction materials contributes up to 17% of human-made carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions each year, and most materials used in construction today are cement-based. Biobased materials like timber can't replace this massive need sustainably, so it is often assumed that generating housing and infrastructure to support fast-growing populations—especially in low- and middle-income countries—will drive carbon emissions upward. An international team of researchers, including those from the Laboratory of Construction Materials (LMC) in EPFL's School of Engineering, has conducted a study that reframes this concern by examining alternative development pathways. In collaboration with experts from the U.K., Austria, Germany and the U.S., the EPFL team...

  Researchers from IMDEA Materials and the Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M), in collaboration with research institutes in France and Japan, have achieved a significant breakthrough in better understanding the fracture mechanics of additively manufactured metals. The results, published in the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids , showcase in-situ, real-time X-ray observations of how two of the most widely utilized aluminum and titanium alloys react when subject to high-velocity loading. The findings not only establish a direct connection between pore-scale mechanisms and macroscopic fracture response, but also present opportunities to improve the impact behavior of 3D-printed alloys. The research focused on AlSi10Mg and Ti-6Al-4V, two commonly used alloys in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing. The technique enables the production of complex geometries layer by layer. However, the process can also introduce microscopic pores within t...

Termite mounds are remarkable structures that regulate temperature, balance airflow, and maintain structural stability in some of Earth's harshest climates. And like other irregular, disordered systems, they can be difficult to replicate with modern engineering techniques. Now, researchers at Princeton's engineering school have developed a system for designers to mimic irregular natural structures like termite mounds or human bones—not only their microstructural patterns, but their mechanical properties as well. "We created a theory that is applicable to two distinct physical systems," said Glaucio Paulino, the Margareta Engman August...

  The way bugs and birds flap their wings may look effortless, but the dynamics that keep them aloft are dizzyingly complex and difficult to quantify. Cornell researchers have created a computational model that shows the effect of insects' morphology on stabilizing their flight. The findings could lead to a new way to understand the evolution of animal flight while also providing a blueprint for designing flapping-wing robots. Long-term quest to decode stability The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . The research was led by Z. Jane Wang, professor of physics and mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Colle...

In 1985, the Innovative Design Fund placed an ad in Scientific American offering up to $10,000 to support clever prototypes for clothing, home decor, and textiles. William Freeman Ph.D., then an electrical engineer at Polaroid and now an MIT professor, saw it and submitted a novel idea: a three-sided zipper. Instead of fastening pants, it'd be like a switch that seamlessly flipped chairs, tents, and purses between soft and rigid states, making them easier to pack and put together. Freeman's blueprint was much like a regular zipper, except triangular. On each side, he nailed a belt to connect narrow wooden "teeth" together. A slider wr...