Science

Coal is not thought of as clean fuel, but it might yet have a role to play in the push for greener energy. Researchers say that it could be great for storing hydrogen gas, one of the most promising clean fuel sources currently being explored.

As anyone who's ever seen a bolt of lightning knows, the air around us can be filled with an astonishing amount of energy. A new study shows a way to harvest this power using a perforated nanofilm that can be made from a vast variety of materials.

In an outrageously audacious move, Washington-based fusion power startup Helion has signed the world's first fusion power supply deal, promising to deliver Microsoft at least 50 megawatts of clean fusion power by 2028, or pay financial penalties.

Age-related hearing loss impacts one in three adults aged 64 to 75 in the US, and around half of these cases are down to faulty genes. Using older animals to mirror a human study, scientists successfully reversed hearing loss caused by one such gene.

A gene called MYC is implicated in the majority of cancers, but unfortunately it’s often considered “undruggable.” In a new study scientists have developed a molecule that chops up the RNA of this gene, effectively clearing cancer in mice.

Heart failure can be caused by multiple factors, requiring different treatments. Researchers have trained machine learning models using a large dataset to identify five subtypes of heart failure, which may improve risk prediction and treatment.

After Virgin Orbit vanished in bankruptcy court, Virgin Galactic announced its first spaceflight in two years as the Unity 25 mission rocketed to an altitude of 54.2 miles (87.2 km) on May 25, 2023 in the skies over Spaceport America, New Mexico.

ESA is preparing to test a very cool new fold-out heat shield for protecting spacecraft on re-entry. The Pridwen won't burn away like ablative heat shields, and it'll also slow falling satellites down enough to be caught in a hover net.

Space launch company Virgin Orbit has been grounded for good after a US bankruptcy court broke it up and sold off its assets to bidders. The demise of the ambitious venture comes after a failed attempt to conduct its first mission in January.

A new light-activated ink can change color on demand. It’s made up of colored microbeads that rise in response to different wavelengths of light to change a surface color, which could be useful for new displays or active camouflage systems.

Monitoring extreme environments requires a sensor continues to work in high temperatures. Now, researchers have developed a piezoelectric sensor that operates reliably at the temperature of erupting mafic lava, the hottest type of lava on Earth.

In an effort to create low-cost, sustainable housing, researchers have created a composite material by replacing sand in concrete and mortar with a common, non-degradable waste product: used disposable diapers. But would you build your house with it?

We’re getting closer to being able to induce hibernation on demand in humans for surgery or space travel. Scientists have now demonstrated a way to induce a hibernation-like state in mice and rats using non-invasive ultrasound pulses to the brain.

Casual bird buddies and ornithology obsessives alike can now trek to far corners of the globe and identify any feathered friend they find – as long as they have their phone with them. What's more, the Merlin app can now identify nearly every species.

Scientists have found a bacteria related to the human chlamydia pathogen in the corals of Australia's Great Barrier Reef – and hope it could lead to game-changing probiotic treatments designed to slow down or reverse the process of coral bleaching.

Herbicide resistance represents a huge problem for the agricultural sector. Exploiting molecular similarities between bacteria and plants, researchers have repurposed a "failed" antibiotic as an effective weedkiller that's safe for humans.

By digging up and eating sown wheat seeds, mice can have a huge impact on farmers' crops. In an eco-friendly effort to stop the rodents from doing so, scientists are now using wheat germ oil to make entire fields smell appetizing.

Want to play a part in the survival of bumblebees? Cater for them! A new study has revealed which plants these VIPs (very important pollinators) make a beeline for, so you can grow their favorite flora and help these fuzzy fussy eaters thrive.

The famous thought experiment of Schrödinger’s Cat neatly sums up a complex quantum phenomenon in terms we can visualize. Now scientists have created the heaviest Schrödinger’s Cat to date, probing the boundaries between quantum and classical physics.

A groundbreaking new study could answer a perplexing astrophysics mystery without complicating our current models. Physicists suggest that black holes could contain a strange form of energy that’s accelerating the expansion of the universe.

Astronomers have put together one of the most comprehensive maps of all the matter in the universe. The huge undertaking hints at a slightly smoother universe than we thought, suggesting that something might be missing from our models.

Although electric typewriters have been made almost entirely obsolete, there's something to be said for the satisfying "clickety-clack" of their keys. Well, that sound and feel is back, in the all-aluminum Fineday 3.0 Bluetooth Mechanical Keyboard.

For many people, taking notes using a pen and paper will always be easier and more intuitive than typing. The Nuwa Pen allows them to keep doing so, but it also digitizes what they've written for subsequent sharing and searchability.

Wood isn’t usually very good at conducting electricity, but now scientists have created the first functional wooden transistor. It’s not the best, and it requires some processing, but it does work and could help make for biodegradable electronics.

Three teams of scientists have achieved a major milestone in quantum computing. All three groups demonstrated better than 99 percent accuracy in silicon-based quantum devices, paving the way for practical, scalable, error-free quantum computers.

IBM has unveiled the Eagle, the world’s most powerful quantum processor. Boasting 127 quantum bits (qubits), the Eagle is a major step towards commercial quantum computers outperforming traditional machines.

An Australian/German company is developing powerful quantum accelerators the size of graphics cards. They work at room temperature, undercutting and outperforming today's huge, cryo-cooled quantum supercomputers, promising industry-wide disruption.