As lithium-ion batteries continue to decrease in price, they are quickly replacing the lead-acid batteries traditionally used in cars and other vehicles. This is creating a sudden abundance of used lead-acid batteries, which would be harmful to the environment and people if not recycled properly. To help deal with this problem, researchers developed an environmentally […]
Category: Technology
Europe looks to geothermal energy as gas alternative
The heating plant in Munich’s southern Sendling neighborhood has been run for more than a century on gas, often imported from far away. But increasingly, it is the hot waters from deep underground the station that provide the energy. Tacked on to the side of the original 19th-century red-brick plant is a boxy new geothermal unit […]
Google is holding an event about search and AI on February 8th
Google is about to share more about its work in artificial intelligence. Next week, Google will be holding an event about how it’s “using the power of AI to reimagine how people search for, explore and interact with information, making it more natural and intuitive than ever before to find what you need,” according to […]
Google ads push ‘virtualized’ malware made for antivirus evasion
An ongoing Google ads malvertising campaign is spreading malware installers that leverage KoiVM virtualization technology to evade detection when installing the Formbook data stealer. KoiVM is a plugin for the ConfuserEx .NET protector that obfuscates a program’s opcodes so that the virtual machine only understands them. Then, when launched, the virtual machine translates the opcodes […]
Gambit Drone Chosen To Fly Under Secretive Off-Board Sensing Station Program
General Atomics is now set to build and flight test one of the designs from its Gambit family of modular advanced air combat drones as part of the U.S. Air Force’s secretive Off-Board Sensing Station program, or OBSS. The company says this will offer a chance to validate the Gambit series’ novel design concept, which […]
Microsoft Word gets ChatGPT integration with new ‘Ghostwriter’ third-party add-in
Microsoft says it plans to integrate OpenAI technologies throughout its product lineup, but one entrepreneur has already put ChatGPT into Microsoft Word, and he’s eyeing additional Microsoft Office products next. A new third-party add-in for Microsoft Word, called Ghostwriter, allows users to query OpenAI’s ChatGPT in a Word sidebar and watch content generated by the […]
New material makes recycling a wide range of batteries simple and economical
Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionized electronics and enabled an accelerating shift toward clean energy. These batteries have become an integral part of 21st century life, but we’re at risk of running out before 2050. The main elements used in each battery—lithium, nickel, and cobalt metals as well as graphite—are increasingly scarce and expensive, and there is […]
The novel chemistry behind ultra-high power density batteries
Mohammad Asadi, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, has published a paper in the journal Science describing the chemistry behind his novel lithium-air battery design. The insights will allow him to further optimize the battery design, with the potential for reaching ultra-high power densities far beyond current lithium-ion technology. The battery […]
Pig-butchering scam apps sneak into Apple’s App Store and Google Play
In the past year, a new term has arisen to describe an online scam raking in millions, if not billions, of dollars per year. It’s called “pig butchering,” and now even Apple is getting fooled into participating. Researchers from security firm Sophos said on Wednesday that they uncovered two apps available in the App Store […]
Electric car sales gain pace despite hurdles
The electrification of the car industry is gathering pace, particularly in Europe, where the sale of new cars running on petrol and diesel will end in 2035. But challenges remain around their production, affordability and whether enough infrastructure can be put in place to persuade drivers to make the switch. China in pole position China […]
Arctic cold ‘no sweat’ for electric cars in Norway
Norwegian electric car owners have a word for the way they feel when they look nervously at their battery indicators while driving in subfreezing weather: “rekkevideangst”, or “range anxiety”. Tesla owner Philip Benassi has experienced it on cold winter days, but like other Norwegians, he has learned to cope with it. With temperatures often falling […]
Samsung Galaxy S23 is official, with special-edition Qualcomm chip
It’s a new year, and that means it’s time for a new Samsung flagship. The Galaxy S23 series is official, with a tweaked design for the cheaper models and a big SoC change for international users. As always, there are three models: the 6.1-inch Galaxy S23, 6.6-inch S23 Plus, and 6.8-inch S23 Ultra. With the […]