Energy stored in thermochemical materials can effectively heat indoor spaces, particularly in humid regions, according to researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Working with industry representatives and researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the scientists determined a realistic configuration for integrating thermochemical materials (TCMs) into a building’s HVAC system. Salt-hydrate […]
Category: Technology
Google Docs adding Imagen 3 image generation
Following Help me visualize in Slides, Google is adding Gemini image generation to Docs on the web for Workspace users. From the Insert menu > Image, select Help me create an image and describe what you want. You can select an aspect ratio (Square, Wide, and Tall) and style: Photography, Vector art, Sketch, Watercolor, Cyberpunk, […]
New Tools in the Fight Against Cross-Border APP Fraud
As cross-border payments fuel an increasingly globalized economy, concerns about fraud in these transactions have also grown. Although cross-border payments make up just 11% of total card payment transactions, they account for 63% of card-related fraud. This issue is particularly acute in the UK, where losses due to authorized push payment (APP) scams reached £239 million in the […]
World’s Largest Battery Manufacturer Says Elon Musk ‘Doesn’t Know How To Make A Battery’
Tesla introduced its 4680 battery during a massive “Battery Day” event in late 2020, with company CEO Elon Musk then saying the new battery would more than halve the cost to produce batteries for its cars. This was important for Tesla’s plan to build a $25,000 entry-level EV. The battery exists and has been used […]
Recycling batteries with citric acid: Research introduces highly efficient process for NCM lithium-ion batteries
A simple, highly efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly process could provide a viable pathway for the sustainable recycling of depleted lithium-ion batteries (LIBs): No chemicals beyond citric acid need to be added to leach out and separate over 99% of the lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese metals contained in NCM batteries. The resulting recycled material […]
Novel electro-biodiesel offers a more efficient, cleaner alternative to existing options
Vehicles fueled by diesel lead to substantial carbon emissions that are challenging to decarbonize. In 2022, diesel fuel use made up about one-fourth of total U.S. transportation carbon dioxide emissions and about one-tenth of total energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Joshua Yuan, the Lucy & Stanley Lopata Professor and […]
Ukraine Shows U.S. How To Beat China In Drone Battery Wars
Batteries are fueling drone warfare. Reconnaissance quadcopters with a half-hour of flying time require a constant supply of freshly recharged batteries to keep going. Bomber drones eat up similar numbers. FPV drones are shipped with batteries that weigh more than the drones themselves. Most drone batteries are made in China, which is why the Chinese […]
People are fleeing Elon Musk’s X for Threads and Bluesky. Welcome to the era of social media fragmentation
The deluge of goodbye messages from people leaving X began shortly after Donald Trump’s election victory last week. In explaining their decision, many in the exodus cited the same thing: The huge support Elon Musk, the social media service’s owner, gave the Republican candidate during the campaign and the increasing nastiness on his site. Jody […]
AI and 3D printing combine for advanced monitoring of small nuclear reactors
As the demand for electricity rises in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), global tech companies are focusing on small nuclear reactors as a sustainable energy solution. A new remote monitoring technology using advanced AI is capable of detecting potential hazards in these reactors within just two seconds. This innovative system enables real-time monitoring of […]
Novel electrochemical reactor can extract lithium from brine to address growing demand
A team of Rice University researchers has developed an innovative electrochemical reactor to extract lithium from natural brine solutions, offering a promising approach to address the growing demand for lithium used in rechargeable batteries. This breakthrough, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , holds significant potential for renewable energy storage and […]
These are the passwords you definitely shouldn’t be using
The password manager NordPass has once again released its annual list of the world’s most popular passwords — and the lack of creativity is just a little disheartening. For the second year in a row, “123456” has been crowned the most common password. The same numbers topped the chart five out of the six times NordPass has […]
Microsoft patches Windows zero-day exploited in attacks on Ukraine
Suspected Russian hackers were caught exploiting a recently patched Windows vulnerability as a zero-day in ongoing attacks targeting Ukrainian entities. The security flaw (CVE-2024-43451) is an NTLM Hash Disclosure spoofing vulnerability reported by ClearSky security researchers, which can be exploited to steal the logged-in user’s NTLMv2 hash by forcing connections to a remote attacker-controlled server. […]