Researchers develop a solution to Hans Selye's hypothesis on adaptation energy, which has puzzled scientists for almost 80 years. The new theory predicts phenomena such as oscillating death and remission without exogenous reasons, providing an instrument for early crisis anticipation.
Scientists have developed a method to infer protein folding landscapes directly from experimental data, providing new insights into the structure-function relationship. This breakthrough uses nonlinear machine learning and statistical thermodynamics to reconstruct the folding funnels of proteins.
Researchers at UC Berkeley have shown that magnetic chips can operate with the lowest fundamental level of energy dissipation possible, leading to dramatic reductions in power consumption. This breakthrough is critical for mobile devices and cloud data centers, which demand powerful processors on small batteries.
Researchers at Indiana University and Virginia Tech develop a method to assess the validity of the principle of detailed balance, widely used in models for environmental projects. The study confirms that the principle applies in systems where rates of forward and reverse processes are balanced.
Researchers propose that a universe with diverse body sizes reduces gravitational tension faster due to the natural tendency of systems to evolve toward reduced tension. This phenomenon is a manifestation of the Constructal Law, which states that natural systems facilitate flow.
A new study by SISSA/CNR IOM scientists reduces wastage of expensive catalysts used in fuel cells, allowing for more efficient and sustainable energy production. The researchers created nanoparticles on nanosteps, which remain dispersed and stable, enabling the material to be reused with lower costs.
Researchers at TU Wien create a photo-electrochemical cell that can store the energy of ultraviolet light even at high temperatures. The new material combines photovoltaics with electrochemistry, paving the way for large-scale industrial storage.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered a new phase of boron nitride (Q-BN) and developed a technique to create cubic boron nitride (c-BN) at ambient temperatures and air pressure. The discovery has potential applications for high-power electronics, transistors, and solid-state devices.
Researchers at Rice University have created a new tool to analyze DNA in its native conditions, reducing analysis time from months to hours. The method generates more accurate results and can be used to build a comprehensive database of thermal behaviors of genetic molecules.
Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new type of transparent electrode using 3D print technology, featuring gold or silver nanowalls on a glass surface. This innovation offers higher conductivity and transparency than traditional indium tin oxide electrodes, leading to improved screen quality and touch responsiveness in smartphones.
Rice University researchers found that a master regulator's activity is determined by kinetics, not thermodynamics. The study revealed the 'molecular stripping' process, which quickly stops protein production.
Researchers demonstrate macroscopic entanglement generation at room temperature using infrared laser light and electromagnetic pulses. The technique has important implications for future quantum devices, including biological sensing inside living organisms and long-distance entangled states.
Scientists at ETH Zurich create surface designs that allow water droplets to 'trampoline' upwards, leveraging evaporation and microstructure. This phenomenon enables materials to violently repel water and ice, with potential applications in de-icing, power lines, and road surfacing.
ICFO researchers create a microscopic Carnot engine that operates between two thermal baths using a temperature difference, exactly as car engines work. The engine is powered by a single particle, lasers, and electrical fields, allowing for the experimental validation of thermodynamic principles.
University of Cincinnati quantum chemistry researcher Thomas Beck develops new methods to calculate the thermodynamics of ion hydration, leading to more efficient renewable energy devices. His findings have garnered international respect and recognition from top physicists.
A study led by Dr Seishi Shimizu shows that sugar affects the taste of hot beverages by interacting with caffeine molecules at a molecular level. The research found that sugar molecules bind to water, reducing the aggregation of caffeine molecules and resulting in less bitterness.
Researchers at the Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics found that cold crystallization in liquid crystals occurs through two mechanisms: classical thermodynamics and diffusion. The study reveals a wide range of temperatures where cold crystallization can occur, contrary to previous expectations.
Scientists calculate that human activities have reduced the planet's biomass by almost half since 2,000 years ago, putting the world at risk of collapse. If left unchecked, deforestation and agriculture could deplete energy reserves, leading to devastating consequences for human survival.
Macroscopic Brownian motion phenomena have been observed in self-powered liquid metal motors, with the force coming from hydrogen gas generated at the interface. Researchers found that tiny motors in millimeter scale exhibited random movement on a glass surface, contrary to classical Brownian motion theory.
A new mathematical formulation of cosmic viscosity bridges the gap between thermodynamics and Einstein's general theory of relativity, favoring the 'Big Rip' scenario. The model also sheds light on dark energy, suggesting it may account for the universe's accelerating expansion.
Scientists will measure trace gas concentrations, aerosols, and cloud properties in Alaska's North Slope to improve estimates of carbon emissions. The goal is to reduce uncertainty in global climate simulations and projections.
Researchers developed the smallest and most accurate thermometer that can detect tiny fluctuations in microscopic regions, enabling applications in various fields. The study provides a full characterization of temperature estimators with maximum accuracy, shedding light on their margin of error.
A quantum system's configurations oscillate endlessly without relaxation, unlike classical physics where equilibrium is the norm. Researchers discovered that these systems are extremely robust and exist on a discrete grid, influencing non-local effects.
The Yale Journal of Industrial Ecology explores how integrating complexity science can improve sustainability studies. Researchers apply complexity science to various topics, including urban systems, energy efficiency, and eco-industrial parks.
A team of scientists using NASA's WISE observatory has found no evidence of advanced extraterrestrial life in 100,000 galaxies. The study searched for signs of highly advanced civilizations in mid-infrared wavelengths, a radiation detectable by the satellite.
Researchers applied GSH to various experiments, demonstrating its suitability for describing complex granular media behavior regardless of flow speed. This approach resolves previous limitations in explaining granular material flows at low and high speeds.
INRS professor Federico Rosei has received the 2015 Lash Miller Award from the Electrochemical Society Canada Section, bringing the award back to INRS after 44 years. The award recognizes his outstanding contributions to electronic and photonic devices.
Scientists from TUM and LIU create technology to cage molecules in 2D nanopores, allowing them to investigate thermal behavior of individual species. They successfully track molecule motions at sub-nanometer resolution using scanning tunneling microscopy.
Scientists have uncovered a key factor driving iron's unique thermal behavior, revealing a synergy between magnetism and atomic vibrations that increases the metal's stability at high temperatures. This breakthrough could lead to more accurate predictions of steel properties and enable the development of new, stronger alloys.
Researchers have discovered a family of 'second laws' that govern the behavior of systems at very small scales, leading to counterintuitive phenomena and constraints on disorder. These new laws complement the traditional second law of thermodynamics, which describes the universe's growing state of disorder.
A study by University of Toronto researchers found that global warming will not increase the number of storms, but rather make strong storms stronger and weaker storms weaker. The atmosphere's circulation pattern is like a heat engine that requires fuel to do work.
Scientists at ETH Zurich develop a method to produce pre-structured cellulose materials with three-dimensional micro-structures, enhancing biocompatibility. This leads to reduced inflammation and rejection reactions when using artificial implants.
Researchers at Berkeley Lab have developed a novel method for creating symmetry-breaking optical metamaterials by using a feedback mechanism to self-assemble colloidal nanorods in solution. This breakthrough solves the problem of achieving large-scale symmetric breaking, allowing for new properties and applications.
Researchers examine limitations in manufacturing, engineering, power, time, and computational complexity to determine achievable advancements. Emerging technologies like carbon nanotubes may overcome traditional limits, but fundamental constraints still pose significant obstacles.
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a new technique to create non-equilibrium systems by injecting energy through oscillations, enabling the self-assembly of particles under non-equilibrium conditions. This breakthrough brings scientists closer to understanding the fundamentals of non-equilibrium thermodynamics.
The Geological Society of America recognized Susan Kieffer, Lisa Tauxe, Francis Macdonald as GSA's highest honors for their seminal research contributions to various geosciences. The awards were presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Vancouver, Canada.
A new hypothesis resolves the inconsistency between energy expenditure and maximum entropy production principles, proposing that a system minimizes resistance to its driving process. This refinement unifies the principles under a single framework, with applications in hydrogeology and other fields.
Researchers challenge previous predictions suggesting a potential breach of the third law of thermodynamics at extremely low temperatures. They demonstrate that particles confined within finite volumes, even at zero temperature, do not violate the law.
Nadine Kabengi, a Georgia State University professor, has been awarded $750,000 from the Department of Energy's Office of Science for her early career research. She will study metal oxides and solution interfaces to complete a systematic study of thermodynamic properties.
An international team of researchers found that a nanoparticle trapped with laser light temporarily violates the second law of thermodynamics, allowing it to release heat to hotter surroundings. This rare event occurs due to the non-equilibrium state created by cooling the nanoparticle below the surrounding gas temperature.
The CYGNSS mission will determine how a tropical cyclone forms and strengthen, improving hurricane forecasting and tracking. NASA has given a preliminary go-ahead to proceed with instrument development and launch of the hurricane-studying mission's eight microsatellites.
Scientists have successfully fabricated and studied thin films of spin ice, a material known for its unique properties. The researchers found that the normal entropy within these films disappears at about half a degree above absolute zero, restoring the Third Law of Thermodynamics.
Researchers at the University of California - Davis have engineered bacteria to produce esters, a key component in scents, flavors, and chemical processes. This breakthrough could lead to a $20 billion industry shift towards renewable sources.
Researchers at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences envision a device that harnesses energy from Earth's infrared emissions into direct-current power. The proposed technology, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could provide a new source of renewable energy.
Researchers propose a new approach to understanding biology, shifting focus from genes to energy consumption and complex dissipative systems. The theory suggests that genes cannot determine biological activity, but rather, it is the energy flows within cells that drive emergence of properties.
This year's awards recognize Dr. Stephen H. White for membrane protein folding research, Dr. Judith Frydman for eukaryotic cell protein folding mechanisms, and others for their groundbreaking contributions to the field.
Researchers at Mainz University have built a pilot prototype of a single-ion heat engine with the potential to operate at high efficiency. The nano-heat engine could exceed the Carnot limit, making it theoretically possible to improve efficiency beyond current standards.
A UConn research team has found a way to stabilize hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier protein in the blood, by wrapping it in a polymer chain. This discovery could lead to the development of stable vaccines and affordable artificial blood substitutes.
Researchers used light-scattering techniques to study the detailed thermodynamics of hemoglobin fibers in sickle cell disease. They found that hemoglobin molecules associate more easily in high temperatures and concentrated solutions, leading to stronger bonds between fibers.
Researchers provide physical explanation for Larson's Laws, showing that three correlations are due to the same underlying physics of supersonic turbulence. The study uses six simulations to support this interpretation and sheds light on molecular cloud structure formation.
A new study identifies cancer-specific gene signatures for breast, lung, prostate, and ovarian cancers using surprisal analysis, a thermodynamics-based approach. This method allows researchers to understand how cellular energy is expended in cancer cells and identify potential biomarkers for early detection and therapy.
The CYGNSS hurricane satellite mission has passed NASA's Systems Requirements Review and Key Decision Point-B, moving into the next phase of development. The constellation of eight microsatellites will use GPS signals to measure ocean surface properties and determine how hurricanes form and strengthen.
A collaboration between NIST and 5 technical journals found that one-third of papers contained erroneous or incomplete chemical property data. A new online tool was developed to identify and eliminate errors in experimental data, using expert software system for data evaluation.
E. coli bacteria produce at most six times more heat than needed to meet thermodynamic constraints, suggesting they could grow faster and still obey the second law of thermodynamics. This finding has implications for synthetic biology applications and may support the hypothesis that RNA evolved before DNA.
Berkeley Lab researchers observed direct size-dependence in metal nanocrystal phase transformations during reactions with hydrogen gas. This discovery holds key findings for optimizing commercial applications, including hydrogen storage systems, catalysts, fuel cells, and batteries.
Aalto University researchers have measured entropy production of electrons in a dual temperature system, revealing a connection between two definitions of entropy and significant implications for future nanoelectronic devices. The study used conductors at different temperatures to measure electronic entropy production according to both...
Researchers from University College London and the University of Gdansk found new laws governing microscopic systems, leading to fundamental limitations on extracting energy. Microscopic heat engines cannot be as efficient as their larger counterparts, with irreversibility playing a key role.
A scientist suggests an alternative approach to calculating microbial growth thermodynamics, citing discrepancies between theoretical and experimental results. The Battley free energy equation offers a more realistic representation of real-world conditions.
Scientists at KIT successfully demonstrated a method to influence the propagation of heat around objects by using specially arranged materials. By creating an annular structure with copper and silicon, they can control how heat flows around hidden areas, making it ideal for applications such as microchips and machines.
Researchers applied the maximum entropy principle to Spain's population distribution, finding a 'socio-thermodynamic' theory that applies thermodynamics to human behaviour. The study predicts patterns in population growth and urbanization, with average 'q' value of 1.2 across provinces.