Science News

New electrical device can turn CO2 into biofuel

New electrical device can turn CO2 into biofuelWashington, April 27 : Researchers in the US have made a new electrical device that could improve fuel cell technology by turning carbon dioxide (CO2) into methane, a potential biofuel.

According to a report in ABC News, the technique won't combat global warming directly, since both CO2 and methane are potent greenhouse gases, but it could help store alternative energies such as wind and solar more efficiently.

Has the cure for HIV been discovered?

Has the cure for HIV been discovered?London, Apr 27 : Taking a major leap in AIDS research, scientists have claimed that they have found a cure for the HIV virus by using a long established cancer treatment to help destroy the killer disease-bone marrow transplants.

Doctors have successfully treated one patient using the method and are confident the process will work for other sufferers.

In their opinion, using of bone marrow transplants to cure HIV could become common in just five years.

The procedure involves using bone marrow stem cells already used to help beat blood cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma.

“Self- healing” plastic may facilitate recycling of e-waste

“Self- healing” plastic may facilitate recycling of e-wasteWashington, April 27 : Scientists in The Netherlands are reporting development of a new plastic with a "self-healing polymer" that has potential for use in the first easy-to-recycle computer circuit boards, electrical insulation, and other electronics products that now wind up on society's growing heaps of electronic waste.

Antonius Broekhuis and colleagues note in the new study that so-called thermoset plastics are widely used in consumer electronics due to their hardness and heat resistance.

Meteor impact didn’t kill dinos 65 mln yrs ago, claim scientists

Meteor impact didn’t kill dinos 65 mln yrs ago, claim scientistsWashington, April 27 : In a new research, scientists have challenged the theory that a meteor impact 65 million years back killed off the dinosaurs in a mass extinction event.

The crater, caused by the meteor, was discovered in 1978 in northern Yucutan and measured about 180 kilometers (112 miles) in diameter, proof of a massive extra-terrestrial impact.

‘Hidden photons’ may be used to send secret emails through Earth

‘Hidden photons’ may be used to send secret emails through EarthLondon, April 27 : A team of scientists has proposed the possibility of hypothetical particles called "hidden photons" being used to send secret emails through the Earth.

According to a report in New Scientist, the theory has been put forward by Andreas Ringwald at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, and colleagues.

Hidden photons are a class of particles predicted by so-called supersymmetric extensions to the standard model of particle physics.

Raindrops splash before they hit the ground

Raindrops splash before they hit the groundLondon, April 27 : In a new research that involved the use of computer simulations, scientists have shown that raindrops actually splash just a few microseconds before hitting the ground.

A liquid drop hitting a surface often flattens into a thin sheet that then bounces to form a crown shape.

Previous experiments have suggested the surrounding air plays a role: a droplet doesn't splash so easily when the air pressure is low, instead spreading out into a thin pancake.

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