Despite its strength, Israel’s US-backed Arrow system reportedly struggled to prioritize threats during the saturation attack, according to some US media reports. In comparison, the PLA’s system not only tracks conventional ballistic missiles but also identifies decoys from actual warheads, even amid mid-flight countermeasures such as jamming or submunition dispersal.
‘Empty land’ theory shattered as 4,400-year-old settlement find rewrites history
Evidence from the Kach Kouch site marks the first well-documented instance of continuous settlement in the Maghreb.
A groundbreaking excavation has revealed what is believed to be the first Bronze Age settlement in the Maghreb region of North Africa, an area historically overlooked in studies of this era. The significant discovery holds major implications for the established understanding of African history.
Previously considered an “empty land” prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians, a research initiative supported by the University of Barcelona has now identified a Bronze Age site in northwest Morocco that predates their presence. Recent excavations have definitively established that Kach Kouch, with the exception of Egypt, stands as the earliest known site of its kind in Mediterranean Africa.
Finally, the timeframe between 800 and 600 BCE reveals the inhabitants of Kach Kouch in modern-day Morocco as adaptable and receptive to innovation. Several new technologies and cultural elements were introduced, notably from regions outside the area, such as the eastern Mediterranean. These included stone architecture, iron tools, and wheel-thrown pottery. Crucially, this technological advancement reflects a complex and sophisticated trade network in which the Maghreb actively participated.
Maghreb was a center for human occupation
The Kach Kouch site provides the first well-documented evidence of “continuous settlement in the Maghreb,” offering a significantly different narrative of a region in Morocco that was anything but empty. “It shows the history of dynamic local communities that were far from isolated,” concluded Benattia.
However, Professor Li’s innovative model has successfully captured the intricate interplay between ion transport and electrochemical reactions that drive this process within a graphite anode, a common material in lithium-ion batteries.
“Using this model, I was able to establish relationships between key factors, such as operating conditions and material properties, and the onset of lithium plating,” explained Professor Li.
“From these results, I created a diagram that provides physics-based guidance on strategies to mitigate plating. The diagram makes these findings very accessible, and researchers can harness the results without needing to perform any additional simulations.”
Introducing Li-plating diagram
Unlike previous studies that primarily focused on extreme conditions, Professor Li’s model allows for the investigation of lithium plating across a much broader spectrum of operating parameters.
Advances in lithium-ion battery technology
Looking ahead, Professor Li intends to further refine her model by incorporating mechanical factors, such as stress generation within the battery components, to explore their potential influence on lithium plating.
“This physics-based guidance is valuable because it enables us to determine the optimal way to adjust the current densities during charging, based on the state of charge and the material properties, to avoid lithium plating,” concluded Professor Li.
Li’s findings were published in the journal ACS Energy Letters.
Meanwhile, the growing demand for electric vehicles has also necessitated improvements in the working of lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, several developments are occurring in this space.
Recently, a team of scientists in the US discovered an imaging technique that allows them to peer inside a working battery.
2,500-year-old temple reveals ancient lost school ‘House of Life’ in Egypt
Scientific analysis has now confirmed that the site was inhabited before Ramses II built his temple there.
New archaeological discoveries at the renowned Ramesseum Temple in Luxor, Egypt, have unveiled a remarkable new understanding of this ancient religious center, including the unprecedented finding of a mysterious school.
A recent investigative mission to the Ramesseum Temple, the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramses II, has reported “exceptional” discoveries. These include the architectural blueprint of an ancient educational institution known as the “House of Life.”
Furthermore, the team unearthed a collection of tombs dating back to the Third Intermediate Period, storage facilities that once held olive oil, honey, and fats, and evidence of various industries and activities. These include workshops for weaving and stonework, as well as ancient kitchens and bakeries.
Located within the Theban Necropolis in Upper Egypt, the Ramesseum, most notably recognized for its imposing 57-foot seated statue of Ramses II, stands as the second-largest temple in Ancient Egypt.
Within the temple precinct, archaeologists have uncovered the first tangible evidence of a school, the existence of which was previously theorized but never confirmed. This discovery includes the architectural layout of the teaching facility. According to a press release, researchers also recovered drawings and ancient school games.
Outside the main temple structure, a flourishing network of workspaces and tombs filled with artifacts has been brought to light.
Administrative offices were situated on the eastern side of the temple complex, while warehouses for perishable goods were located to the north. The team also rediscovered the tomb of “Sahtep-Ib-Re” in the northwest, initially documented by archaeologist Quibell in 1896. The press release notes that its walls are adorned with painted scenes depicting the tomb owner’s funeral.
Finally, in the northeast section, a significant number of tombs with burial chambers and shafts were excavated, yielding an impressive array of artifacts and human remains. Among the remarkable relics found were scattered bones, canopic jars, funerary tools, interlocking coffins, and 401 ushabti figurines crafted from pottery.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that these findings have illuminated the temple’s long and intricate history and have opened new avenues for understanding its crucial role in ancient Egypt.
A press release concluded with a statement from Dr. Hesham El-Leithy, head of the Conservation and Registration Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the head of the Egyptian mission. He explained that the mission is continuing its excavation efforts to uncover further evidence in the coming period and will also continue its restoration work in Egypt.
Built by highly skilled, deeply experienced workforce
The submarine’s complex structures are built by the highly skilled and deeply experienced workforce at the Louisville facility.
BAE Systems also revealed that its skilled manufacturing workforce will continue delivering firepower to the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet.
The company’s facility also builds the propulsor for the Virginia-class submarine, as well as a heavy propulsor structure for the Columbia-class submarine. BAE Systems has the manufacturing capability and capacity to take on additional work building submarine structures to further support the U.S. Navy.
Hidden battle of X, Y chromosome sperm in mice determined by contest for proteins
Researchers have uncovered that the molecular arms race between sperm bearing X and Y chromosome in mice is dependent on their competitive binding to Spindlins proteins.
As per Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, fitness is an organism’s ability to survive and pass on its genes better suited to its environment to future generations. Sometimes, Darwin’s theory also applies to genes within the same body, which compete to assert dominance. While this internal rivalry is usually hard to see, it becomes clearer when it involves genes on the X and Y chromosomes, which determine the sex of mammals.
Arlt, who is also the first author of the study, further noted that if certain genes gave X-bearing sperm an advantage, the result would be more female offspring—the same goes for Y-bearing sperm and male offspring. Yet, he noted that the sex ratio remains close to 50-50. Over evolutionary time, this balance is optimal for the survival of a species, while even small shifts could eventually threaten its stability.
To maintain the sex-ratio balance, genes on the X and Y chromosomes co-adapt, regulating each other’s influence. However, how this process works remains a mystery as sperm cannot be grown in a lab. The University of Michigan team found a creative solution by transferring the X-linked Slxl1/Slx and Y-linked Sly gene families from mice into yeast, enabling them to study the genetic interactions in a controlled environment.
Next, the team plans to use the yeast model system to investigate the evolution of the X/Y arms race and explore other competitive genes in the future.
“These observations provide critical mechanistic insight into how competition between Slxl1/Slx and Sly influences sperm fitness via an X- versus Y-chromosome evolutionary arms race during mouse spermatogenesis. Exploring how this arms race evolves and competes provides insights into innovative molecular strategies, driven by strong positive Darwinian selection, influencing fertility and chromosome evolution,” the team noted in the study.
Women are better at hearing than men everywhere in world, finds study
In some populations women’s ears were found to be six kilohertz sharper than men’s, according to the study involving 450 individuals from 13 countries.
The human ear has a snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure called the cochlea which plays a crucial role in hearing. It detects sound as vibrations and converts those into nerve signals for the brain.
Factors affecting hearing in humans
The sample of the study involved 450 individuals from 13 countries. This also included people from different environment settings and cultures, especially rural communities and groups from other backgrounds who are often not well-represented in studies.
Hearing tests were conducted to examine the cochlear sensitivity in all these subjects. The tests measured Transient-Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAE), soft sounds that the inner ear naturally produces when it hears a short sound, like a click or tone.
The results revealed some interesting insights. In addition to highlighting that women are better at hearing than men, the study also suggests that the environment in which a person lives plays a big role in their ability to sense sounds of different frequencies
For instance, “people living in forest areas had the highest hearing sensitivity and those living at high altitudes having the lowest,” the study authors said. Those living at high altitudes may have weaker hearing due to lower air pressure, less sound in the environment, or body changes from living with less oxygen.
The researchers also saw a difference between those living in urban and rural environments— people in cities were more tuned in to higher-pitched sounds, possibly because they learn to ignore low-pitched traffic noise.
According to Gilkes Energy’s managing director Carl Crompton, the real work for the company “begins now” as it transitions from a consented project to a fully designed, tendered, and costed venture. The application also includes proposals for two large-scale peatland and woodland restoration projects.
“As the UK energy system shifts from being dominated by dispatchable thermal generation to one driven by intermittent renewables, the need for energy storage is increasing significantly. Storage systems enable excess renewable energy, primarily from wind, to be stored and used later during periods of low renewable generation,” Crompton said in a statement.
Europe’s first net-zero project to get world’s largest high-voltage sea cable network
NKT is executing a substantial capital investment program to scale its high-voltage production capabilities in Karlskrona.
In a significant milestone in Europe’s energy transition, the European Union (EU) has recognized the expansion of NKT’s high-voltage power cable factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, as the first Net-Zero Strategic Project under the recently created EU Net-Zero Industry Act.
The designation confers national priority status, enabling accelerated administrative procedures and expedited project implementation permitting.
NKT is executing a substantial capital investment program to scale its high-voltage production capabilities in Karlskrona.
The Karlskrona expansion is assessed as mission-critical to several core objectives of the Net-Zero Industry Act: enhancing supply chain resilience, bolstering grid reliability, and supporting the EU’s strategic autonomy in energy infrastructure.
As European power grids undergo structural modernization to accommodate renewable integration and cross-border interconnections, the demand for domestically produced high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable systems has reached critical thresholds.
NKT’s expanded capacity will directly address this operational gap.
Scientists turn CO2 from forestry into plastic raw materials using new method
The Forest CUMP research project has found a way to reduce the reliance on fossil feedstocks to produce polypropylene and polyethylene, raw materials used in everyday plastics.
A three-year research project involving scientists from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and LUT University has found a way to capture and convert carbon dioxide produced by the forest industry during waste incineration into polypropylene and polyethylene—raw materials used to manufacture common, everyday plastic products.
Named Forest CUMP, the research delved into different technologies and mechanisms for producing renewable plastic raw materials from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. For renewable feedstocks to quickly and effectively replace fossil-based ones, the technologies must be compatible with today’s industrial infrastructure. Given the high cost and long lifespan of hydrocarbon separation equipment, aligning renewable processes with current infrastructure makes sense.
“Our research showed that the low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch process is a technically and economically promising alternative for the production of renewable polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene. We can use Fischer-Tropsch naphtha directly in existing petrochemical processes as a feedstock for the above-mentioned plastics without major additional investments into current petrochemical units (e.g. distillation and separation processes or steam cracker),” added Lehtonen, in a media statement released by VTT.
According to Kaija Pehu-Lehtonen, project manager of Finnish forest industry conglomerate Metsä Group’s carbon capture initiative, capturing wood-based carbon dioxide presents a major opportunity for Finland to develop new industrial value chains while reducing reliance on fossil raw materials. The experimental and pilot work carried out in the Forest CUMP project has provided valuable insights into using carbon dioxide as a raw material for plastics.
With a stable, year-round supply of bio-based carbon dioxide, Finland’s energy and hydrogen infrastructure is well-equipped to support the transition to renewable energy and hydrogen, with strong potential for large-scale green hydrogen production through water electrolysis using renewable energy.
The latest research shows that converting 10 million tons of biogenic CO₂ into renewable products would require about 60 TWh of renewable electricity, roughly 70% of Finland’s annual electricity consumption.
Processing 10 Mt of CO₂ and 1 Mt of hydrogen could produce 3 Mt of diesel, equal to Finland’s yearly consumption. With 30 Mt of large bio-based CO₂ sources available, Finland has the raw materials and infrastructure for industrial-scale production. Therefore, Instead of focusing on fuels, the Forest CUMP study aimed to capture bio-based CO₂ for use in durable polymer products.
Controlling excitons like never before
Excitons hold great importance because they help us understand how light and energy move through materials, especially in technologies like solar cells, LEDs, and quantum computers. The study authors performed an interesting experiment to examine their behavior inside CrSBr.
They used ultra-short laser pulses lasting just 20 quadrillionths of a second (20 x 10-15 seconds) to create excitons inside CrSBr. Then, they used a second laser to push the excitons gently into slightly higher energy states.
This is important because if scientists can convert quantum information smoothly between photons, excitons, and electron spins, it would make quantum systems much more versatile and open up new possibilities for building more advanced technologies.
“The long-term vision is, you could potentially build quantum machines or devices that use these three or even all four of these properties: photons to transfer information, electrons to process information through their interactions, magnetism to store information, and phonons to modulate and transduce information to new frequencies,” said Mackillo Kira, one of the study authors.
“The hydrogels for our skin imitation from the 3D printer have to fulfil a number of requirements.” Karin Stana Kleinschek, PhD, a professor at the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Biobased Systems at TU Graz and one of the study’s authors, says.
“The hydrogels must be able to interact with living skin cells,” Kleinschek continues. “These cells not only have to survive, but also have to be able to grow and multiply.”
The scientist emphasizes that the starting point for stable and 3D-printable structures are hydrogel formulations developed at TU Graz. These, according to Kleinschek, are characterized by their high water content – a trait that creates ideal conditions for integration and cell growth. However, this same high water content also makes the structures unstable, requiring special mechanical and chemical methods to keep them firm and intact.
According to Kleinschek, initial tests of the 3D-printed hydrogels in cell culture have yielded promising results, showing that the cross-linked materials are both mechanically stable and non-toxic to cells.
“In the next step, the 3D-printed models (skin imitations) will be used to test nanoparticles,” Kleinschek explains. “This is a success for the complementary research at TU Graz and VIT.”
“Our many years of expertise in the field of material research for tissue imitations and VIT’s expertise in molecular and cell biology have complemented each other perfectly,” the professor concludes in a press release. “We are now working together to further optimise the hydrogel formulations and validate their usefulness as a substitute for animal experiments.”
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!summarize #genrikhyagoda #soviet #history
Despite its strength, Israel’s US-backed Arrow system reportedly struggled to prioritize threats during the saturation attack, according to some US media reports. In comparison, the PLA’s system not only tracks conventional ballistic missiles but also identifies decoys from actual warheads, even amid mid-flight countermeasures such as jamming or submunition dispersal.
‘Empty land’ theory shattered as 4,400-year-old settlement find rewrites history
Evidence from the Kach Kouch site marks the first well-documented instance of continuous settlement in the Maghreb.
A groundbreaking excavation has revealed what is believed to be the first Bronze Age settlement in the Maghreb region of North Africa, an area historically overlooked in studies of this era. The significant discovery holds major implications for the established understanding of African history.
Previously considered an “empty land” prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians, a research initiative supported by the University of Barcelona has now identified a Bronze Age site in northwest Morocco that predates their presence. Recent excavations have definitively established that Kach Kouch, with the exception of Egypt, stands as the earliest known site of its kind in Mediterranean Africa.
Finally, the timeframe between 800 and 600 BCE reveals the inhabitants of Kach Kouch in modern-day Morocco as adaptable and receptive to innovation. Several new technologies and cultural elements were introduced, notably from regions outside the area, such as the eastern Mediterranean. These included stone architecture, iron tools, and wheel-thrown pottery. Crucially, this technological advancement reflects a complex and sophisticated trade network in which the Maghreb actively participated.
Maghreb was a center for human occupation
The Kach Kouch site provides the first well-documented evidence of “continuous settlement in the Maghreb,” offering a significantly different narrative of a region in Morocco that was anything but empty. “It shows the history of dynamic local communities that were far from isolated,” concluded Benattia.
However, Professor Li’s innovative model has successfully captured the intricate interplay between ion transport and electrochemical reactions that drive this process within a graphite anode, a common material in lithium-ion batteries.
“Using this model, I was able to establish relationships between key factors, such as operating conditions and material properties, and the onset of lithium plating,” explained Professor Li.
“From these results, I created a diagram that provides physics-based guidance on strategies to mitigate plating. The diagram makes these findings very accessible, and researchers can harness the results without needing to perform any additional simulations.”
Introducing Li-plating diagram
Unlike previous studies that primarily focused on extreme conditions, Professor Li’s model allows for the investigation of lithium plating across a much broader spectrum of operating parameters.
Advances in lithium-ion battery technology
Looking ahead, Professor Li intends to further refine her model by incorporating mechanical factors, such as stress generation within the battery components, to explore their potential influence on lithium plating.
“This physics-based guidance is valuable because it enables us to determine the optimal way to adjust the current densities during charging, based on the state of charge and the material properties, to avoid lithium plating,” concluded Professor Li.
Li’s findings were published in the journal ACS Energy Letters.
Meanwhile, the growing demand for electric vehicles has also necessitated improvements in the working of lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, several developments are occurring in this space.
Recently, a team of scientists in the US discovered an imaging technique that allows them to peer inside a working battery.
2,500-year-old temple reveals ancient lost school ‘House of Life’ in Egypt
Scientific analysis has now confirmed that the site was inhabited before Ramses II built his temple there.
New archaeological discoveries at the renowned Ramesseum Temple in Luxor, Egypt, have unveiled a remarkable new understanding of this ancient religious center, including the unprecedented finding of a mysterious school.
A recent investigative mission to the Ramesseum Temple, the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramses II, has reported “exceptional” discoveries. These include the architectural blueprint of an ancient educational institution known as the “House of Life.”
Furthermore, the team unearthed a collection of tombs dating back to the Third Intermediate Period, storage facilities that once held olive oil, honey, and fats, and evidence of various industries and activities. These include workshops for weaving and stonework, as well as ancient kitchens and bakeries.
Located within the Theban Necropolis in Upper Egypt, the Ramesseum, most notably recognized for its imposing 57-foot seated statue of Ramses II, stands as the second-largest temple in Ancient Egypt.
Within the temple precinct, archaeologists have uncovered the first tangible evidence of a school, the existence of which was previously theorized but never confirmed. This discovery includes the architectural layout of the teaching facility. According to a press release, researchers also recovered drawings and ancient school games.
Outside the main temple structure, a flourishing network of workspaces and tombs filled with artifacts has been brought to light.
Administrative offices were situated on the eastern side of the temple complex, while warehouses for perishable goods were located to the north. The team also rediscovered the tomb of “Sahtep-Ib-Re” in the northwest, initially documented by archaeologist Quibell in 1896. The press release notes that its walls are adorned with painted scenes depicting the tomb owner’s funeral.
Finally, in the northeast section, a significant number of tombs with burial chambers and shafts were excavated, yielding an impressive array of artifacts and human remains. Among the remarkable relics found were scattered bones, canopic jars, funerary tools, interlocking coffins, and 401 ushabti figurines crafted from pottery.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that these findings have illuminated the temple’s long and intricate history and have opened new avenues for understanding its crucial role in ancient Egypt.
A press release concluded with a statement from Dr. Hesham El-Leithy, head of the Conservation and Registration Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the head of the Egyptian mission. He explained that the mission is continuing its excavation efforts to uncover further evidence in the coming period and will also continue its restoration work in Egypt.
Built by highly skilled, deeply experienced workforce
The submarine’s complex structures are built by the highly skilled and deeply experienced workforce at the Louisville facility.
BAE Systems also revealed that its skilled manufacturing workforce will continue delivering firepower to the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet.
The company’s facility also builds the propulsor for the Virginia-class submarine, as well as a heavy propulsor structure for the Columbia-class submarine. BAE Systems has the manufacturing capability and capacity to take on additional work building submarine structures to further support the U.S. Navy.
Hidden battle of X, Y chromosome sperm in mice determined by contest for proteins
Researchers have uncovered that the molecular arms race between sperm bearing X and Y chromosome in mice is dependent on their competitive binding to Spindlins proteins.
As per Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, fitness is an organism’s ability to survive and pass on its genes better suited to its environment to future generations. Sometimes, Darwin’s theory also applies to genes within the same body, which compete to assert dominance. While this internal rivalry is usually hard to see, it becomes clearer when it involves genes on the X and Y chromosomes, which determine the sex of mammals.
Arlt, who is also the first author of the study, further noted that if certain genes gave X-bearing sperm an advantage, the result would be more female offspring—the same goes for Y-bearing sperm and male offspring. Yet, he noted that the sex ratio remains close to 50-50. Over evolutionary time, this balance is optimal for the survival of a species, while even small shifts could eventually threaten its stability.
To maintain the sex-ratio balance, genes on the X and Y chromosomes co-adapt, regulating each other’s influence. However, how this process works remains a mystery as sperm cannot be grown in a lab. The University of Michigan team found a creative solution by transferring the X-linked Slxl1/Slx and Y-linked Sly gene families from mice into yeast, enabling them to study the genetic interactions in a controlled environment.
Next, the team plans to use the yeast model system to investigate the evolution of the X/Y arms race and explore other competitive genes in the future.
“These observations provide critical mechanistic insight into how competition between Slxl1/Slx and Sly influences sperm fitness via an X- versus Y-chromosome evolutionary arms race during mouse spermatogenesis. Exploring how this arms race evolves and competes provides insights into innovative molecular strategies, driven by strong positive Darwinian selection, influencing fertility and chromosome evolution,” the team noted in the study.
Women are better at hearing than men everywhere in world, finds study
In some populations women’s ears were found to be six kilohertz sharper than men’s, according to the study involving 450 individuals from 13 countries.
The human ear has a snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure called the cochlea which plays a crucial role in hearing. It detects sound as vibrations and converts those into nerve signals for the brain.
Factors affecting hearing in humans
The sample of the study involved 450 individuals from 13 countries. This also included people from different environment settings and cultures, especially rural communities and groups from other backgrounds who are often not well-represented in studies.
Hearing tests were conducted to examine the cochlear sensitivity in all these subjects. The tests measured Transient-Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAE), soft sounds that the inner ear naturally produces when it hears a short sound, like a click or tone.
The results revealed some interesting insights. In addition to highlighting that women are better at hearing than men, the study also suggests that the environment in which a person lives plays a big role in their ability to sense sounds of different frequencies
For instance, “people living in forest areas had the highest hearing sensitivity and those living at high altitudes having the lowest,” the study authors said. Those living at high altitudes may have weaker hearing due to lower air pressure, less sound in the environment, or body changes from living with less oxygen.
The researchers also saw a difference between those living in urban and rural environments— people in cities were more tuned in to higher-pitched sounds, possibly because they learn to ignore low-pitched traffic noise.
According to Gilkes Energy’s managing director Carl Crompton, the real work for the company “begins now” as it transitions from a consented project to a fully designed, tendered, and costed venture. The application also includes proposals for two large-scale peatland and woodland restoration projects.
“As the UK energy system shifts from being dominated by dispatchable thermal generation to one driven by intermittent renewables, the need for energy storage is increasing significantly. Storage systems enable excess renewable energy, primarily from wind, to be stored and used later during periods of low renewable generation,” Crompton said in a statement.
Europe’s first net-zero project to get world’s largest high-voltage sea cable network
NKT is executing a substantial capital investment program to scale its high-voltage production capabilities in Karlskrona.
In a significant milestone in Europe’s energy transition, the European Union (EU) has recognized the expansion of NKT’s high-voltage power cable factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, as the first Net-Zero Strategic Project under the recently created EU Net-Zero Industry Act.
The designation confers national priority status, enabling accelerated administrative procedures and expedited project implementation permitting.
NKT is executing a substantial capital investment program to scale its high-voltage production capabilities in Karlskrona.
The Karlskrona expansion is assessed as mission-critical to several core objectives of the Net-Zero Industry Act: enhancing supply chain resilience, bolstering grid reliability, and supporting the EU’s strategic autonomy in energy infrastructure.
As European power grids undergo structural modernization to accommodate renewable integration and cross-border interconnections, the demand for domestically produced high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable systems has reached critical thresholds.
NKT’s expanded capacity will directly address this operational gap.
Scientists turn CO2 from forestry into plastic raw materials using new method
The Forest CUMP research project has found a way to reduce the reliance on fossil feedstocks to produce polypropylene and polyethylene, raw materials used in everyday plastics.
A three-year research project involving scientists from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and LUT University has found a way to capture and convert carbon dioxide produced by the forest industry during waste incineration into polypropylene and polyethylene—raw materials used to manufacture common, everyday plastic products.
Named Forest CUMP, the research delved into different technologies and mechanisms for producing renewable plastic raw materials from carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. For renewable feedstocks to quickly and effectively replace fossil-based ones, the technologies must be compatible with today’s industrial infrastructure. Given the high cost and long lifespan of hydrocarbon separation equipment, aligning renewable processes with current infrastructure makes sense.
“Our research showed that the low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch process is a technically and economically promising alternative for the production of renewable polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene. We can use Fischer-Tropsch naphtha directly in existing petrochemical processes as a feedstock for the above-mentioned plastics without major additional investments into current petrochemical units (e.g. distillation and separation processes or steam cracker),” added Lehtonen, in a media statement released by VTT.
According to Kaija Pehu-Lehtonen, project manager of Finnish forest industry conglomerate Metsä Group’s carbon capture initiative, capturing wood-based carbon dioxide presents a major opportunity for Finland to develop new industrial value chains while reducing reliance on fossil raw materials. The experimental and pilot work carried out in the Forest CUMP project has provided valuable insights into using carbon dioxide as a raw material for plastics.
With a stable, year-round supply of bio-based carbon dioxide, Finland’s energy and hydrogen infrastructure is well-equipped to support the transition to renewable energy and hydrogen, with strong potential for large-scale green hydrogen production through water electrolysis using renewable energy.
The latest research shows that converting 10 million tons of biogenic CO₂ into renewable products would require about 60 TWh of renewable electricity, roughly 70% of Finland’s annual electricity consumption.
Processing 10 Mt of CO₂ and 1 Mt of hydrogen could produce 3 Mt of diesel, equal to Finland’s yearly consumption. With 30 Mt of large bio-based CO₂ sources available, Finland has the raw materials and infrastructure for industrial-scale production. Therefore, Instead of focusing on fuels, the Forest CUMP study aimed to capture bio-based CO₂ for use in durable polymer products.
Controlling excitons like never before
Excitons hold great importance because they help us understand how light and energy move through materials, especially in technologies like solar cells, LEDs, and quantum computers. The study authors performed an interesting experiment to examine their behavior inside CrSBr.
They used ultra-short laser pulses lasting just 20 quadrillionths of a second (20 x 10-15 seconds) to create excitons inside CrSBr. Then, they used a second laser to push the excitons gently into slightly higher energy states.
This is important because if scientists can convert quantum information smoothly between photons, excitons, and electron spins, it would make quantum systems much more versatile and open up new possibilities for building more advanced technologies.
“The long-term vision is, you could potentially build quantum machines or devices that use these three or even all four of these properties: photons to transfer information, electrons to process information through their interactions, magnetism to store information, and phonons to modulate and transduce information to new frequencies,” said Mackillo Kira, one of the study authors.
“The hydrogels for our skin imitation from the 3D printer have to fulfil a number of requirements.” Karin Stana Kleinschek, PhD, a professor at the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Biobased Systems at TU Graz and one of the study’s authors, says.
“The hydrogels must be able to interact with living skin cells,” Kleinschek continues. “These cells not only have to survive, but also have to be able to grow and multiply.”
The scientist emphasizes that the starting point for stable and 3D-printable structures are hydrogel formulations developed at TU Graz. These, according to Kleinschek, are characterized by their high water content – a trait that creates ideal conditions for integration and cell growth. However, this same high water content also makes the structures unstable, requiring special mechanical and chemical methods to keep them firm and intact.
According to Kleinschek, initial tests of the 3D-printed hydrogels in cell culture have yielded promising results, showing that the cross-linked materials are both mechanically stable and non-toxic to cells.
“In the next step, the 3D-printed models (skin imitations) will be used to test nanoparticles,” Kleinschek explains. “This is a success for the complementary research at TU Graz and VIT.”
“Our many years of expertise in the field of material research for tissue imitations and VIT’s expertise in molecular and cell biology have complemented each other perfectly,” the professor concludes in a press release. “We are now working together to further optimise the hydrogel formulations and validate their usefulness as a substitute for animal experiments.”