Glowing nanomaterial to drive new generation of solar cells

EarthzineTechnology

Physicists have discovered radical new properties in a nanomaterial which opens new possibilities for highly efficient thermophotovoltaic cells, which could one day harvest heat in the dark and turn it into electricity. The research team has demonstrated a new artificial material, or metamaterial, that glows in an unusual way when heated.

First US rice drip irrigation research project in CA leverages Israeli R&D

EarthzineTechnology

“We believe this initiative represents the first use of drip irrigation in the U. for a rice crop,” explains Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, president, principal and chief executive officer of Conaway Preservation Group, which owns the 17,000-acre Conaway Ranch. This effort could serve as a model for other farms and potentially save hundreds of thousands of acre feet of water in California … Read More

Seashells or spider silk: how nature could transform the structure of cities

EarthzineTechnology

In the race to replace concrete and steel, bioengineers and architects are experimenting with alternatives including blood, bone and eggshells Ask the Cambridge bioengineer, Michelle Oyen, how the cities of the future might look, and she’ll reference termite mounds, along with the swirling architecture of Antoni Gaudí, whose buildings look like they’ve grown from organic matter rather than been built … Read More