Welcome to the Nightly News Brief – Science Saturday. Since 2007, OND has been a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of science stories from around the world, sometimes combined with a daily topic, original research, or commentary. OND editors communicate their own presentation styles and content selections, typically publishing each day near 12:00 a.m. ET.
Topics in this edition include:
- Energy storage using inexpensive tin and graphite instead of lithium
- Perception of time and place based on the mother tongue
- The extinction of large mammals is more related to human behavior than climate change
- The discovery changes the perception of Native Americans
- Stop planting trees
- Tesla claims that the Solar-integrated Powerwall is cheaper than a traditional generator
- The difference between pyrex® And pyrex
- How do brain waves work at the end of life?
New Atlas
By Luz Blaine
White hot grid battery aims to eliminate the price of lithium
Fourth Power says its ultra-high-temperature “sun in a box” energy storage technology is 10 times cheaper than lithium-ion batteries, and vastly more powerful and efficient than any other thermal battery. It is hoped to prove this with a 1 MWh prototype.
As a grid-scale energy storage solution, Forth aims to compete with large lithium battery arrays in the short-duration range of 5 to 10 hours – essentially storing excess solar energy during the heat of the day for use in the evening and at night when generating. goes down. But the company says it is also relevant to the 100-hour phase, which will cover the event of “several days of inclement weather and poor renewable energy generation.”
IFL Science
By Tom Hill
Your perception of time and space changes radically because of the language you speak
sDepict a flow chart of human aging through the many stages of a person’s life, from baby to toddler to child and teenager to adult and elderly person. You probably imagined the youngest person on the left and the oldest person on the right. This may seem like the “natural” way to arrange things, but not everyone will necessarily agree with you.
Some studies have shown that people who use a writing system arranged from left to right – such as English and many other languages - tend to define time as progressing from left to right when thinking abstractly, whereas people who read text arranged from right to Left – such as Arabic, Hebrew, etc. – the order of time from right to left.Likewise, some researchers have argued that people who read vertical writing in East Asian scripts can often imagine time flowing downward vertically, although you will find some researchers who argue that this is not entirely true.
PHYS.org
By Aarhus University
It turns out that humans, not climate, are causing the giant mammal’s decline
For many years, scientists have debated whether humans or climate caused large mammal populations to decline dramatically over the past thousands of years. A new study from Aarhus University confirms that climate cannot be the explanation.
About 100,000 years ago, the first modern humans migrated from Africa in large numbers. They were adept at adapting to new habitats, settling in almost every type of landscape, from deserts to jungles to the icy taiga of the far north.
Part of the success was man’s ability to hunt large animals. Using clever hunting techniques and specially designed weapons, they have mastered the art of killing even the most dangerous mammals.
Unfortunately, the great success of our ancestors came at the expense of other large mammals.
Greek correspondent
By Nisha Zahid
A new discovery changes the perception of Native Americans
In a groundbreaking discovery, a group of Krakow-based archaeologists have unearthed remarkable finds in Colorado, reshaping our understanding of the Native Americans who once lived there.
Under the guidance of Professor Radoslaw Palonka from Jagiellonian University in Poland, the team uncovered a collection of petroglyphs and intricate carvings on the rocks. These sculptures display elaborate designs, spirals and geometric shapes.
While most of these carvings are believed to date from the 12th and 13th centuries, the oldest ones date back to the 3rd century, known as the Age of Basketweavers.
Wired
By Alec Lunn
Stop planting trees, says the man who inspired the world to plant a trillion trees
In a cavernous theater lit by the green shapes of camels and palm trees at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, environmentalist Thomas Crowther, former chief scientific adviser to the UN’s Trillion Trees campaign, was doing something he would never have expected a few years ago: begging ministers. Environment to stop planting too many trees.
Collective farms are not the environmental solution they claim to represent, Crowther said when he spoke Dec. 9 at a Nature Day event at the summit. The ability of newly established forests to sequester carbon is often overestimated. It can be harmful to biodiversity. Above all, they are truly harmful when used, as is often the case, as an excuse to avoid cutting emissions, Crowther said.
heectrek
By Fred Lambert
Tesla claims that the solar-powered Powerwall is cheaper than a backup generator
Tesla has released a new comparison report claiming that a solar-powered Powerwall is cheaper than a traditional backup generator.
For years now, Tesla has enjoyed a large backlog of Powerwall orders, but now that production is ramping up and the automaker has worked through most of that backlog, it should start generating more demand for the home energy storage product.
Tesla has now released a new report comparing Powerwalls as a backup system to standby generators.
The company claims that when combined with Powerwall and solar, the backup system is cheaper than a traditional generator:
Popular Mechanics
By Manasi Wagh
Worried about your Pyrex exploding? Check if it contains this special ingredient
I clearly remember the last time I used one of these large pyrex baking dishes. I was making a chicken dish, but I forgot to add enough liquid to the pan. I took the hot pan out of the oven and poured some cold chicken stock from the fridge into it. That’s when my pyrex baking dish broke. There were three or four large pieces sitting on the stove, mixed with the now ruined chicken.
While I was in shock, I realized my mistake: the glass was simply too hot to withstand the sudden change in temperature. But it made me wonder: Wasn’t Pyrex supposed to work more reliably under these kinds of temperature fluctuations? When I started googling, I found that people have been complaining about pyrex cookware exploding for years. Maybe people weren’t reading the instructions. Then I found a possible answer: There’s Pyrex, and then there’s Pyrex®.
Neuroscience News
Source: Paris Brain Institute
Tracking the brain’s “death wave”: new insights into the neurological end of life
Researchers have made great strides in understanding the neural process of death.
Their study reveals that during hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, the brain undergoes a series of changes, including the release of large amounts of glutamate and an increase in gamma and beta waves, which are likely related to near-death experiences. This is followed by a “death wave” – a high-amplitude wave that signals a transition towards complete cessation of brain activity.
The study, which focused on mice, found that this wave originates in layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the neocortex and can be reversed under certain conditions, providing new insights into preserving brain function during resuscitation.
This is an open topic where everyone, especially night owls and early birds, is welcome to share and discuss the science news of the day. Please share your articles and stories in the comments.
Good morning and welcome to Science Saturday’s overnight news summary. We’ll be highlighting the latest developments in the world of science from the past 24 hours, including groundbreaking research, technological advancements, and fascinating discoveries. From space exploration to medical breakthroughs, we’ve got you covered with all the important news from the scientific community. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s dive into the exciting world of science.