Energy

  1. Physics

    Scientists Say: Piezoelectric

    Piezoelectric materials produce an electric voltage when they are bent or squished. This can let us harvest electricity from movement.

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  2. Tech

    Bye-bye batteries? Power a phone with fabric or a beacon with sound

    New piezoelectric systems produce electricity in unusual ways, such as when a certain nylon bends or underwater ceramics vibrate.

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  3. Physics

    Researchers reveal the secret to the perfect football throw

    The tip of a spiraling football follows the ball’s path. If you know a thing or two about gyroscopes, this is not what you’d expect.

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  4. Animals

    Analyze This: Ropes restore a gibbon highway through a rainforest

    When endangered Hainan gibbons started making risky leaps across an area mowed down by a landslide, researchers provided them a rope bridge.

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  5. Tech

    Ordinary paper turns into flexible human-powered keypad

    Engineers have figured out how to turn sheets of paper into rugged, low-cost electronic devices, such as a computer keypad.

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  6. Climate

    Let’s learn about solar power

    Solar power is a way to harness energy from the sun, and lessen our reliance on fossil fuels.

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  7. Science & Society

    Batteries not included: This Game Boy look-alike doesn’t need them

    Game Boy revolutionized the gaming industry. A newer version could help slow the rate of climate change.

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  8. Tech

    Trees power this alarm system for remote forest fires

    Wind moving through tree branches is all the energy needed to power devices that can detect a remote fire before it rages into an uncontrolled inferno.

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  9. A dirty and growing problem: Too few toilets

    As the famous book says, everybody poops. That’s 7.8 billion people, worldwide. For the 2.4 billion with no toilet, the process can be complicated.

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  10. Health & Medicine

    Here’s how COVID-19 is changing classes this year

    To keep students and teachers safe from COVID-19, some things in the classroom are changing — and sometimes entire schools are being kept closed.

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  11. Materials Science

    Will bacterial ‘wires’ one day power your phone?

    An accidental discovery helps scientists generate electricity out of thin —but humid — air with bacteria-made protein nanowires.

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  12. Physics

    A contrast between shadows and light can now generate electricity

    A new device exploits the contrast between bright spots and shade to produce a current that can power small electronics.

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