Saturday, February 28, 2026
A new eco-friendly water battery could theoretically last for centuries - Energy & Green Tech - Hi Tech & Innovation
Credit: Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-69384-2
The problem with many types of
modern batteries is that they rely on harsh chemicals to work. Not only can
these corrosive liquids damage internal parts over time, but they can also
leach into soil and water when disposed of, contaminating it. But researchers
from the City University of Hong Kong and Southern University of Science and
Technology have developed an alternative, a new kind of eco-friendly battery
that runs on a solution similar to the minerals used in tofu brine.
The team describes their work in a
paper published in the journal Nature Communications.
The scientists replaced traditional
acids and alkalis with neutral salts of magnesium and calcium to create the
electrolyte. These are the same minerals used as brine in tofu production.
Keeping this liquid at a neutral pH of 7.0 prevents the type of corrosive
reactions that can destroy a battery from the inside out.
Novel electrode
To complete the battery design,
they replaced the negative electrode, which is often made of metal-based materials, with a
special material they engineered from covalent organic polymers (COPs). They
made three of these plastic-like structures and selected one named Hex TADD
COP. It is built with electron-donating chemical links that make it more
conductive.
The researchers paired this with
a positive electrode made of Prussian blue analog, a material
commonly used as a blue pigment in paints.
Next came the testing rounds.
Standard batteries often fail after a few hundred or a few thousand charges,
but this new version remained stable for 120,000 charge cycles. To put that in perspective, if you charged your
phone once a day with this type of battery, it would theoretically last for
over 300 years.
The battery also held a significant
amount of power for its weight. It reached an energy capacity of 112.8 mAh/g,
which is a high score for an aqueous organic battery.
"Compared to current aqueous
battery systems, the new system offers exceptional long-term cycling stability
and respect for the environment under neutral conditions," wrote the
researchers in their paper.
The battery is good news for the
environment because the liquid is neutral and the materials are non-toxic. It
meets international safety standards suggesting a lower environmental risk if
discarded than conventional batteries.
Next steps
While the lab results are promising, there are still a number of challenges before the prototype is ready for the real world. These include increasing the amount of energy the battery can hold in a small space and scaling up the manufacturing of the organic polymers.
Source: A new eco-friendly water battery could theoretically last for centuries
Smarter tissue and organ repair thanks to next-gen hydrogel - medicalxpress
3D Cytocompatibility of Pep 10 hydrogels with human
skin fibroblasts. Credit: Advanced Functional Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202529084
A multidisciplinary team have built hydrogels built entirely from synthetic
peptides so their properties can be precisely tailored through chemical design.
By harnessing the power of collagen-inspired peptides and light-triggered
chemistry, a University of Ottawa research team has engineered a customizable
material with the potential to be a gamechanger for soft tissue repair, whether
it's closing a surgical incision or sealing a traumatic wound.
In a compelling new study published in Advanced
Functional Materials, the collaborative team demonstrates a new strategy
for creating biomimetic, entirely peptide-based hydrogels that combine strength,
adaptability, and biological compatibility. Unlike many existing biomaterials
used as soft tissue adhesives, it doesn't rely on any synthetic polymers which
can trigger unwanted immune responses.
This streamlined approach makes it especially attractive for future
biomedical applications, according to Dr. Emilio I. Alarcón, professor at the
University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine and scientist at the University of
Ottawa Heart Institute.
"This new body of work is a leap in the space of biomimetic materials
for tissue and organ repair. One of the most important aspects of this research
is that we develop a stand-alone peptide-based material for tissue
bonding," he says.
Lab-designed materials that mimic
nature
Dr. Alarcón says the uOttawa team's latest study paves the way for
researchers across the globe to explore using materials composed entirely by
peptides as "the next generation of regenerative platforms." Peptides
are short chains of amino acids that form the building blocks of proteins.
In the lab's latest advance, carefully designed peptides were inspired by
the triple-helix structure of natural collagen but were
produced synthetically, allowing for fine control over composition,
performance, and safety.
The power of light
One of the key innovations lies in how these peptides assemble and lock
together, according to Dr. Alarcón, who is in the Faculty's Biochemistry,
Microbiology and Immunology Department. Once dissolved in a buffer solution,
the designed peptides spontaneously organize themselves into structures that
create the foundation of the hydrogel.
Then, to further strengthen the material, the researchers use a
light-activated chemical reaction. When exposed to light, specific chemical
groups rapidly form stable connections, transforming the soft material into a
flexible and durable gel for soft tissue repair.
The light-activated hydrogel they created is customizable—a defining
hallmark of the emerging era of personalized medicine. Researchers can make
various adjustments, like increasing peptide concentrations or altering
molecular junctions. This allows precise control over the material's
properties.
Tunable strength and biomedical
performance
Importantly, the team's peptide-based hydrogels demonstrated bonding
strength comparable to commercially available tissue adhesives such as
LiquiBand. This means the material can effectively close wounds on the human
body and hold tissues together under realistic conditions.
Lab tests showed that the materials are cell friendly and biodegradable,
allowing them to safely break down in the body over time.
Alex Ross, a Ph.D. candidate who is one of two primary authors of the newly
published study, says this kind of biocompatibility is essential for any
material entering or interacting with the body.
"Biodegradability is useful as it means the material doesn't have to
be removed later—for example, getting sutures removed—and also contributes to
the safety profile as things the body can clear out are much less likely to
pose toxicity," Ross says.
Daniel Nguyen, the paper's other primary author, expands on this point:
"If you put something inside the body, you want it to be as unobtrusive as
possible. It shouldn't harm cells, and it shouldn't stay there forever. That
matters because materials that linger or irritate tissue can slow healing or
lead to complications. Because our material is made from collagen-inspired
peptides, the body can break it down using the enzymes it uses to remodel
natural tissue."
Both Ross and Nguyen are members of the BioEngineering and Therapeutic Solutions (BEaTS) lab directed by Drs. Erik J. Suuronen and Alarcón. The lab includes cardiac surgeon Dr. Marc Ruel.
Provided
by University
of Ottawa
Source: Smarter tissue and organ repair thanks to next-gen hydrogel
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Friday, February 27, 2026
NASA’s Webb Examines Cranium Nebula - UNIVERSE
Two heads are better than one in the latest images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which reveal new detail in a mysterious, little-studied nebula surrounding a dying star.
Nebula PMR 1 is a cloud of gas and dust
that bears an uncanny resemblance to a brain in a transparent skull, inspiring
its nickname, the “Exposed Cranium” nebula. Webb captured its unusual features
in both near- and mid-infrared light. The nebula was first revealed in infrared light by a predecessor to Webb, NASA’s now-retired
Spitzer Space Telescope, more than a decade ago. Webb’s advanced instruments
show detail that enhances the nebula’s brain-like appearance.
Image: Exposed
Cranium Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI Images)
The differences in what Webb’s infrared instruments
reveal and conceal within the PMR 1 “Exposed Cranium” nebula is apparent in
this side-by-side view. More stars and background galaxies shine through
NIRCam’s view, while cosmic dust glows more prominently in MIRI’s mid-infrared.
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph
DePasquale (STScI)
The nebula appears to have distinct regions that capture different phases of its evolution — an outer shell of gas that was blown off first and consists mostly of hydrogen, and an inner cloud with more structure that contains a mix of different gases. Both Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) show a distinctive dark lane running vertically through the middle of the nebula that defines its brain-like look of left and right hemispheres. Webb’s resolution shows that this lane could be related to an outburst or outflow from the central star, which typically occurs as twin jets burst out in opposite directions. Evidence for this is particularly notable at the top of the nebula in Webb’s MIRI image, where it looks like the inner gas is being ejected outward.
While there is still much to be understood about this nebula, it’s clear that it is being created by a star near the end of its fuel-burning “life.” In their end stages, stars expel their outer layers. It’s a dynamic and fairly fast process, in cosmic terms. Webb has captured a moment in this star’s decline. What ultimately happens will depend on the mass of the star, which is yet to be determined. If it’s massive enough, it will explode in a supernova. A less massive Sun-like star will continue to shed layers until only its core remains as a dense white dwarf, which will cool off over eons.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
To learn more about Webb, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/webb
Robots use radio signals and AI to see around corners - Robotics - Engineering
Penn
Engineers have developed a system that lets robots see around corners using
radio waves processed by AI, a capability that could improve the safety and
performance of driverless cars as well as robots operating in cluttered indoor
settings like warehouses and factories.
The system, called HoloRadar, enables robots to reconstruct three-dimensional
scenes outside their direct line of sight, such as pedestrians rounding a
corner. Unlike previous approaches to non-line-of-sight (NLOS) perception that rely on visible light,
HoloRadar works reliably in darkness and under variable lighting conditions.
"Robots and autonomous vehicles need to see beyond what's directly in front of them," says Mingmin Zhao, Assistant Professor in Computer and Information Science (CIS) and senior author of a paper describing HoloRadar, presented at the 39th annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS). "This capability is essential to help robots and autonomous vehicles make safer decisions in real time."
HoloRadar allows robots to see around corners in
varied lighting conditions by relying on radio signals and AI. Credit: Sylvia
Zhang and WAVES Lab, Penn Engineering
Turning walls into mirrors
At the heart of HoloRadar is a
counterintuitive insight into radio waves. Compared to visible light, radio
signals have much longer wavelengths, a property traditionally seen as a
disadvantage for imaging because it limits resolution. Zhao's team realized
that, for peering around corners, those longer wavelengths are actually an
advantage.
"Because radio waves are so
much larger than the tiny surface variations in walls," says Haowen Lai, a
doctoral student in CIS and co-author of the new paper, "those surfaces
effectively become mirrors that reflect radio signals in predictable
ways."
In practical terms, this means that
flat surfaces like walls, floors, and ceilings can bounce radio signals around
corners, carrying information about hidden spaces back to a robot. HoloRadar
captures these reflections and reconstructs what lies beyond direct view.
"It's similar to how human drivers sometimes rely on mirrors stationed at blind intersections," says Lai. "Because HoloRadar uses radio waves, the environment itself becomes full of mirrors, without actually having to change the environment."
Designed for in-the-wild operations
In recent years, other researchers
have demonstrated systems with similar capabilities, typically by using visible light. Those systems
analyze shadows or indirect reflections, making them highly dependent on
lighting conditions. Other attempts to use radio signals have relied on slow and
bulky scanning equipment, limiting real-world applications.
"HoloRadar is designed to work
in the kinds of environments robots actually operate in," says Zhao.
"This system is mobile, runs in real time, and doesn't depend on
controlled lighting."
HoloRadar augments the safety of autonomous robots by complementing existing sensors rather than replacing them. While autonomous vehicles already use LiDAR, a sensing system that uses lasers to detect objects in the vehicles' direct line of sight, HoloRadar adds an additional layer of perception by revealing what those sensors cannot see, giving machines more time to react to potential hazards.
A single radio pulse can bounce
multiple times before returning to the sensor, creating a tangled set of
reflections that are difficult to untangle using traditional signal-processing
methods alone.
To solve this problem, the team
developed a custom AI system that combines machine learning with physics-based
modeling. In the first stage, the system enhances the resolution of raw radio
signals and identifies multiple "returns" corresponding to different
reflection paths. In the second stage, the system uses a physics-guided model
to trace those reflections backward, undoing the mirror-like effects of the
environment and reconstructing the actual 3D scene.
"In some sense, the challenge
is similar to walking into a room full of mirrors," says Zitong Lan, a
doctoral student in Electrical and Systems Engineering (ESE) and co-author of
the paper. "You see many copies of the same object reflected in different
places, and the hard part is figuring out where things really are. Our system
learns how to reverse that process in a physics-grounded way."
By explicitly modeling how radio
waves bounce off surfaces, the AI can distinguish between direct and indirect
reflections and determine the correct physical locations of a variety of
objects, including people.
From the lab to the real world
The researchers tested HoloRadar on
a mobile robot in real indoor environments, including hallways and building
corners. In these settings, the system successfully reconstructed walls,
corridors, and hidden human subjects located outside the robot's line of sight.
Future work will explore outdoor
scenarios, such as intersections and urban streets, where longer distances and
more dynamic conditions introduce additional challenges.
"This is an important step toward giving robots a more complete understanding of their surroundings," says Zhao. "Our long-term goal is to enable machines to operate safely and intelligently in the dynamic and complex environments humans navigate every day."
Source: Robots use radio signals and AI to see around corners
How physical activity may help cancer survivors live longer - medicalxpress
Credit: Victor
Freitas from Pexels
Staying fit and active has long been associated with better heart and
overall health. It might also improve the chances of survival for people with
some forms of cancer. A study published in the
journal JAMA Network Open reports that staying active is
linked to longer survival after a cancer diagnosis, including in people with
bladder, kidney and lung cancers.
An international team of scientists combined data from six large, long-term
health studies that included more than 17,000 survivors of seven cancers:
bladder, endometrial, kidney, lung, oral, ovarian and rectal. They looked at
how much exercise they did before their diagnosis and again about 2.8 years
after. They adjusted for other factors like age, sex, smoking and the stage of cancer so that they
could better estimate the specific impact of physical activity on survival.
They also tracked these survivors for an average of 11 years to see how
their activity levels related to their risk of dying from the disease.
Exercise benefits
The results indicated that physical activity was associated with lower
mortality risk for several cancer types. For example, people with oral cancer
had a 61% lower risk of dying from the disease, while those with lung cancer
saw a 44% reduction. Survivors of endometrial and bladder cancer also saw
significant benefits, with their risks dropping by 38% and 33%, respectively.
One of the most encouraging aspects of the research was that it didn't
appear to matter if people didn't exercise much before their diagnosis. Lung and rectal cancer survivors who were
previously inactive but started exercising regularly after diagnosis saw a
significantly lower risk of death (42% for lung cancer and 49% for rectal
cancer).
For some cancers, patients didn't even have to work up much of a sweat.
For bladder, endometrial and lung cancer, even doing
less than the standard 150-minute-per-week guidelines was better than doing
nothing at all.
"Findings suggest that physical activity may benefit survivors of
cancer, even if they were inactive prior to diagnosis," commented the
researchers in their paper.
Going the extra mile
They also noted that while any movement is good, doing more can lead to
even better results for some people. Doubling or tripling the standard exercise
recommendations saw the risk of death drop significantly for survivors of oral
and rectal cancers.
With these findings in mind, the study authors suggest that staying active
should be encouraged: "It is important for health care professionals to
promote physical activity for longevity and overall health among people living
with and beyond cancer."
An Invited Commentary on the research was also published in JAMA
Network Open.
Source: How physical activity may help cancer survivors live longer
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