University of Adelaide: Seawater split to produce green hydrogen
“We have split natural seawater into oxygen and hydrogen with nearly 100 per cent efficiency, to produce green hydrogen by electrolysis, using a non-precious and cheap catalyst in a commercial electrolyser,” said Professor Qiao.
Techspot: Gravity batteries in abandoned mines could power the whole planet, scientists say
CBS News: Eating one fish from U.S. lakes or rivers likened to drinking month's worth of contaminated water
The Guardian: Warning of unprecedented heatwaves as El Niño set to return in 2023
Early forecasts suggest El Niño will return later in 2023, exacerbating extreme weather around the globe and making it “very likely” the world will exceed 1.5C of warming. The hottest year in recorded history, 2016, was driven by a major El Niño.
The Guardian: Revealed: Exxon made ‘breathtakingly’ accurate climate predictions in 1970s and 80s
University of Oxford: Compound extreme heat and drought will hit 90% of world population – Oxford study
Spektrum.de: Kaum noch Fortschritt in der Forschung?
Die Zeit der großen Entdeckungen und Durchbrüche in der Forschung sei vorbei, besagt eine aktuelle Studie. Womöglich weil Wissenschaftler viel mehr wissen müssen als früher.
The Guardian: If aliens contact humanity, who decides what we do next?
If there is consensus that the signal is legit, researchers should inform the public and the secretary general of the UN.
But there is little guidance on what to do next. How should the message be studied? Should it be released in full before it has been deciphered? Would governments allow that? Should humanity respond? If so, who decides what we send back?
Interesting Engineering: A German institute just broke the solar cell efficiency record with 32.5 percent
ZAMG und GBA werden zu GeoSphere Austria
Mit 1. Jänner 2023 bündeln die Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG) und die Geologische Bundesanstalt (GBA) ihre Kompetenzen in der neugegründeten Geosphere Austria, Österreichs Bundesanstalt für Geologie, Geophysik, Meteorologie und Klimatologie.
AP: Endlich bekommt die ZAMG einen englischen Namen. Ohne einem solchen ist wissenschaftlicher Fortschritt kaum möglich.
Spektrum.de: Kerzenchemie: Ein Feinstaub freisetzendes Lichtlein brennt
Wenn Duftstoffe in der heißen Kerzenflamme verbrennen, entstehen Verbindungen wie Formaldehyd oder Acetaldehyd, aber auch komplexe, kaum bekannte Stoffgemische.
Ars Technica: Fusion energy breakthrough by US scientists boosts clean power hopes
First-ever net-energy gain from fusion raises hopes for zero-carbon alternative.
PsyPost: Catholic collective narcissism linked to acceptance of myths about child sexual abuse
Wikipedia: OR6A2
Variation in the OR6A2 gene has been identified as a likely cause of why some people enjoy the smell and taste of coriander (also known as cilantro) while others have exactly the opposite reaction to the point of repulsion. Depending on ancestry, somewhere between 3% and 21% of the population associate it with unpleasant taste, including a combination of soap and vomit, or say that it is similar to the foul smelling odor emitted by stinkbugs.
Ars Technica: No, physicists didn’t make a real wormhole. What they did was still pretty cool
"It’s not the real thing; it’s not even close to the real thing; it’s barely even a simulation of something-not-close-to-the-real-thing," physicist Matt Strassler wrote on his blog. "Could this method lead to a simulation of a real wormhole someday? Maybe in the distant future. Could it lead to making a real wormhole? Never. Don’t get me wrong. What they did is pretty cool! But the hype in the press? Wildly, spectacularly overblown."