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China Sets Growth Target for 2024 but Won't Take Questions About the Economy

A solution has been announced to the apparently contradictory requirements for a highly energy-dense battery that works at very low temperatures. The work is still a long way from mass production‚ but suggests a major obstacle to electrifying aviation is not as insuperable as many have thought‚ along with a host of other potential applications.Lithium-ion batteries have conquered most of the world‚ but they run into trouble at the poles. As temperatures drop‚ they charge more slowly and store less energy. Their reduced storage capacity in cold weather is an oft-stated reason for people to avoid electric cars‚ although famously cold Norway appears untroubled. Even if the problems in ordinary cold temperatures are overstated‚ things get worse at the sort of temperatures most of us hope to never encounter.Limitations on use in winter in Antarctica aren’t really a problem for the global energy transition‚ but the altitudes jet planes fly at also get very cold. In addition to the challenges of making batteries light enough for large-scale airplanes‚ needing to keep them warm is a hassle aerospace engineers don’t want to have to deal with. Now it seems they might not have to.The reason lithium-ion batteries are so averse to cold is that it has been thought that even more important characteristics‚ such as high energy density and fast charging capacity‚ can only be achieved over a narrow operating temperature range. Since most batteries will also need to operate at the sort of temperatures humans live in‚ that means sacrificing performance when temperatures drop.The problem lies in batteries’ electrolytes‚ but a team led by Professor Xiulin Fan of Zhejiang University claim an electrolyte made using “small-sized solvents with low solvation energy” can do it all.Existing electrolytes are good at conducting lithium ions and interacting with graphite anodes at temperatures like 25°C (77°F)‚ but get worse at both as temperatures fall. High-concentration electrolytes and other alternatives avoid freezing at the anode interface‚ but only by being more viscous and therefore carrying fewer charges‚ reducing performance in normal conditions.The team explored the performance of a range of solvents and found that three small-sized solvents can form Li+ transporting channels that facilitate fast ion movement. Two of these fail other basis requirements of battery electrolytes‚ but fluoroacetonitrile appears to meet all necessary criteria. The fact its acronym (FAN) is the same as two team members’ names is presumably just a happy coincidence.Demonstration FAN electrolyte batteries show outstanding ionic conductivity at room temperature‚ the team claim‚ and also charge and discharge well from -80°C to 60°C (-112° to 140°F). At -70°C (-94°F)‚ FAN’s performance beat some alternatives by a factor of around 10‚000 times.These batteries maintained their performance over 3‚000 cycles at 6°C (43°F).According to the South China Morning Post‚ Fan told the Chinese-language site Science Times the battery “can be charged in 10 minutes to reach 80 percent of charge capacity.”The secret lies in the formation of two layers around the lithium ions‚ known as sheaths‚ both of which are smaller and more transportable than those in dilute carbonate electrolytes.Lithium-ion batteries dominate the existing battery market largely because they are so light for the energy they can store. That makes them invaluable for laptops and mobile phones‚ and now for electric cars. The extra research that dominance drew in‚ plus economies of scale in manufacturing‚ means they are currently also the predominant technology for the rapidly expanding stationary battery market. However‚ when it comes to big batteries to soak up energy from solar panels during the day for use in the evening‚ many other technologies‚ using cheaper materials‚ are snapping at lithium-ion’s heels.Fan’s team claim that their technology is “generalizable and can be expanded to other metal-ion battery electrolytes‚” which will be good news for grid operators in colder regions looking for ways to balance energy generation in winter.The work is published in Nature.

Meet Qizai: not only is he thoroughly friend-shaped‚ but he’s also quite the mystery man. The giant panda is one of just seven brown and white members of the species ever reported‚ and the only one in captivity. The reason for this unusual coloring had long eluded scientists – but with the help of genetics‚ the mystery now appears to be solved.A team of researchers set out to determine whether any differences in the DNA of brown pandas could explain their unusual fur color. As part of this genetic detective work‚ they sequenced the genomes of 35 giant pandas; this included two brown pandas (one of whom was our boy Qizai)‚ and the two family trios they belonged to‚ as well as regular black and white pandas.In comparing the resulting sequences‚ the team identified what they believe to be the gene involved: Bace2. This gene encodes an enzyme that’s involved in chopping up amyloid precursor protein‚ a molecule perhaps best known for its role in Alzheimer’s disease.The brown pandas were found to have two identical copies of a particular variant of Bace2‚ both missing 25 base pairs (the building blocks of DNA‚ often simply represented by letters)‚ suggesting it could play a role in their fur color.The researchers didn’t stop there though. In search of validation for their findings‚ they also sequenced the DNA of another 192 black and white pandas‚ with the analysis revealing that none had two copies of that same variation in Bace2. When they further created mice with the mutation‚ using a method called CRISPR-Cas9‚ the resulting mice had light fur. But how does this mutation lead to brown pandas like Qizai?“Our investigation revealed that this mutation reduced the number and size of melanosomes of the hairs in knockout mice and possibly in the brown panda‚ further leading to the hypopigmentation‚” the researchers write in their paper.Melanosomes are specialized structures within cells – the fancy term being organelles – responsible for the production and storage of melanin‚ a type of pigment that can determine the color of skin and hair or fur. Thus‚ a mutation in Bace2 might affect melanosomes in pandas‚ and consequently give them brown and white fur instead of black and white. The next step for the researchers is to investigate this theory and figure out how it might work – Qizai is still keeping some cards close to his chest.That being said‚ the current research is a pretty big first step in solving the puzzle of these rare pandas. Qizai the brown panda might have lost a bit of his mystery‚ but he’s definitely clawed something back in scientific progress.The study is published in the journal PNAS.

There are few weird sea creatures we here at IFLScience can resist and new giant sea monsters from the Cretaceous period are not one of them. A new species of mosasaurid from the Maastrichtian age has been discovered in Morocco with dagger-like teeth and a bizarrely shaped skull and even scientists have called it "strange".The new discovery has been named Khinjaria acuta and is a plioplatecarpus‚ a specialized subset of the mosasaurs that were known to be speedy swimmers and specialized hunters. The international team found the fossil in the Phosphates of Sidi Chennane‚ in the Oulad Abdoun Basin Khouribga Province in Morocco. “The phosphates of Morocco immerse us in the Upper Cretaceous seas during the latest geological times of the dinosaurs’ age. No deposit has provided so many fossils and so many species from this period‚” explained Professor NE. Jalil of the Museum National d’ Histoire Naturelle in Paris in a statement sent to IFLScience. The name comes from the Arabic word “khinhar” meaning dagger and the Latin word “acuta” meaning sharp‚ referencing the large‚ sharp teeth of the specimen. “Some mosasaurs had teeth to pierce prey‚ others to cut‚ tear‚ or crush. Now we have Khinjaria‚ with a short face full of huge‚ dagger-shaped teeth‚" said lead author Dr Nick Longrich of the University of Bath. It would have swum around in what is now the Atlantic Ocean at the same time triceratops was roaming around on land‚ before the end of the Cretaceous period roughly 66 million years ago. "This is one of the most diverse marine faunas seen anywhere‚ at any time in history‚ and it existed just before the marine reptiles and the dinosaurs went extinct‚” Longrich said. All the better to eat you with!Image Credit: Longrich‚ N. R.‚ Et al (2024) Cretaceous ResearchThe specimen consists of part of the skull‚ some vertebrates‚ part of the jaw‚ and the teeth. The team thinks the marine lizard would have been around the size of an orca at roughly 7-8 meters long ( 22 - 26 feet). Analysis reveals that Khinjaria acuta is closely related to another species‚ Goronyosaurus nigeriensis‚ and they both possess the unusual appearance of having a short snout and a long area at the back of the skull. The team thinks that this strange skull shape made the jaws of the mosasaur close slowly but with the said high bite force."The elongation of the posterior part of the skull which accommodated the jaw musculature suggests a terrible biting force‚” said Professor Jalil. Based on the teeth morphology they suspect that Khinjaria likely fed on large fish species or even sharks or other mosasaurs. While all of these factors of large teeth‚ large bite force‚ and large size suggest a predator‚ the researchers think that Khinkaria hunted in a more unusual way to avoid competing with other predators of that time. Based on the small size of the eye sockets and the shape of the snout‚ using a sense of smell could have been important in hunting behavior particularly if hunting at night or in murky waters. Mosasaurs are fairly well-studied marine predators well known from the fossil record for possessing different teeth and variations in skull shape‚ which suggests a wide range of diets and niches for these ancient marine reptiles to occupy. The new study adds to evidence that ocean ecosystems were very different millions of years ago when they could support multiple apex predators eating large prey‚ as opposed to now where just a few large predators like orcas and great whites dominate. The study is published in Cretaceous Research.

Did you know that platypuses are armed with a venomous spur on their hind legs? Well‚ one “Good Samaritan” found out the hard way when she was struck with excruciating pain while attempting to rescue a troubled platypus on the side of the road. Jenny Forward‚ the unfortunate woman who was spurred by the platypus‚ described the pain as “worse than childbirth” and said it felt like her head “was gonna explode‚” according to Australian breakfast TV show Sunrise.The incident unfolded last week when Forward was driving near the town of Kingston on the Australian island of Tasmania. After spotting a lone platypus in the road’s gutter‚ she pulled over and decided to help‚ fearing it had been run over by a car. However‚ the ungrateful platypus failed to see this gesture of goodwill. Upon picking up the tiny mammal‚ she felt an intense pain in her hand. “I picked up this cute little wriggly platypus‚ next thing you know it twisted round [and] impaled both its spurs on either side of my right hand. I couldn’t actually get the platypus off my hand because it was stuck on there‚” Forward told Sunrise. "It was as though someone had stabbed [my hand] with a knife. The pain was excruciating… definitely worse than childbirth‚" she added‚ speaking to ABC News.Like many secluded islands‚ Australia has unique wildlife because it was isolated from the rest of the world for a relatively long time‚ allowing evolution to run riot in unlikely and wonderful ways. The platypus is a prime example of this process. Native to eastern Australia‚ including Tasmania‚ this species of semi-aquatic mammal has a duck-like bill‚ a beaver-like tail‚ and otter-like feet. It’s so strange that European scientists first thought the animal was a hoax when pelts and drawings of it were sent back to Britain. It is one of just five extant species of monotremes‚ mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young‚ along with four species of echidnas. Like other monotremes‚ the platypus uses electrolocation to navigate through murky water and hunt its prey‚ which includes worms‚ insect larvae‚ and freshwater shrimp.It's also‚ of course‚ one of the few mammals that can dispense venom to attack its foes. Both male and female platypuses are born with spurs on their hind legs‚ but only males can use it to dispense venom. It is capable of killing dogs and other similar-sized mammals‚ which are the kinds of animals that might cause problems for the creature. The venom isn’t potent enough to kill a human‚ although it can eventually cause intense and lingering pain that can last a week. Medical case studies have highlighted how it’s extremely hard to treat people who have been stung by a platypus‚ especially because their venom has not been extensively studied.A 1992 case report tells the story of a 57-year-old man in Australia who was struck by platypus venom while fishing in North Queensland‚ causing “immediate‚ sustained‚ and devastating” pain. The patient‚ who was a war veteran‚ described the pain as "much worse" than being hit by shrapnel in battle. Upon arriving at the hospital after a 100-kilometer (62-mile) car ride‚ the victim was given morphine although it barely gave him any pain relief. Over the following days‚ his hand remained swollen and in pain‚ but he was eventually released from the hospital on day six after the pain became “tolerable.” He reported still being in some degree of pain over two weeks after the injury. As for the recent case in Tasmania‚ the woman is reportedly still in some pain‚ but she's starting to feel a bit brighter. Despite her highly unpleasant experience though‚ she hasn’t lost her passion for helping wildlife. In fact‚ the venomous incident has inspired her to help to protect platypuses‚ an increasingly rare species that's becoming vulnerable to extinction."I'm definitely going to look at what the Kingborough Council is doing to protect them and maybe set up a small group to make sure our waterways are free of this awful litter that's killing them‚" Forward told ABC.

Sombo is an elephant who spent 85 arduous years in chains. Her journey from a life of toil on the streets to one of peace and serenity shows the resilience of the spirit and the transformative power of compassion. Sombo’s story begins in her twilight years‚ revealing the harsh reality of a life spent in... The post Elephant can’t contain emotions when she finally ‘tastes freedom’ after 85 years in chains appeared first on Animal Channel.

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The Space Telescope Science Institute has announced which astronomy proposals have been selected to be given time with the James Webb Space Telescope over the next two years.On Thursday (Feb. 29)‚ the…

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