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What if aircraft carriers could rely on the most abundant of local resources seawater to fuel the planes on board?
Thanks to seawater-to-fuel technology that has been in development for several years, scientists are able to use the onboard nuclear reactor and harness the carbon dioxide and hydrogen from seawater to create a liquid fuel that can power a jet engine. The technology would allow aircraft carriers to remain in continuous operation and avoid relying on tanker ships to replenish their fuel.
However, designing catalysts that can effectively create jet fuel from these common compounds is a difficult and costly process.
The Benefits of Bees
As spring approaches and bees and other insects begin pollinating flowers and crops, a study from the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University shows just how valuable these insects are.
Using publicly available price and production data combined with existing pollination field studies, the team identified key areas in the U.S. that produce economically and nutritionally valuable crops, such as apples or almonds, and are also highly dependent on pollinators like honeybees, butterflies and wasps. By overlaying maps of predicted wild bee abundance, the researchers identified areas where there was high economic dependence on pollinators but low predicted abundance of pollinators.
Pollinators such as bees play an important role in agriculture, but are under threat
The economic value of insect pollinators is much higher than previously thought
February 18, 2021
The economic value of insect pollinators is much higher than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State University. The team also found that areas that are economically most reliant on insect pollinators are the same areas where pollinator habitat and forage quality are poor. Pollinators like bees play an extremely important role in agriculture, said senior author Vikas Khanna of Pitt s Swanson School of Engineering. The insects that pollinate farmers crops underpin our ecosystem biodiversity and function, human nutrition and economic welfare.
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PITTSBURGH (Feb. 8, 2021) . In this digital age, where the internet accelerates technological development, there has been a surge of scientific innovation designed to improve the quality of life for patients in need. However, there are physical, cognitive, and sensory issues that are often overlooked during the process, resulting in poor design for a particular user group -adults aged 65 and older. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this group will comprise more than 20 percent of the U.S. population starting in 2030.
Highlighting the importance for safety and efficacy, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration has made incorporating human factors a priority for device approval which can significantly impact the road to commercialization, leaving many researchers stuck in the design phase. Unfortunately, many of these technologies and interventions struggle to advance to commercialization.