Converting CO2 to valuable resources with the help of nanoparticles

An international research team has used nanoparticles to convert carbon dioxide into valuable raw materials. Scientists have adopted the principle from enzymes that produce complex molecules in multi-step reactions. The team transferred this mechanism to metallic nanoparticles, also known as nanozymes. The chemists used carbon dioxide to produce ethanol and propanol, which are common raw materials for the chemical industry.

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First fully rechargeable carbon dioxide battery with carbon neutrality

Researchers are the first to show that lithium-carbon dioxide batteries can be designed to operate in a fully rechargeable manner, and they have successfully tested a lithium-carbon dioxide battery prototype running up to 500 consecutive cycles of charge/recharge processes.

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Potentially large economic impacts of climate change can be avoided by human actions

A study estimates global-scale, multi-sectoral economic impacts of climate change, and suggests that a plausible range of decisions and actions by humans can determine the scale of the economic impacts, even if the uncertainty in the climate response to increased greenhouse gas concentration is considered. These actions include reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and improvement of socioeconomic conditions. This study highlights the importance of societal changes and the current generation's responsibility for the future.

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Tractor overturn prediction using a bouncing ball model could save the lives of farmers

Overturning tractors are the leading cause of death for farmers around the world. In order to reduce the rate of overturned tractors, researchers have developed a model for understanding the conditions that lead to a tractor overturning from an unlikely source: They based their model on one used to understand the unpredictability of a bouncing ball.

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High carbon dioxide can create 'shrinking stems' in marshes

For most plants, carbon dioxide acts like a steroid: The more they can take in, the bigger they get. But scientists have now discovered something strange happening in marshes. Under higher levels of carbon dioxide, instead of producing bigger stems, marsh plants produced more stems that were noticeably smaller.

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