Science X Newsletter Mon, Jan 8

Dear manoj dole,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 8, 2024:

Technology news

	New transistors based on monolayer black phosphorus and germanium arsenide Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials have proved to be very promising for the development of various electronic devices, including wearables and smaller electronics. These materials can have significant advantages over their bulky counterparts, for instance retaining their carrier mobility irrespective of their reduced thickness.
	Mimicking the masters: Octopus-inspired systems for deception and signaling In a new study, scientists have introduced octopus-inspired deception and signaling systems using a stable nonacene-like molecule, marking a significant advancement in camouflage technology with potential applications in diverse fields.
	New soft robots roll like tires, spin like tops and orbit like moons Researchers have developed a new soft robot design that engages in three simultaneous behaviors: rolling forward, spinning like a record, and following a path that orbits around a central point. The device, which operates without human or computer control, holds promise for developing soft robotic devices that can be used to navigate and map unknown environments.
	Mobile ALOHA robot able to help with multiple household tasks A trio of robotics engineers at Stanford University, working with colleagues from Google's Deep Mind, has built on Google's ALOHA system to create a mobile robot capable of carrying out a wide variety of household chores—they have named it Mobile ALOHA.
	Scientists create DNA hydrogel-based, solar-powered evaporation system for highly efficient seawater desalination Minerals as well as freshwater can be obtained by desalinating seawater with solar power facilities for the sustainable development of human civilization. For instance, hydrogels have shown great power for solar-powered water evaporation potential, although the highly efficient and specific target extraction method remains to be expanded.
	New material to boost the efficiency limits of silicon solar cells A research group from the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC, Lithuania), together with partners from Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia) set out to synthesize new material that could potentially complement silicon solar cell technologies and increase the overall efficiency of solar modules.
	Solid state battery design charges in minutes, lasts for thousands of cycles Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new lithium metal battery that can be charged and discharged at least 6,000 times—more than any other pouch battery cell—and can be recharged in a matter of minutes.
	Multiple AI models help robots execute complex plans more transparently Your daily to-do list is likely pretty straightforward: wash the dishes, buy groceries, and other minutiae. It's unlikely you wrote out "pick up the first dirty dish," or "wash that plate with a sponge," because each of these miniature steps within the chore feels intuitive. While we can routinely complete each step without much thought, a robot requires a complex plan that involves more detailed outlines.
	Vacuuming, moving house, unpacking are boring in real life—so why is doing them in a video game so fun? After an exhausting day, housework is often the last thing I feel like doing. But I sometimes relax by playing video games where you tidy and arrange household items in living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms.
	Explainer: Now-found door 'plug' may hold vital clues to how a gaping hole blew open on a jetliner Investigators said Sunday they had found the piece of fuselage that blew off a Boeing airliner over Oregon on Friday, and hoped it would provide physical evidence of what went wrong.
	Still standing: unique houses survive quake in Japan village The New Year's Day earthquake demolished wooden buildings all across Japan's Noto Peninsula but thanks to decades-old smart architecture, one small fishing village stood strong.
	Google search technique used by police draws new legal challenge Civil liberties advocates are mounting a new challenge to the use by police of Google search data for help solving criminal cases, as the practice draws greater scrutiny nationwide.
	Researchers unveil useful strategies for sustainable gas storage and separation with clathrate hydrates Clathrate hydrates are ice-like nano porous compounds which consists of nano-sized water cages. They are found in places like permafrost or seabed. Moreover, their unique physical and chemical traits make them beneficial for various separation processes, such as the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) before and after combustion, storage of hydrogen gas, transportation of natural gas, desalination of wastewater, and more.
	Why we should take competitive video games more seriously Is playing competitive video games a serious business?
	iPhone survives 16,000-foot fall from Alaska Airlines flight Now that's what you call airplane mode—an iPhone that plummeted 16,000 feet (5,000 meters) from an Alaska Airlines flight landed without a single crack in the screen and even a battery still half-charged.
	Apple's Vision Pro headset available in US on February 2 Apple on Monday said it will release its highly anticipated Vision Pro mixed reality headset in the United States on February 2, in its first major release since the Apple Watch in 2015.
	The world's next big carbon capture challenge? Figuring out how to use it Carbon capture is having a moment. Companies such as Chevron Corp. are building technology to capture carbon dioxide from smokestacks while others such as Microsoft Corp. are investing in startups working to yank the greenhouse gas out of the air directly.
	Educating civil engineers for the twenty-first century: The 'new-model engineer' Nick Francis, a Senior University Teacher at the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, has co-authored, with Esther Norton, a new research article on educating civil engineers in the twenty-first century and proposed a new teaching model to empower future engineers to meet human needs in the context of climate and biodiversity crises.
	Bitcoin: Four reasons why the price could surge in 2024 The year 2023 will be remembered as turbulent for cryptocurrencies, with numerous important developments that ultimately helped to "clean up" the space to potentially make it more attractive to mainstream investors. Notably there was the conviction of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried for fraud.
	CES 2024 is upon us. Here's what to expect from this year's annual show of all-things tech CES, the Consumer Technology Association's annual trade show of all-things tech, is kicking off in Las Vegas this week.
	Processing biochar into pellets to offset emissions in concrete production To achieve the goal of a climate-neutral Switzerland by 2050, strategies and processes with a negative CO2 balance are necessary. These so-called negative emission technologies (NET) are intended to counterbalance the remaining "hard-to-avoid" emissions in 2050 and should help ensure that we eventually achieve net zero.
	Cathode innovation makes sodium-ion battery an attractive option for electric vehicles New cathode material for sodium-ion batteries is inspired by earlier work at Argonne that led to the lithium-ion batteries in the Chevy Volt and Bolt. It could help the supply of low-cost and abundant elements for electric vehicle batteries.
	No win-win? Input-efficient technologies might not be so efficient after all To address natural resource scarcity, pollution, and other harmful effects of climate change, some scientists and policymakers emphasize the adoption of input-efficient technologies like water-saving devices and fuel-saving stoves. Proponents often refer to these input-efficient technologies as a "win-win" for the benefits to their users and to the environment and lament their low adoption rates by consumers in what they call an "efficiency paradox."
	Boeing still hasn't fixed this problem on Max jets, so it's asking for an exemption to safety rules Boeing is asking federal regulators to exempt a new model of its 737 Max airliner from a safety standard designed to prevent part of the engine housing from overheating and breaking off during flight.
	US regulator orders inspections on some Boeing MAX 9 planes after emergency The US air safety regulator said Saturday it was grounding some Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets pending inspections, a day after a panel blew out of one of the planes over the western state of Oregon.
	Federal officials order grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners after plane suffers a blowout Federal officials on Saturday ordered the immediate grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners until they are inspected after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage.
	What to know about the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 jet that suffered a blowout An emergency landing by an Alaska Airlines jetliner has prompted U.S. federal authorities to ground some Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, adding another episode to the troubled history of Boeing's Max lineup of jets.
	Vinfast plans first EV factory in India Vietnamese carmaker VinFast said it will build its first electric vehicle factory in India as part of a planned $2 billion investment, as it looks to expand into the rapidly growing market.
	Boeing hit by new headwinds in recent mid-flight scare A mid-air emergency in which a piece of fuselage came off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliner as it flew over the US west coast dealt a new blow to the oft-beleaguered manufacturer.
	Rooftop-solar industry blames PG&E, Newsom as Bay Area businesses struggle Bay Area rooftop-solar businesses are reeling from a statewide change that gutted compensation for homeowners returning surplus power to the electrical grid, causing applications for new solar to plunge to a 10-year low and leading to layoffs in an industry that had expected to lead the vanguard toward more sustainable, environmentally friendly energy use.
	Boeing jetliner that suffered inflight blowout was restricted because of concern over warning light The Boeing jetliner that suffered an inflight blowout over Oregon was not being used for flights to Hawaii after a warning light that could have indicated a pressurization problem lit up on three different flights, a federal official said Sunday.
	Rolls-Royce delivers record number of cars in 2023 Rolls-Royce Motor Cars delivered a record number of luxury vehicles last year when clients also began taking possession of its first all-electric Spectre model, the German-owned brand said Monday.
	EU approves 900-mn-euro German aid for battery plant The EU approved Monday a 900-million-euro German state subsidy for electric vehicle battery firm Northvolt to build a plant in Germany that might have otherwise been lured to the United States.
	Boeing shares dive as regulators unveil inspection plan for grounded MAX jets Shares of Boeing plunged Monday after an airplane panel blew out mid-flight, reviving safety questions at a time when the company had hoped to recover its reputation.
	A natural gas plant guarding US Northeast from winter blackouts is at risk A natural gas terminal that's been operating for more than half a century has been a crucial safeguard against blackouts when bone-chilling cold hits the U.S. Northeast. In less than five months, it's slated to shut forever.

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