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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
AI discovers new material that could transform batteries
Artificial intelligence has helped discover new materials that could transform batteries, scientists claim. Battery technology could be key to moving towards a more sustainable world. Researchers hope that batteries could provide a key way of allowing for better electric vehicles as well as transforming smaller technology such as phones. At the same time, however, our existing battery technology is flawed. The lithium-ion batteries that power much of our devices are relatively low density, lose energy over time and are vulnerable to heat and other changes. One way that researchers hope to address those problems is through what they call multivalent batteries. Those use more easily available elements in comparison with lithium-ion batteries, and so could be cheaper, easier and cleaner to make. What's more, the technology that powers them means that they could be more efficient and able to store more energy than existing batteries. However, the larger size and greater electrical charge of the multivalent ions that are used in the battery mean they can be difficult to incorporate into a battery. Now researchers have used generative artificial intelligence – a similar technology used in systems such as ChatGPT – to find new materials that could help resolve that problem. 'One of the biggest hurdles wasn't a lack of promising battery chemistries — it was the sheer impossibility of testing millions of material combinations,' said Dibakar Datta from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. 'We turned to generative AI as a fast, systematic way to sift through that vast landscape and spot the few structures that could truly make multivalent batteries practical. 'This approach allows us to quickly explore thousands of potential candidates, dramatically speeding up the search for more efficient and sustainable alternatives to lithium-ion technology.' Researchers were able to use an AI system to pick through different possible materials and examine whether they would be helpful in such batteries. 'Our AI tools dramatically accelerated the discovery process, which uncovered five entirely new porous transition metal oxide structures that show remarkable promise,' said Professor Datta. 'These materials have large, open channels ideal for moving these bulky multivalent ions quickly and safely, a critical breakthrough for next-generation batteries.' After finding the materials using AI, researchers checked them using more traditional simulations to ensure they could be used in real-world applications. The work is reported in a new paper, 'Generative AI for discovering porous oxide materials for next-generation energy storage', published in the journal Cell Reports.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Scientists recreate universe's first molecule to crack 13-billion-year-old mystery
Scientists have recreated the first molecule ever to form and found that it likely played a much bigger role in the birth of early stars than previously thought. The universe was unimaginably hot and dense immediately after it formed about 13.8 billion years ago, and cooled down seconds later to form the first elements, hydrogen and helium, albeit in a completely ionised form. It then took another 380,000 years for the temperature in the early universe to drop enough for neutral atoms to form by combining with free electrons to pave the way for the first chemical reactions. The first molecule created this way is thought to be helium hydride ion (HeH+), formed from a neutral helium atom and ionised hydrogen. Helium hydride's origin also marked the beginning of a chain reaction that led to the formation of molecular hydrogen (H2), which is by far the most common molecule in the universe, scientists say. Although the infant universe at this point was transparent due to the binding of free electrons, there were still no light-emitting objects, such as stars. Researchers found that this ancient helium hydride molecule helped cool the universe over a process lasting several hundred million years before the first stars ignited. Stars are powered by nuclear fusion in which light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. However, for any early contracting gas cloud of a protostar to collapse to the point where nuclear fusion can begin, heat must be dissipated via collisions between atoms and molecules, which then emit this energy in the form of photons. But below 10,000C, this process becomes ineffective for the dominant hydrogen atoms. So researchers have long considered helium hydride ions as a potentially important candidate for cooling in the formation of the first stars. These ancient molecules could facilitate further cooling by emitting additional energy through rotation and vibration, particularly at low temperatures. The concentration of helium hydride ions in the universe was likely key to the effectiveness of early star formation, the study found. New research, published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, used a special ultra-cold lab setup to mimic conditions from over 13 billion years ago that led to the formation of these molecules. The study recreated conditions similar to those in the early universe for the first time at the Cryogenic Storage Ring (CSR) instrument at the Max-Planck-Institut fur Kernphysik – a globally unique lab set up for investigating molecular and atomic reactions under space-like conditions. In the research, scientists superimposed HeH⁺ ions stored in a 35-metre-diameter storage ring for up to just a minute at a few kelvins (-267C) with a beam of neutral hydrogen atoms. They studied how the collision rate varied with temperature and found that, contrary to earlier predictions, the rate at which this reaction proceeds does not slow down with decreasing temperature. 'Previous theories predicted a significant decrease in the reaction probability at low temperatures, but we were unable to verify this in either the experiment or new theoretical calculations by our colleagues,' said study co-author Holger Kreckel from the MPIK. The findings suggest the reactions of HeH⁺ with hydrogen were far more important for chemistry in the early universe than previously thought.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
New study reveals endometriosis affects far more than reproductive health
Scientists have uncovered strong links between endometriosis and a wide range of other health conditions, including cancer, Crohn's disease, and migraines, thanks to advances in big data research. Endometriosis is a painful and often overlooked condition that affects an estimated one in ten women globally. Despite its prevalence, diagnosis can take years, and treatment options remain limited. Now, a new study reveals hundreds of connections between endometriosis and other diseases, adding to a growing body of evidence that shows it is not just a reproductive disorder but a 'multi-system' disorder affecting the whole body. Related Could gynaecological disorders raise your risk of heart disease? New research suggests they might Women who had traumatic childhoods are at higher risk of this debilitating gynaecological condition These issues 'ranged from what we already knew or suspected, like infertility, autoimmune disease, and acid reflux, to the unexpected, like certain cancers, asthma, and eye-related diseases,' Umair Khan, one of the study's authors and a researcher at the University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) in the US, said in a statement. For the study, Khan and his colleagues analysed more than 43,000 patient records collected at six health centres, using algorithms developed for the project. They sifted through the patients' medical histories to spot patterns between endometriosis and other health problems. Some patients had migraines, bolstering previous studies suggesting that migraine drugs might help treat endometriosis. In all, they found more than 600 correlations, Khan said. 'This is the kind of data we need to move the needle, which hasn't moved in decades,' Dr Linda Giudice, one of the study's authors and a physician-scientist in the department of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF, said in a statement. 'We're finally getting closer to faster diagnosis and, eventually, we hope, tailored treatment for the millions of women who suffer from endometriosis,' Giudice added. Related One in 10 women worldwide suffer from endometriosis. Why do we still know so little about it? Australian online programme teaches GPs to better understand chronic pelvic pain Devastating toll on lives For those living with endometriosis, the impact is far-reaching. 'The impact on patients' lives is huge, from their interpersonal relationships to being able to hold a job, have a family, and maintain psychological well-being,' said Giudice. Current treatments mainly focus on hormone therapy to suppress the menstrual cycle or surgery to remove affected tissue. In more severe cases, patients may undergo a hysterectomy, the surgical removal of the uterus. Yet even then, relief is not guaranteed. Not everyone responds well to hormonal treatment, which can bring harsh side effects. The condition can flare up after surgery, and some women continue to suffer pain even after a hysterectomy. Researchers hope that the new findings will help improve the diagnosis and treatment of the mysterious disease. 'We now have both the tools and the data to make a difference for the huge population that suffers from endometriosis,' said Marina Sirota, one of the study's authors and a professor of paediatrics at UCSF. 'We hope this can spur a sea change in how we approach this disorder'.
