Mysterious humans lived alongside our ancestors. The new fossils reinforce a picture of a small-brained, small-bodies creature - homo nadeli - that lived around 236,000 to 335,000 years ago, at the same time as modern humans were emerging in Africa and Neandertals were evolving in Europe.
Earth’s forests grew 9%. Using ultra-high-resolution Google Earth imagery, a new study has found hidden forests all over the world—almost enough for a second Amazon—in areas with little moisture known as drylands. The host 40% more forest than thought, making it a 9% bump in total global forest coverage.
Anticancer nanomaterials inspired by volcano. Researchers at Aalto University, Finland, have developed anticancer nanomaterials by simulating the volcano-induced dynamic chemistry of the deep ocean. The novel method enables making nanoclusters of zinc peroxide in an environmentally friendly manner, without the use of additional chemicals. The as-synthesised zinc peroxide nanoparticles can be used as a tool for cancer therapy and against other complicated diseases.
3D printed “bionic skin” for robots. Engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a revolutionary process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices that could give robots the ability to feel their environment. The discovery is also a major step forward in printing electronics on real human skin.
Biofuel from coffee grounds. Future Americano, cappuccino and latte drinkers could help produce the raw material for a greener biofuel that would reduce our reliance on diesel from fossil fuels. Researchers at Lancaster University have developed a one-step process that combines extraction of the oils from the spent coffee grounds and the conversion of it into coffee biodiesel. The process has the potential to enable 720,000 tonnes of biodiesel to be produced each year from spent coffee grounds.
