The First Topological Acoustic Transistor

To turn ‘on’ an acoustic transistor, ultrasound arriving at the ‘gate’ input heats and expands the base plate, changing the spacing in two lattices of slightly-different-sized pillars, and inducing a topological transition that guides sound along the interface. (Credit: Hoffman Lab/Harvard SEAS)

Sound waves may pave the way for topological electronic transistors. Researchers have designed and simulated the first topological acoustic transistors — with sound waves instead of electrons — and proposed a connection architecture to form a universal logic gate that can switch the flow of sound on and off.

Topological materials move electrons along their surface and edges without any loss, making them promising materials for dissipationless, high-efficiency electronics...

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Earth Isn’t ‘Super’ because the Sun had Rings Before Planets

An illustration of three distinct, planetesimal-forming rings that could have produced the planets and other features of the solar system, according to a computational model from Rice University. The vaporization of solid silicates, water and carbon monoxide at “sublimation lines” (top) caused “pressure bumps” in the sun’s protoplanetary disk, trapping dust in three distinct rings. As the sun cooled, pressure bumps migrated sunward allowing trapped dust to accumulate into asteroid-sized planetesimals. The chemical composition of objects from the inner ring (NC) differs from the composition of middle- and outer-ring objects (CC)...
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Charging Electric Vehicles with Photovoltaics at Home

Exemplary week of a single user showing the usage of the BEV as well as the energy production by rooftop PV. In this recorded charging pattern (i.e., the baseline scenario, as explained below), it would be beneficial to not immediately recharge the car to the maximum, but instead wait for periods of increased PV energy generation. Credit: DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111969

An electric car that runs on PV power sounds appealing. But is it really possible to enjoy flexibility with a vehicle charged through a home photovoltaic system? An ETH research team has reached some surprising conclusions.

The area of photovoltaics (PV) is rapidly increasing in popularity, and in Switzerland it already covers 5 percent of the country’s electricity consumption...

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New Route for Regulating Blood Sugar Levels Independent of Insulin

Insulin and FGF1 both regulate blood sugar levels using independent pathways.
Credit: Salk Institute

New molecular pathway controls blood glucose, circumventing insulin resistance. The discovery of insulin 100 years ago opened a door that would lead to life and hope for millions of people with diabetes. Ever since then, insulin, produced in the pancreas, has been considered the primary means of treating conditions characterized by high blood sugar (glucose), such as diabetes. Now, Salk scientists have discovered a second molecule, produced in fat tissue, that, like insulin, also potently and rapidly regulates blood glucose. Their finding could lead to the development of new therapies for treating diabetes, and also lays the foundation for promising new avenues in metabolism research.

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