Tech
New device can harvest clean energy from humid air anywhere
Unlike solar power, this new source of electricity is available day or night.
By Laura Allen
HS-PS3-2
Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as either motions of particles or energy stored in fields.
More Stories in HS-PS3-2
- Physics
Scientists Say: Voltage
Voltage is a measure of how much electricity is available to power devices.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Radiation
Radiation is the motion of energy through space as waves or particles.
- Animals
Analyze This: Ropes restore a gibbon highway through a rainforest
When endangered Hainan gibbons started making risky leaps across an area mowed down by a landslide, researchers provided them a rope bridge.
- Climate
Let’s learn about solar power
Solar power is a way to harness energy from the sun, and lessen our reliance on fossil fuels.
- Materials Science
Will bacterial ‘wires’ one day power your phone?
An accidental discovery helps scientists generate electricity out of thin —but humid — air with bacteria-made protein nanowires.
- Physics
A contrast between shadows and light can now generate electricity
A new device exploits the contrast between bright spots and shade to produce a current that can power small electronics.
- Planets
Glass beads help scientists puzzle out how baby planets grow
Researchers have mimicked the first stages of planet formation in the lab. All they needed were glass beads and a catapult.
- Materials Science
The future of crystal-based solar energy just got brighter
Researchers have upped the efficiency of layered solar cells that could be printed or painted onto surfaces. Now they are working to make them more rugged.
- Chemistry
Explainer: What are acids and bases?
These chemistry terms tell us if a molecule is more likely to give up a proton or pick up a new one.
