Nature Communications
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Researchers identify red coloring in an ancient fossil for the first time
For the first time ever, researchers have detected chemical traces of red pigment in an ancient fossil. The discovery, which was published today in Nature Communications, was made using advanced X-ray imaging techniques applied to an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of a 3-million-year-old extinct species of field mouse. It presents a potential breakthrough that could help scientists better reconstruct animals that have long ceased to roam the earth and improve our understanding of evolution.
Kirigami-inspired solar cells can track the sun without motors
Researchers at the University of Michigan announced on Wednesday that they have developed a method of keeping solar cells turned toward the sun without the need for heavy and energy-hungry motors. Their method is based on the Japanese art of Kirigami -- like origami but with cuts in addition to folds. The team's panel is printed on a flexible kapton substrate which has dash-like cuts running across its surface. When stretched, the panel forms a mesh with each section twisting slightly. The degree of twist, which will allow the panel to follow the path of the sun, depends on how much the panel is stretched. "The design takes what a large tracking solar panel does and condenses it into something that is essentially flat," Aaron Lamoureux, lead author on the paper published in Nature Communications, said in a release.
