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The graph shows the mechanism of Nepenthes gracilis. Credit: Anne-Kristin Lenzo Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered the deadly workings of carnivorous plants. In the steamy jungles of Borneo, plants have developed innumerable tricks to help them survive and beat their neighbors. The Slender Pitcher Plant, Nepenthes gracilis, is one of the most ingenious: Its cup-shaped leaves are equipped with a hanging canopy-like cap that turns into a deadly stepping stone for ants when hit by falling raindrops. His findings, published today in Biology Letters revealing for the first time how the shut-off spring works. The team was surprised to find that instead of bending the lid on its own or in the narrow constriction between the jug’s cup and the lid, the spring was located far behind the wall of the tubular jug. The off-center location on the back of the tube has two effects. The Slender Pitcher Plant...

The Minister of Resources has informed gas producers that the federal government intends to withdraw “gas triggers” to limit their exports, unless they can prove that the country is not facing a gas shortage by 2023. Key points: The federal government has warned it will withdraw the “gas trigger” if supplies for next year are not guaranteed Gas industry says Australia is not facing a gas shortage, contrary to warnings Government will work to reform gas triggers and renew them by 2030 Madeleine King said she would issue a notification to suppliers, the first step towards enforcement of the Domestic Gas Supply Mechanism, directing them to provide a detailed response on supply and export forecasts for next year. Consumer watchdogs have warned that despite Australia’s abundant gas supplies, the outlook for next year is “very concerning”, with most of that supply slated for export. It warns the government to consider intervention or risk a gas shorta...

The burgeoning offshore wind industry is awaiting a declaration from the federal government to start major work on the water. Key points: The renewable energy industry is waiting for the federal government to designate Gippsland as an offshore wind development zone There are five wind farm projects planning to build turbines off the coast of Gippsland CSIRO says the price for building an offshore wind farm has dropped significantly, making it a viable option There are five offshore wind farms planned off the coast of Gippsland, with the hope of leveraging the existing transmission infrastructure of the Latrobe Valley. Under a new law governing offshore wind farms passed by Parliament last year, operators are only allowed to carry out certain activities in zones designated for offshore wind development. The most developed project, Star of the South, plans to erect up to 200 turbines in the windswept waters of Gippsland. Acting chief executive Erin Coldham said making the declaration wou...

The Federal Government has been urged to consider intervention in energy markets, amid fears a gas shortage could lead to higher prices, according to a recent report by the consumer watchdog. Key points: ACCC report projects biggest domestic gas supply shortfall since 2017 The projected shortfall could put further pressure on prices Concerns arose that some manufacturers could be shut down The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released an interim report on its investigation into gas supplies along the east coast. It said that while Australia has “relatively abundant gas resources”, most of it is produced for export and large volumes are needed for the domestic market next year to avoid shortages. “The outlook for 2023 is very worrying and is likely to put further pressure on prices, which could result in some commercial and industrial users being unable to operate,” the report said. “This is a significant deterioration in conditions ...

For the first time in Australian history, a trial run of a wave energy converter has succeeded in generating energy from chaotic and wild ocean waves to a power plant. Key points: Australia can now use the ocean for power generation after trials on King Island proved successful in generating energy This unit can now be commercialized and made up to five times larger and placed off any coast, anywhere in the world. Industry experts are “very happy” with the successful pilot, hope it now opens the door to the industry For years, companies around the world have tried to harness the power of the sea, with varying degrees of success. “This is truly the first project to successfully generate electricity for a customer, and it proves that ocean energy can work,” said Stephanie Thornton of the Australian Ocean Energy Group. Located off Raja Island in Bass Strait, the unit – created by Melbourne company Wave Swell Energy – has been generating electricity for t...

Unsplash/Darren Halstead The research group is now collaborating with Toyota Motor Corp. to develop fuel cell catalysts with possible real-world applications. (Photo: Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle, 2019.) Main takeaways: High cost of catalyst. Platinum is the best catalyst for hydrogen fuel cells, but its scarcity makes it expensive. Find alternatives. The new method quickly identifies which alloy — a less expensive combination of platinum and another metal — is likely to achieve the best results in fuel cells. Cut costs. High-performance alloy catalysts could eventually make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles more affordable. A study led by UCLA researchers could help accelerate the use of hydrogen as an environmentally friendly energy source in transportation and other applications. The team developed a method to predict the potency and stability of platinum alloys – two key indicators of how they will perform as catalysts in hydrogen fuel cells. Then, using t...

The former federal minister who oversaw the introduction of carbon prices in Australia has backed calls for policies such as insurance to help fix the crisis plaguing the country’s largest power grid. Key points: Former climate change minister Greg Combet has backed plans for capacity markets to help repair networks The proposal was pursued in the midst of skyrocketing prices and warnings of blackouts in the national electricity market Mr Combet said the policy was needed to help Australia transition to 100 per cent renewable energy Greg Combet, a former union leader who served as climate change minister in the Gillard government, said ideology needed to be removed from debates about how to solve problems affecting national electricity markets. Mr Combet said businesses and households – especially the vulnerable – were suffering amid skyrocketing prices and rolling blackout warnings as the system struggled to cope with demand. While he blamed the “chaos” at...

The way out in outer space is a class of objects called blazars. Think of them as extreme particle accelerators, capable of accumulating energy a million times more powerful than the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. It turns out that they are the cause of one of the great astrophysical mysteries: what creates and propels neutrinos across the universe at such blazing fast speeds? It turns out that the answer has been there all along: the blazar pumps out neutrinos and cosmic rays. That was the conclusion of a group of astronomers led by Dr. Sara Buson of the Universität Wurzburg in Germany as they study data from a very unique facility on Earth: the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica. Understanding the Origin of Speed ​​Demon Particles Neutrinos are quirky little ducks in the astrophysics zoo. They originate from cosmic ray interactions in the blazars and have a very small mass. Neutrinos do not interact with matter as they streak through the cosmos, meaning they tra...

Octopus Investment Australia has officially launched a $10 billion renewable energy “platform,” which will seek to finance large solar, wind and battery storage projects and has purchased Australia’s largest operating solar farm. Octopus Australia – a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest investors in clean energy, the Octopus Group – said on Wednesday it had simultaneously closed two full subscription funds co-invested in Australia’s multibillion-dollar renewable energy portfolio. The two investment vehicles are the Octopus Australia Sustainable Investments (Oasis) Fund, open to institutional investors, and the Octopus Renewable Energy Opportunities (Oreo) Fund, open to wholesale investors. Among the institutional investors who have joined the Oasis fund so far are the federal government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Australian pension fund Hostplus, which has more than 1.5 million members and $86.6 billion in funds under management. O...

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has stepped in to prevent a potential gas shortage in Victoria, the state’s energy minister said. Key points: Energy market operator AEMO says guaranteed gas supply will ensure transparency in the market The Victorian government has ruled out lifting the wholesale gas price cap in response to pressure on supply State opposition calls for reduced gas exports from Victoria Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio told ABC Radio Melbourne that AEMO triggered a gas supply guarantee on Tuesday afternoon, as reserves at storage facilities in the state’s southwest continued to fall. “That means they will have greater visibility of gas sales and supply across markets including Victoria but in other states, to get transparency here,” he said. “When you get more transparency in the market, the market starts to change its behavior, and to be honest, the market has slipped too much here. “More visibility means, ...

MIT engineers designed a new surface treatment that makes boiling water more efficient. New surface treatments can save energy for systems used in many industries. At the heart of many industrial processes, including most power plants, many chemical production systems, and even cooling systems for electronics, is the energy-intensive step of boiling water or other liquids. They can significantly reduce their energy use by increasing the efficiency of the systems that heat and evaporate the water. MIT MIT stands for Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a prestigious private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was founded in 1861. It is organized into five Schools: architecture and planning; manipulation; humanities, arts, and social sciences; management; and science. MIT’s impact includes many scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. Their stated goal is to make a better world through education, research, and innovation. ” data-gt-t...