Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)

The growth of wind, solar and hydropower offers hope for restraining climate change Within the next three years, renewable power could surpass natural gas as the second most prevalent source of electricity generation globally, behind only coal, according to a new forecast by the International Energy Agency. Hydropower accounts for about four-fifths of renewable generation and will

The expression of many genes that have previously been associated with autism is abnormal also in violent psychopathy, a new study shows. The researchers used stem cell technology to analyse the expression of genes and proteins in the brain cells of psychopathic violent offenders. Published in Molecular Psychiatry, the findings may open up new avenues for

A portable device that makes fire from water has been developed within a European research project. It doesn’t use flammable gases, it produces its own fuel as needed. Andrew Ellis, a research technologist with ITM Power, explained: “This is an electrolyzer system we’ve got here. It’s been developed to use a standard mains electricity supply, and water. The water

When choosing wood for applications such as load-bearing beams in houses, it’s important not to use pieces that contain cracks or other defects that could affect their structural integrity. While not quite as crucial, it’s also nice to avoid flaws when building things like wooden furniture, piano soundboards, or window frames. Typically, people have been

  Researchers at the UPNA/NUP-Public University of Navarre have produced a prototype of a self-cooling thermoelectric device that achieves “free” cooling of over 30ºC in devices that give off heat. It is a piece of equipment that acts as a traditional cooler but which consumes no electricity because it obtains the energy it needs to

Catapult is a service that lets you donate to projects around the world that help women and girls. And–what do you know?–helping women and girls, especially in the developing world, is a key to boosting development even more. There is no shortage of quality organizations working on issues related to women and girls, but many

Improved diagnosis and management of one of the most common cancers in men – prostate cancer – could result from research at the University of Adelaide, which has discovered that seminal fluid (semen) contains biomarkers for the disease. Results of a study now published in the journal Endocrine-Related Cancer have shown that the presence of certain molecules

You can also define reference points – such as property boundaries or roadways   We’ve all experienced that moment of panic when we open the back door to let the dog inside only to find that he’s not there. Technology has provided a solution to this dilemma with GPS tracking devices designed specifically for our

In space, astronauts go for years without a fresh supply of water. Floating in a capsule in outer space they wash and drink from the same continuously recycled source. So why, asked Swedish industrial designer Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, do we not do the same on Earth? This was the concept behind the OrbSys Shower — a high-tech purification