Latest news with #ScienceDaily
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
How your old phone could become a ‘tiny data centre' helping researchers to track marine life
Old phones could have a new chapter as tiny data centres, a new line of research has found. Each year, more than 1.2 billion smartphones are produced globally. Despite the expense to consumers and the environmental toll of producing them, our devices have an increasingly short lifespan as people tend to replace them every two to three years. But rather than gathering dust in a drawer - or adding to the world's mountain of electronic waste - discarded smartphones could be reconfigured for a range of useful green applications. 'Innovation often begins not with something new, but with a new way of thinking about the old, re-imagining its role in shaping the future,' says Huber Flores, Associate Professor of Pervasive Computing at the University of Tartu in Estonia. He is one of several European researchers behind the new study published in the IEEE Pervasive Computing journal. Related 'We don't want to be a niche brand': Seaweed is taking plastic out of stadiums and sandwich boxes This Indian city is using smartwatches to track the impact of increasingly deadly extreme heat Turning outdated smartphones into micro data centres is surprisingly cheap, if you know how. The researchers found that it only costs around €8 to bypass a phone's hardware features and reprogramme it. Firstly, the researchers removed the phones' batteries and replaced them with external power sources to reduce the risk of chemical leakage into the environment, a ScienceDaily report explains. Then, four phones were connected together, fitted with 3D-printed casings and holders, and turned into a working prototype ready to be reused. Related From Scotland to Sweden: How smart cities are helping residents save energy Deep discoveries, landmark lawsuits and rising renewables : Positive environmental stories from 2025 The prototype created by researchers was put to use underwater, where it participated in the monitoring of marine life by helping to count different sea species. Normally, these kinds of tasks require a scuba diver to record video and bring it to the surface for analysis. The prototype meant the whole process could be done automatically underwater. And there are many other ways that a phone's capacity to efficiently process and store data can be put to good use after its WhatsApping days are done. These mini data centres could also be used at bus stops, for example, to collect real-time data on the number of passengers. This could help to optimise public transportation networks. Such smartphone repurposing is just a drop in the ocean of issues that natural resource mining, energy-intensive production and e-waste present. Ultimately, we need to challenge this throwaway culture and move to a more circular model. But the research shows one small way to satisfy demand for computing power with what we've already got. 'Sustainability is not just about preserving the future,' says Ulrich Norbisrath, Associate Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Tartu. 'It's about reimagining the present, where yesterday's devices become tomorrow's opportunities.'
Euronews
5 days ago
- Science
- Euronews
Old smartphones turned into ‘tiny data centres' to track marine life
Old phones could have a new chapter as tiny data centres, a new line of research has found. Each year, more than 1.2 billion smartphones are produced globally. Despite the expense to consumers and the environmental toll of producing them, our devices have an increasingly short lifespan as people tend to replace them every two to three years. But rather than gathering dust in a drawer - or adding to the world's mountain of electronic waste - discarded smartphones could be reconfigured for a range of useful green applications. 'Innovation often begins not with something new, but with a new way of thinking about the old, re-imagining its role in shaping the future,' says Huber Flores, Associate Professor of Pervasive Computing at the University of Tartu in Estonia. He is one of several European researchers behind the new study published in the IEEE Pervasive Computing journal. Turning outdated smartphones into micro data centres is surprisingly cheap, if you know how. The researchers found that it only costs around €8 to bypass a phone's hardware features and reprogramme it. Firstly, the researchers removed the phones' batteries and replaced them with external power sources to reduce the risk of chemical leakage into the environment, a ScienceDaily report explains. Then, four phones were connected together, fitted with 3D-printed casings and holders, and turned into a working prototype ready to be reused. The prototype created by researchers was put to use underwater, where it participated in the monitoring of marine life by helping to count different sea species. Normally, these kinds of tasks require a scuba diver to record video and bring it to the surface for analysis. The prototype meant the whole process could be done automatically underwater. And there are many other ways that a phone's capacity to efficiently process and store data can be put to good use after its WhatsApping days are done. These mini data centres could also be used at bus stops, for example, to collect real-time data on the number of passengers. This could help to optimise public transportation networks. Such smartphone repurposing is just a drop in the ocean of issues that natural resource mining, energy-intensive production and e-waste present. Ultimately, we need to challenge this throwaway culture and move to a more circular model. But the research shows one small way to satisfy demand for computing power with what we've already got. 'Sustainability is not just about preserving the future,' says Ulrich Norbisrath, Associate Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Tartu. 'It's about reimagining the present, where yesterday's devices become tomorrow's opportunities.'
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
160-million-year-old blue-stain fungi in China found to be harmful to trees
Source: In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have uncovered 160-million-year-old blue-stain fungi fossils from the Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation in China. The new findings offer fresh insights into the ecological relationships between blue-stain fungi, plants, and insects during the Jurassic period. These fungi are generally nonfatal to their hosts but often accelerate tree mortality when associated with wood-boring insects . According to ScienceDaily, a Chinese team of scientists highlights the discovery of well-preserved blue-stain fungal hyphae within Jurassic fossil wood from northeastern China, pushing back the earliest known fossil record of this fungal group by approximately 80 million years. Know about the blue-stain fungi, deadly to trees Blue-stain fungi are known for their ability to colonize wood, particularly in conifer trees, causing characteristic discoloration in the sapwood. While these fungi do not decompose wood, they often cause considerable damage when associated with wood-boring insects. Their role in accelerating tree mortality is significant, yet their evolutionary origins have long remained a mystery. Molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest that blue-stain fungi are an ancient fungal group, possibly originating during the Late Paleozoic or early Mesozoic. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 夢の農場を作り上げよう アドベンチャーゲーム ゲームをプレイ Undo This recent discovery in China revises our understanding of blue-stain fungi's history, suggesting their origins trace much further back into Earth's past. Dr. Ning Tian, a paleontologist at Shenyang Normal University, explained the rarity of such findings: 'Not until 2022 was the first credible fossil record of blue-stain fungi reported from the Cretaceous in South Africa, with an age of approximately 80 million years.' Discovery of the fossils of the blue-stain fungus The fossils were found inside the petrified wood of Xenoxylon phyllocladoides, a type of conifer tree from the Jurassic period in western Liaoning province, China. Researchers discovered dark-colored fungal threads called hyphae, which are typical of blue-stain fungi. 'Under the microscope, the fossil hyphae appear dark, showing pigmentation that is a key feature of modern blue-stain fungi, which cause wood to change color,' the team explained. This shows that these fungi have existed for millions of years and are connected to fungi we see today. The researchers also found a special structure the fungi use to enter the wood. 'When the fungi penetrate the wood's cell walls, the hyphae often form a structure called a penetration peg,' they said. This peg helps the fungi break through the tough wood cells by mechanical force, which is different from other fungi that use enzymes to break down wood. A major leap in the fossil record of blue-stain fungi The discovery of the blue-stain fungi found in China not only fills a gap in the fossil record but also provides critical evidence for understanding the early evolution of blue-stain fungi and their ecological interactions. The fact that these fungi were already established in the Jurassic period suggests that their relationship with wood-boring insects, which are likely the main agents for spore dispersal, was already in place long before the advent of modern insect species The fossilized blue-stain fungi represent a significant milestone in paleontological research. 'The finding of Jurassic blue-stain fungi from China represents the second report of the blue-stain fungi and the earliest fossil record of this fungal group in the world, pushing back the earliest known fossil record of this fungal group by approximately 80 million years,' said Dr. Yongdong Wang, a paleontologist at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
3,500-year-old grave reveals: change in Bronze Age history around 1500 BC in Central Europe
Source: ScienceDaily The multidisciplinary research, based on the Bronze Age cemetery excavated at Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom, which was used in both the Middle Bronze Age (Füzesabony culture) and the Late Bronze Age (Tumulus culture), allowed researchers to compare the subsistence strategies before and after the change of era. The bioarchaeological investigation of the Bronze Age cemetery of Tiszafüred-Majoroshalom reveals new insights into an important period in Central European history. Bronze Age life changed radically around 1500 BC in Central Europe. New research reveals that diets narrowed, millet was introduced, migration slowed, and social systems became looser, challenging old ideas about the nomadic Tumulus culture herders. Scientists discover how bronze age people lived, ate, and moved around 1500 BC According to Science Daily, an international research team—led by Tamás Hajdu, associate professor at the Department of Anthropology at ELTE, and Claudio Cavazzuti, senior assistant professor at the University of Bologna—has shown that around 1500 BC, radical changes occurred in people's lives: they ate and lived differently, and the social system was also reorganized. The research, supported by the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office, examined whether the archaeologically observed settlement changes around 1500 BC indicated a lifestyle change—whether people began to follow a way of life based on animal husbandry and frequent migration instead of settled farming. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 180k traders turn to IC Markets for optimum CFD trading conditions IC Markets Sign Up Undo The team also sought to answer whether the spread of the Tumulus culture meant the arrival of new groups, or whether the local population continued their lives with only the material culture changing. Outcomes of the archaeological results Diet Changed: Scientists studied ancient bones and found that during the Middle Bronze Age, people ate a wider variety of foods, and some had better access to meat and animal products than others. This showed a clear difference between rich and poor. But in the Late Bronze Age, diets became more uniform but poorer. Most people ate similar things—mainly plant-based—and animal protein became less common in their meals. Broomcorn Millet Was Introduced: Researchers found evidence that broomcorn millet, a fast-growing, energy-rich grain, started being eaten around the start of the Late Bronze Age. The cemetery at Tiszafüred shows the earliest known use of millet in Europe. This grain probably helped communities feed themselves more reliably, even if their diet became simpler. Mobility Decreased: People traveled and moved around less. By looking at the chemicals in people's teeth and bones, scientists discovered that fewer people moved into the area during the Late Bronze Age compared to earlier times. In the Middle Bronze Age, some people living in Tiszafüred had come from nearby regions like the Upper Tisza area or the Carpathian Mountains. But in the Late Bronze Age, most people were locals, and those who did move in likely came from farther away, such as Transdanubia or the Southern Carpathians. Social Relations Changed: Society became less structured. At the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, the long-used tell settlements were abandoned, and people lived in less centralized settlement networks. This change created a looser, less organized social system, which is also reflected in dietary habits. According to microremains found in dental calculi and the aforementioned isotopic analyses, significantly less animal protein was consumed during this period than before. This contradicts the earlier idea that people belonging to the Tumulus culture were mainly engaged in animal husbandry Also read | Rare birds return on restored wetland at Wicket Fen
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers stunned after footage reveals bizarre animal activity on remote island: 'Carrying them for days at a time'
Trail camera footage from a remote Central American island has left researchers befuddled as to why capuchin monkeys are acting in a never-before-seen way. Captured on an island off the Panama coast, the footage shows five capuchin monkeys kidnapping at least 11 infant howler monkeys over the course of 15 months. Researchers divulged their findings in a study published in Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (via ScienceDaily), which was then reported on by Outdoors. "Young male capuchin monkeys have been abducting baby howler monkeys and carrying them for days at a time," the Max Planck Institute wrote on Instagram. "Nobody was on the island to see which capuchin started the behavior and who copied him. But remote cameras were there." Trail cameras have become valuable research tools for conservationists. They allow researchers to monitor remote areas for long periods of time with remarkable efficiency. And the cameras are often so conspicuous that local wildlife doesn't know they are there, giving an unfiltered look into these creatures' daily lives. Recently, trail cameras have captured remarkable footage, such as a bird's rare mating ritual in Thailand. They've shown rarely-seen glimpses of endangered species, such as an Arabian lynx, tahr, and wolf in Oman. And they've confirmed the reintroduction of species to certain ecosystems, such as river otters throughout Ohio. As far as capuchins, these abductions had not been seen before, and researchers believe it began as random behavior that somehow caught on within this specific population. "The more interesting question is not, 'Why did this tradition arise?' but 'Why here?'" researcher Brendan J. Barrett said in the study. The capuchins did not play with, eat, or hurt any of the babies, and kept them for just a few days. Researchers do believe, however, that all of the abducted babies ended up dying, as the capuchins couldn't provide them with the milk they needed to survive. "Witnessing the spread of this behavior had a profound effect on all of us," researcher Meg Crofoot said in the study. "We therefore feel even more responsible to keep learning from this natural population of primates who, to our knowledge, are the only ones on Earth to be practicing this strange tradition." Do you think people should be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets? Yes No It depends on the animal It depends on the person Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
