A bright, sunny, cloudless day might seem like the optimal setting for solar cells. But too much sun, and too much heat, can actually reduce the efficiency of photovoltaics. As operating temperature rises by 1 degree Celsius, traditional silicon-based solar cells will lose about 0.5% efficiency. In a typical photovoltaic plant, where modules operate nearly...
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Building Green Energy Facilities May Produce Substantial Carbon Emissions
First, the bad news: Nothing is free. Moving the world energy system away from fossil fuels and into renewable sources will generate carbon emissions by itself, as construction of wind turbines, solar panels and other new infrastructure consumes energy—some of it necessarily coming from the fossil fuels we are trying to get rid of. The...
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Changing Feelings Can Boost Creativity for Conventional Thinkers
Even people who tend to think conventionally, such as accountants or insurance adjusters, can be creative, a recent study suggests, if they can look at emotional situations in a different light. In a set of experiments, researchers found that conventional thinkers, those who rank low on openness to new ideas and experiences, came up with...
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Earth Might Be Experiencing 7th Mass Extinction, Not 6th
Earth is currently in the midst of a mass extinction, losing thousands of species each year. New research suggests environmental changes caused the first such event in history, which occurred millions of years earlier than scientists previously realized. Most dinosaurs famously disappeared 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period. Prior to...
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New Survey Reveals Majority of European Dietitians Believe Moderate Coffee Consumption Has Clear Health Benefits
62% believe drinking coffee in moderation has clear health benefits 86% agreed that regular, moderate intake of coffee improves alertness and 67% agreed that coffee consumption is associated with an improvement in overall sports performance However, gaps in knowledge were identified regarding the associations between coffee intake and key non-communicable diseases A new report by the European...
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Targeting Serial Returners to Stem a Growing Problem for Retailers
This holiday season is expected to set another record for online sales, according to the National Retail Federation. But if consumer habits mirror previous years, 20% to 30% of the merchandise will be returned. It’s a big financial hit and logistical challenge for retailers that cover all the shipping, sorting and processing. “Supply chain managers...
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Musk’s Twitter Ownership Is More Complicated Than He Might Have Anticipated
Elon Musk’s purchase and overhaul of Twitter since October has raised more questions about the social media platform’s future. Cliff Lampe, professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, said the company has struggled financially in recent years, seen numerous employees fired, and had many followers leave the...
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Is Ayahuasca Safe? New Study Tallies Adverse Events
There is a high rate of adverse physical effects and challenging psychological effects from using the plant-based psychoactive ayahuasca, though they are generally not severe, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Global Public Health by Daniel Perkins of University of Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues. Ayahuasca is a South American psychoactive brewed drink...
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Q&A: How ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ Impacts Financial Health
“Buy Now Pay Later” platforms, such as Afterpay and Affirm, offer consumers almost instant access to credit for retail purchases without a hard credit check. While BNPL spending is projected to reach $1 trillion globally by 2025, little is known about its effects. BNPL, which typically appears as an option during checkout on a retailer’s website, most...
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More U.S. Adults Carrying Loaded Handguns Daily
The number of U.S. adult handgun owners carrying a loaded handgun on their person doubled from 2015 to 2019, according to new research led by the University of Washington (UW). Data come from the 2019 National Firearms Survey (NFS), an online survey of U.S. adults living in households with firearms, including nearly 2,400 handgun owners....
