Cow manure digesters really cut methane — unless they leak
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Mar-2026 12:16 ET (31-Mar-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)
A new study shows that systems designed to capture methane from cow manure, called dairy digesters, are highly effective. But on the rare occasions they fail, the leaks are large enough to offset their climate benefits.
Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are developing a harvesting robot for asparagus. They programmed a prototype that detects and localizes ripe green asparagus, moving at a commercially attractive speed. Further testing is planned to develop the harvest ability of the robot.
Researchers at The University of Manchester have created a groundbreaking physics‑informed machine‑learning model that can run molecular simulations for unprecedented lengths of time, even at temperatures as high as 1000 Kelvin.
Focusing on the engineering challenge of achieving stable, high-strength welding between rough metals surfaces and transparent materials, this work provides an in-depth elucidation of the femtosecond laser welding mechanism for dissimilar materials under non-optical-contact conditions. Through high-speed in situ imaging techniques, it reveals the dynamic coupling between linear absorption in the metal and nonlinear absorption in sapphire during ultrafast laser irradiation. The study further identifies an active interfacial gap filling effect of molten metal, which proactively regulates the free space region at the interface. It clarifies that the welding strength is primarily limited by cracks induced by thermal stress in sapphire, and demonstrates welding performance exceeding 10 MPa between rough Invar alloy and sapphire. These findings offer theoretical guidance and technical support for high-strength, highly stable welding of dissimilar materials.
Researchers have developed an effective, low-cost adsorbent for removing industrial dye from wastewater by using an unlikely source: the notorious invasive plant, Lantana camara. A team from Nalanda University, Nagaland University, and China Agricultural University, among other institutions, successfully converted both the leaves and stems of this widespread weed into biochar, a charcoal-like substance with powerful adsorption properties. This innovative approach tackles two significant environmental challenges simultaneously—the management of an aggressive invasive species and the purification of water contaminated with toxic dyes like methylene blue.