Wave energy has long been seen as a promising source of clean electricity. The ocean is always moving, and that motion carries a huge amount of energy. But many wave energy devices have one important limitation: they do not naturally move in sync with ocean waves. When that happens, they capture less power.

Researchers from ESPOL, Stevens Institute of Technology, and partner institutions tested a simple passive way to tune a wave energy device so it can respond better to changing sea conditions. Their idea uses submerged cones attached to the sides of a floating platform. As the platform moves, the cones trap water and change the system’s motion, helping it adjust more naturally to long ocean swells.

Surprisingly, a certain microscopic structure found in natural graphite can host multiple superconducting states, researchers found. In a further surprise, these superconducting states even get stronger when exposed to a magnetic field.