Research

  Scientists from Fishtek Marine, a manufacturer of sustainable fishing gear, had a surprise discovery. Bright lights that they added to crab pots to catch more crabs instead attracted loads of scallops. The scallops swam into the traps to get to the lights. Traditional scallop fishing involves dredging the bottom of the ocean, causing considerable [...]

  I’ve previously written about China’s gallium export ban not impacting current global gallium supplies here. I’ve also written about the recent 2023 DOE Critical Materials Assessment, here. A deeper look at the Critical Materials Assessment shows the LED industry might be in for a rough ride. The majority of white light LEDs are made [...]

Researchers at Aalto University in Finland have achieved a new milestone in wireless charging. Efficiency had always dropped dramatically as the distance between wireless power transmitter and receive increased. The Aalto researchers, however, achieved 80+% efficiency at a distance of 7” between the transmitter and receiver antennas. To do this, the team developed a new [...]

Last year, I wrote about the release of the first Artificial Light At Night (ALAN): State of the Science Report 2022, available here. DarkSky (formerly the International Dark Sky Association – IDA), has now released an updated version of the report titled Artificial Light At Night: State of the Science 2023 Report. It is a [...]

  MIT researchers have created a silicon-based LED that is less than one micron across. This is less than one thousandth of a millimeter (mm) across. Despite the tiny size, the new LED has a high intensity, which allowed the researchers to create a holographic microscope. This advance could allow a smartphone camera to become [...]

  Researchers at Linköping University and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, have created the first functioning transistor made of wood. This represents an early step in the development of biodegradable electronics. The researchers started with balsa wood and removed the lignin that makes wood strong and rigid. This created cellulose fibers with [...]

  Glass blocks have been utilized for many decades to create translucent walls or wall sections. However, glass block is not able to create loadbearing walls and is not a good insulating material. A group of Swiss researchers have developed a new aerogel-filled translucent brick that is both highly insulating and can create load-bearing walls. [...]

  A lot of research and attention has been given to how light pollution negatively impacts birds, bats, other animals, and insects. Less well known are the negative impacts of light pollution on plants. Most people have seen now bright lights at night attract moths. This can significantly change moth behavior. Artificial light at night [...]

In February, I published a story about whether a new trend in toroidal propellers could lead to toroidal ceiling fan blades, here. This article became one of the most viewed LightNOW posts of the past year, garnering 10 times the views of a typical post. As a follow up, let’s explore the trend of bladeless ceiling [...]