Battery life can be extended by avoiding heat and performing partial charges

Fast charging can lead to battery degradation if the device does not stay cool

Modern phones use software to monitor charging habits and can activate adaptive charging to delay charging rates and prevent overheating. When charging, devices should not be confined (e.g., stored in your pocket) or placed in direct sunlight, as this can trigger heat warnings and sudden shutdowns.

Gradual chemical build-up reduces the effectiveness of rechargeable batteries

During charge cycles, small chemical deposits gradually form a film on the electrodes where they make contact with the electrolyte, trapping ions that would otherwise facilitate the flow of electricity. Mechanical degradation from electrode wear and electrical shorting from structural instability can also reduce battery capacity.

Batteries are likely to stop working sooner in cold temperatures

The electrolyte separating the cathode and anode of a battery can thicken, impeding ion flow. Lower temperatures also slow the rate of chemical reactions, further reducing battery capacity. Large draws of power, such as when using heaters, heated seats, etc., in a car during winter, exacerbate battery drain further.

Growing EV adoption requires battery management infrastructure

Despite rechargeable batteries' limited life cycle, companies like Spiers New Technologies have developed methods to repair, refurbish, repurpose and recycle these components to minimize environmental waste, lower demand for new critical minerals, and increase electric vehicle lifetimes.

A battery management system determines the displayed battery percentage

The software in modern devices provides values by combining estimates based on voltage—akin to knowing how much air is left in a tire based on the pressure of the escaping air—and coulomb counting, where the rate of electrical current is calibrated to the ratio of remaining charge to full capacity.

As much as 10% of home energy use comes from unused, plugged in devices

Vampire or phantom energy includes smart features that keep devices connected to the internet and standby modes that allow quick wake-ups. Turning off these background features or unplugging devices from outlets can help reduce emissions by as much as 20%.

Charging an EV depends on power source, charger type and battery size

It takes less time to charge an electric vehicle's battery for Level 3 chargers, which can deliver 80% capacity in as little as 30 minutes. Level 1 chargers can take days. Larger vehicles possess larger batteries that increase charging time, despite often having less range.

Thermal runaway reactions can cause batteries to catch fire or explode

If a lithium-ion battery is heated, punctured, crushed, or short-circuits due to manufacturing flaws or degradation, the cathode and anode can make contact without the resistance provided by a circuit. The ensuing spike in chemical reactions increases the temperature and can release oxygen, initiating and intensifying burning of the battery's interior.

Batteries range in size based on their purpose, cost, and manufacturability

Lead-acid batteries used in combustion vehicles are resilient to temperature extremes, low-cost, and provide high surge current, which is needed for initial ignition. Alkaline batteries, including AA, AAA, and B, have long shelf lives and supply the low, steady power required for electronics with minimal demand fluctuations.

Wireless charging uses a magnetic field to move charged particles in a battery

Based on the concept of electromagnetic induction, when a compatible device is placed on a charging pad with correct alignment, the alternating current flowing through the pad creates a changing magnetic field. This magnetic field induces a current in the device, recharging the battery without a connecting wire.

Certain medications that affect blood flow or mood boost the risk of heatstroke

Drugs that narrow blood vessels, beta blockers that regulate blood pressure, diuretics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics can all affect the body's ability to regulate its internal body temperature, and so individuals taking these medications need to take special care in extreme heat and when exercising in hot conditions.

Home energy performance can be boosted through home orientation and shading

When designing a home, placing living areas to the north maximizes sun exposure during winter, while eaves and awnings can limit excessive summer heat. Breezeways and entry air locks can also reduce the dependence on heating and cooling costs.

Underwater data centers may provide an alternative to energy-intensive air cooling

By submerging electronic hardware into a non-conductive fluid, such as an oil with strong thermal transfer properties, significant thermal energy can be quickly drawn away from a chip and brought to the surface as warm materials rise. Thermal energy can then be removed from the fluid with a heat exchanger before it is recirculated.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

Understanding the biochemistry of ingredients and taste can improve flavor and texture

Keeping eggs at room temperature produces smoother batters when baking, and doing the same with tomatoes helps prevent a mealy, granular mouthfeel. Salting meat a day before gives more time for proteins to break down, improving flavor and tenderness, while cooking vegetables in well-salted water can lock in nutrients and color.

The halting of human bone growth helps manage heat produced from metabolism

While fish, amphibians and reptiles get bigger throughout their lives until they die, their slower metabolisms allow their bodies to regulate the resulting smaller temperature increases. In humans, hormones triggered during puberty harden growth plates, ending bone lengthening.

Ending daylight saving time may prevent as many as 300,000 strokes annually

Changing clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms, which last an average of 24 hours and 12 minutes. Studies have shown that permanent daylight saving time provides fewer health benefits than standard time.

Charge cards are different from credit cards

Unlike credit cards, charge cards often don’t have a preset credit limit, but cardholders need to pay off the entire balance every month.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Maintenance, curtailment, congestion, and wind speed can park a wind turbine

Wind turbines are optimized to operate at wind speeds between about 10 and 80 kph, but an internal brake stops them if energy is not required. Routine preventative maintenance and cleaning also prevent blades from rotating.

Chernobyl's remaining reactors kept running for 14 years after the explosion

Due to energy shortages in Ukraine, Chernobyl's other undamaged reactors continued operating for years. Units 1 and 2 operated until 1996 and 1991, respectively, while Reactor 3 remained online until December 15, 2000, when Ukraine finally shut down the plant.

Most adults don't need a daily vitamin, and it won't extend your life

A 20-year study by the National Cancer Institute involving almost 400,000 people found that daily multivitamins did not help people live longer. In some cases, these vitamins also increased the risk of death. Although some subpopulations—such as those with documented vitamin deficiencies and pregnant individuals—should take vitamins, daily multivitamins should not be taken uniformly by adults. Instead, patients should discuss vitamins with their clinicians and consider baseline vitamin testing before starting vitamin regimens.

Sony set the standard for cylinder-shaped batteries when it repurposed manufacturing equipment used to make rolls of magnetic recording tape.

Eliminating distractions is essential to improving one's attention span

Setting a baseline, removing distractions, establishing focus rituals, taking breaks, and finding purpose in your task are five science-backed practices that can help address a short attention span. Bestselling author Daniel Pink breaks down how to approach each part of the plan and introduce these habits to your life today.

Being near a lightning strike—even without getting struck—can be fatal

Because animal tissue is generally more conductive than soil, electricity moving along Earth's surface after a strike tends to travel up and back down an animal's legs, discharging dangerous amounts of energy along the way, with risks increasing the farther apart the legs are. This ground current accounts for about half of all lightning-related deaths and injuries in humans.

Donated hearts remain viable three times longer now with new tech

Advances in organ perfusion systems have significantly lengthened the amount of time donated hearts can remain viable for transplant, expanding the possibilities for donor organs to wider geographic areas. "Heart in a box" devices, developed in recent years, enable effective oxygen flow in the donor heart during transport, which means that hearts can now travel farther to potential recipients and still be in good condition.

Tardigrades can survive in a dehydrated state for decades

Despite being known as water bears, these microscopic creatures can shut down their metabolism when entering cryptobiosis, squeezing more than 95% of the water from their bodies. In this tun state, tardigrades can even survive the vacuum of space.

Over one-third of Americans have lost money on a gift card

They've done so by letting it expire (20%), losing the card (17%), or due to a retailer going out of business before they could redeem a card (12%). That's according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited Bankrate research from 2024. This article explains how to maximize your gift card's value.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Firework or sparkler burns, even if they cover a relatively small area of skin, can significantly affect our range of motion.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Scientists testing how climate change affects plants found, in a years-long simulation study, that poison ivy grew 70% faster with the resulting extra carbon dioxide.

Dirty lightning is a thunderstorm created from friction between rising and falling flows of ash and smoke during volcanic eruptions.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Some researchers have labeled nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone, as 'the phobia of the 21st century.'

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

Venture capital is a form of funding provided to early-stage companies with high growth potential, typically in exchange for an equity (or ownership) stake

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.