Future of plastic?

Chemical engineers at the University of Cambridge have built an unusual solar panel that uses the sun’s energy to convert plastic waste into hydrogen fuel. Called “photoreforming,” this process uses photocatalysts, artificially designed enzymes that break down compounds using light energy.

The Cambridge researchers aren’t the first to build a photoreforming device. But they chose a photocatalyst with unique properties that allow it to be sprayed onto glass and dried at room temperature. The innovation makes the technique scalable—one step closer to real-world applications.

Photoreforming is a rapidly developing field and for good reason. “We can address pollution and energy challenges at the same time,” said Australian chemical engineer Xiao Lu. Scientists have converted waste plastic into hydrogen fuel, syngas, acetic acid, and even diesel-­range hydrocarbons, all versatile industrial chemicals.

More research is needed before photoreforming becomes industrially viable. Separating gas and liquid products is energy-intensive, and photocatalysts degrade quickly.

In her recent study, Lu outlines a road map to scale up the technology. She believes with sufficient investment, photoreforming can be integrated into the global circular economy by 2050.

Follow your liver

How do homing pigeons get home? Scientists know birds used the earth’s magnetic field as a compass, but the physiology has long been a mystery. An ornithologist, an immunologist, and a cell biologist in Germany found an answer in the liver.

Upon examining different pigeon tissues, they found a type of white blood cell called macrophages in the liver that were packed with iron. Next they gave some pigeons a treatment that temporarily kills macrophages. When released, pigeons with intact macrophages flew home in about 70 minutes. Pigeons without macrophages only made it home when the sun was visible.

The researchers concluded that pigeons use the liver cells to navigate on overcast days. The next step is to determine how information is transmitted from the liver to the brain. The macrophages’ proximity to nerve fibers could play a role. The researchers also conjecture that similar mechanisms exist in other animal species. —E.S.

New dino species

Paleontologists from Thailand and the U.K. identified a new dinosaur species by taking 3D scans of skeletal fossils discovered in 2016. Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis was a sauropod, a plant-­eating, long-necked reptile similar to the brontosaurus. Its humerus bone is almost 6 feet long, and scientists estimate the animal measured 89 feet long and weighed nearly 60,000 pounds (a large T. rex weighed 15,000 pounds). Its name combines Southeast Asian folklore, Greek mythology, and the name of the Thai province where the fossils were discovered. —E.S.