Researchers have invented a new battery that they claim could have profound implications for the future of energy storage and renewable technologies. The lithium-based redox-flow battery, developed by a team at the University of Cincinnati, could prove crucial for wind and solar operations, where large-scale batteries are needed to store energy during times of overproduction and release it when production drops off. “Energy generation and energy consumption is always mismatched,” said Jimmy Jiang, who led the research at the University of Cincinnati. “That’s why it’s important to have a device that can store that energy temporarily and release it when it’s needed.” The novel design removes the membrane that separates the positive and negative sides of the battery, which is one of the most expensive parts of this type of battery and has previously hindered development. The membrane-free battery exhibited high voltage and energy density that could potentially meet the demands of large-scale green energy operations at an economically viable cost for the first time. “This design significantly decreases material costs,” said Soumalya Sinha, a visiting professor at the University of Cincinnati who was involved in the research. “We’re trying to achieve the same performance at a cheaper cost.” The team has submitted patent applications for the design, which Dr Jiang said will herald a “battery revolution” within the next 20 years. “I am confident about that,” he said. “There is a lot of intense research going into pushing the boundaries of battery performance.” The research was detailed in a paper, titled ‘Development of high-voltage and high-energy membrane-free nonaqueous lithium-based organic redox flow batteries’, published in the journal Nature Communications. Read More Volcano discovery could power electric cars for decades, scientists say

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Research from the University of Vermont suggests that there may be a link between those who have blue eyes and alcoholism. The study, conducted in 2015, was led by Dr Arvis Sulovari and assistant professor Dawei Li, and was the first to draw a direct connection between the colour of someone's eyes and their risk of developing alcoholism. Professor Li generated a database comprising of more than 10,000 individuals who have received a diagnosis for at least one psychiatric illness, including conditions such as addiction. Speaking of the conditions, Li - an expert in microbiology and molecular genetics - explained that they were "complex disorders" and that "many genes" and "environmental triggers" were involved. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The researchers used the database to identify those with a dependency on alcohol and discovered an interesting correlation. They found that those with lighter colour eyes - especially blue - had greater rates of alcohol addiction. The researchers even checked three times to be sure of their findings. "This suggests an intriguing possibility that eye colour can be useful in the clinic for alcohol dependence diagnosis," said Dr Sulovari. The study also found that the genetic components that determine eye colour and those associated with excessive alcohol use share the same chromosome. However, more tests and studies are going to have to take place in order for us to gain a deeper understanding of the potential link between eye colour and higher rates of alcohol dependency. Researchers are still unsure as to why there is such a link. With professor Li saying that much of genetics is "still unknown". Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Sam Allardyce has confirmed he will discuss whether he will continue as Leeds boss with the club’s hierarchy after Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season. Allardyce gave his biggest hint yet that he would be interested in remaining in the role, even if Leeds are relegated on the final day, after their last match against Tottenham at Elland Road. The former England manager said: “That’s to be decided at the end. It’s always been a case of we will discuss whatever we need to discuss at the end of the season based on where we are. “Also based on what I think the club needs to go forward and based on what the club thinks and if that’s aligned with each other, then we’ll wait and see. “But that discussion, it doesn’t happen in a morning or one day, it happens over a period of time and I just hope that we’re talking on a very positive nature on Monday morning and I have a hangover!” Leeds’ top-flight status hinges on them beating Tottenham and even victory will not be enough to save them unless the results of both relegation rivals, Everton and Leicester, go their way. Injuries to strikers Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo in last week’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham appeared to have dealt Leeds’ survival hopes another blow. But Rodrigo returned to training on Friday while Bamford has not yet been ruled out and Allardyce said he would be prepared to take a risk with any of his injured players with so much at stake. “I’ll gamble on anyone’s fitness if they want to play, if I think they can make a contribution to help us try to win the game,” Allardyce said. “It’s the last game, they will have plenty of time to recover, but there is obviously medical issues where if you play them the risk is too great and a lot of it is up to the player himself.” Leeds turned to Allardyce after sacking Javi Gracia with four games of the season remaining in a last-ditch bid to escape the drop. The former Bolton, West Ham and Everton boss has collected just one point in his first three outings but said camp spirit had risen after last week’s bitter disappointment when survival was taken out of Leeds’ hands. The 68-year-old, whose side have trained this week at Elland Road, added: “I’ve loved the mood and loved the application. We’re going to live or die on Sunday in terms of the result. “We train here (at Elland Road) for three days building up to the game. Familiarity, it’s all about this arena on Sunday with obviously the fantastic atmosphere that will go with it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Six former Yorkshire players sanctioned by CDC in Azeem Rafiq racism case The pressure is amazing – Unai Emery relishing shot at European qualification Manager Julen Lopetegui will continue talks over Wolves future

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You could be forgiven for thinking humans are helpless against extreme heat. All over the world, record high