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- The WHO declared the Philippines polio-free once again as no cases of polio have been detected for 16 months, following a massive immunisation campaign. (more)
- The United States returned 27 looted Cambodian antiquities – including Angkorian Buddhist and Hindu statues – to Cambodia. (more)
- Australian and Russian scientists have identified a new species of dinosaur, named the Australotitan cooperensis, as the largest ever found in Australia. (more)
 
- China launched its first crewed mission in five years, successfully sending three astronauts to its new Tianhe space station. (more)
- English scientists have discovered a new way to test hormone levels in the placenta to predict which women will have serious pregnancy complications. (more)
- Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic won his 19th grand slam title beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in epic 2021 French Open final. (more)
- Dutch long-distance runner Sifan Hassan broke the women's 10,000 metres world record, clocking 29 minutes 6.82 seconds in Hengelo. (more)
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- French Grand Prix motorcycle rider Fabio Quartararo representing team Yamaha won the Italian MotoGP at the Mugello circuit. (more)
- A team scientists from Australia and Papua New Guinea has discovered a new tree frog, named Chocolate Frog, in the lowland rainforests of New Guinea. (more)
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| D+ Editors' Picks
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World first rechargeable cement-based batteries
Imagine an entire twenty storey concrete building which can store energy like a giant battery. Thanks to unique research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, such a vision could someday be a reality. Researchers from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering recently published an article outlining a new concept for rechargeable batteries – made of cement.
The ever-growing need for sustainable building materials poses great challenges for researchers. Doctor Emma Zhang, formerly of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, joined Professor Luping Tang’s research group several years ago to search for the building materials of the future. Together they have now succeeded in developing a world-first concept for a rechargeable cement-based battery.
The concept involves first a cement-based mixture, with small amounts of short carbon fibres added to increase the conductivity and flexural toughness. Then, embedded within the mixture is a metal-coated carbon fibre mesh – iron for the anode, and nickel for the cathode. After much experimentation, this is the prototype which the researchers now present. (More)
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