New electrode design breaks key barrier to greener ammonia production

Novel approach to producing ammonia using renewable electricity, overcoming a fundamental energy limitation of the technology, makes way for cleaner and potentially more cost-effective production of ammonia

Monash University

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A new approach to producing ammonia using renewable electricity has overcome a fundamental energy limitation of the technology, opening new possibilities for cleaner and potentially more cost-effective production of one of the world’s most important chemicals.

Researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia have developed a new type of lithium-alloying electrode that significantly reduces the energy required to convert nitrogen gas into ammonia, a breakthrough that could help advance the transition away from fossil-fuel-based ammonia production.

Ammonia is essential to global agriculture, particularly as the basis of nitrogen fertilisers, and is increasingly being explored as a carbon-free fuel and energy carrier. However, conventional ammonia production relies upon large, centralised facilities that cannot readily exploit geographically dispersed or stranded renewable energy.

Published in Cell Press Blue, the research tackles one of the major obstacles facing electrochemical ammonia production: energy efficiency.

The most established electrochemical approach uses lithium to help activate nitrogen gas, an exceptionally stable molecule that is otherwise difficult to convert into ammonia. While the method can produce ammonia at practical rates, its chemistry imposes an intrinsic limit on how energy-efficient the process can become.

The researchers, also working with colleagues at RMIT University, have now demonstrated that changing the chemistry of the cathode itself can overcome that limitation.

Lead author Dr Rebecca Hodgetts, from the Monash University School of Chemistry, said the new cathode materials effectively changed the boundaries of what was thought possible.

“Electrolytic synthesis of ammonia from renewables is possible, but present-day technology is fundamentally limited by low energy efficiencies and high costs,” Dr Hodgetts said.

“Our new cathode materials change the rules of the game by redefining this fundamental limit and opening up previously unexplored opportunities for more energy- and cost-effective production of green ammonia.”

Instead of producing lithium metal on a conventional electrode, the researchers used gallium-based materials that combine with lithium. This allows the lithium-mediated reaction to occur at substantially more favourable electrical potentials while retaining the ability to activate nitrogen and produce ammonia.

Under optimised experimental conditions, the researchers achieved ammonia production with a faradaic efficiency of 96 ± 6 per cent, meaning almost all the electrical current was directed towards producing ammonia.

The research findings could support future electrochemical ammonia production with an estimated energy efficiency of at least 22 per cent. While further improvements are required to reach proposed commercial targets, the researchers say the study provides proof-of-concept that the longstanding energy barrier can be overcome through electrode design.

Emeritus Professor Douglas MacFarlane, also with the School of Chemistry, said the discovery also expands the chemistry available to researchers working on renewable ammonia production.

“The field has essentially been limited to a single cathode process based on lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction,” Professor MacFarlane said.

“Introducing lithium-alloying materials broadens that chemistry considerably. Instead of being

constrained to one composition, we can begin exploring different combinations of materials capable of activating the extremely unreactive nitrogen molecule under relatively mild conditions.”

Professor Alexandr Simonov, also from the School of Chemistry, said the next challenge is translating the discovery from laboratory experiments into practical electrolysers.

“Our next key step is to integrate these new lithium-alloying cathodes into electrolyser prototypes that more closely mimic the conditions needed for practical ammonia production,” said Professor Simonov.

“We are also working to scale up the cathodes and demonstrate long-term ammonia production at competitive energy efficiency. That will be critical to taking this technology towards commercial application.”

The researchers say the work could ultimately contribute to more sustainable and decentralised ammonia production, using renewable electricity to produce ammonia closer to where it is needed whilst making use of geographically dispersed , or stranded renewable energy.

The technology is being further developed through ongoing research in collaboration with the Monash University spin-out company Jupiter Ionics Pty Ltd.

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Journal

Cell Press Blue

DOI

10.1016/j.cpblue.2026.100130

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Improved energy efficiency of nitrogen reduction to ammonia provided by lithium-alloying cathodes

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2026

 

New genetic insights could help detect hearing loss earlier

Vanderbilt Health investigators explain that greater precision in studying the genes associated with hearing loss can lead to more accurate clinical assessments of the condition

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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Andie DeFreese, AuD, is co-first author.

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Credit: Vanderbilt Health / Erin O. Smith

The team, composed of investigators from clinical audiology, ear surgery and general otolaryngology, was led by co-first author Andie DeFreese, AuD, a clinical audiologist and PhD candidate in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt Health.

“The purpose of our study was to understand the genetic architecture of sensorineural hearing loss,” DeFreese said. “Long term, we want to be able to identify our patients with hearing loss before it ever emerges.”

As with any sensory condition that involves a patient’s subjective perception, understanding the specifics of a given case of hearing loss can present a challenge. While physiological measurements exist to characterize hearing loss, audiologists also benefit from attempting to understand the subtle details of a given patient’s experience.

Traditionally, diagnostic codes that identify medical conditions are used to describe a patient’s hearing loss, but these are used primarily for billing purposes and may not capture the nuance of an individual case, DeFreese said.

“Diagnostic codes are very common because that’s the data that’s available in large genetic biobanks that facilitate this research,” she added. “Using them leads to a kind of gray area in which we’re not able to accurately define who has hearing loss and who doesn’t.”

The researchers de-identified the information in their clinical audiometric database so it could be integrated with BioVU, Vanderbilt Health’s biobank of anonymous genetic samples, enabling access to the genetic information of consenting study participants.

“In pairing these resources, we can use a more precise phenotype for hearing loss instead of diagnostic codes that can be inaccurate,” DeFreese said. “With a sample size of 16,000, we were able to better discover genetic variants that are associated with hearing loss.

“This better prediction power tells us the importance of precision phenotyping not just for hearing loss but for all disciplines in medicine that take this risk prediction approach.”

The researchers applied polygenic risk scores developed from precise phenotypes — which they hypothesized would depict a more nuanced snapshot of a patient’s hearing loss — to a new population’s genetic data. They found that the risk scores developed from precise phenotypes were better predictive of individuals with hearing loss than risk scores developed from diagnostic codes.

DeFreese said the utility of precision phenotyping leads to important takeaways on both macro and micro scales.

"For health research, we learned that building biobanks that support precision phenotyping is important for discovery,” she said. “And for hearing loss, we learned that precision phenotyping improves risk prediction. This means that down the line, we may be able to develop similar tools that can be built into an electronic health record system or a consumer-based genetic test with which we could identify patients who may be at more or less risk for developing hearing loss."

Further research, DeFreese said, would seek to build systems that could help determine not only whether a patient has hearing loss, but also what configuration or which frequencies are affected.

DeFreese said the nature of diagnostic codes — useful for some aspects of medicine but incomplete representations of data in others — means an institution like Vanderbilt Health is well positioned to evaluate research methodologies such as precise phenotyping that can complement more standard practices like diagnostic codes.

“The variability in how these different methodologies are used between specialties emphasizes the importance of bringing clinicians into the research team,” DeFreese said. “A place like Vanderbilt is uniquely equipped to investigate this type of topic because we have such a great intersection between research and clinical care.”

Taha Jan, MD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, said the work is especially important as opportunities for advancements in hearing health improve.

“We are very excited about this collaborative work led by Dr. DeFreese,” said Jan, corresponding author of the paper. “Genetics is becoming increasingly relevant for precision therapy, especially now that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its first gene therapy for genetic hearing loss. This work is an example of how our world-class clinicians and scientists at Vanderbilt Health are pushing the boundaries of precision medicine.”

Additional authors were Tanguy Rubat du Mérac, MSc, Quanhu Sheng, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics, and Srishti Nayak, PhD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

The research was funded by a Vanderbilt Lacy-Fischer Interdisciplinary Grant, an American Otological Society Fellowship Grant and by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health (grants R03DC021550, R21DC021276, R21DC023019, K08DC019683 and R21DC022058).

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Journal

JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

DOI

10.1001/jamaoto.2026.3089

Article Title

Precision Phenotyping With Audiometric Data and Gene Discovery for Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2026

 

Sperm whale study highlights need for ‘extensive & dynamic’ conservation

University of Exeter

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A sperm whale in the Indian Ocean. 

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Credit: Maarten van Rouveroy / Greenpeace

A new study of sperm whales highlights the need for ocean conservation that covers large areas – with boundaries redrawn as our climate changes.

The research team, led by the University of Exeter, combined sperm whale surveys in the south-west Indian Ocean with predictions of how climate change will shift where the whales are found in future.

Suitable whale habitat is expected to shrink as temperatures rise – although the stronger currents predicted by more extreme warming may benefit whales.

The study also found “long-term core habitat” – places that remain key for the whales despite warming – particularly off the Seychelles and Mauritius, and the steeply shelving ridges in between.

“Sperm whales travel great distances, so protection must cover extensive areas to allow them to feed, breed and migrate,” said Alexander Lomas, from the University of Exeter.

“By identifying core habitats, our study provides a baseline to begin building this protection.

“But we also find a changing patchwork of suitable areas as the climate changes – highlighting a need for dynamic protection.”

Initiatives including the recently agreed High Seas Treaty aim to bring about global-scale conservation – addressing threats including overfishing, noise, pollution and climate change.

Dr Kirsten Young, who leads the Exeter Cetacean Research Group, said: “Extensive, dynamic protection will not only benefit iconic species like sperm whales.

“Protecting large, inter-connected swathes of the ocean would also allow the wider ecosystem – and the multitude of species with it – to recover and thrive.”

Sperm whales in the south-west Indian Ocean were targeted by the whaling industry in the past.

Evidence on their numbers and movements has been limited since then, but the new study uses data from a series of studies carried out in the last two decades.

The findings suggest underwater topography, particularly steep slopes, is key for sperm whales, as slopes promote nutrients coming from the depths into the area where their prey – deep-sea squid – can thrive.

The projected percentage of habitat lost by the year 2100 under different climate scenarios is:

• 40% for an “optimistic” scenario (called SSP1–2.6) where humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions decline rapidly.
• 37% for an “intermediate” scenario (SSP2-4.5).
• 20% for a “pessimistic” scenario (SSP5-8.5). The study projects that damage caused by extreme climate warming would be offset by stronger currents. However, the authors stress that they did not assess wider ecosystem impacts, which could be harmful to whales.

Dr Jeremy Kiszka, a Professor at Florida International University, in Miami, and involved in this study, said: “Climate change is predicted to substantially reduce suitable habitat for sperm whales in the southwest Indian Ocean, but we also identified places that could remain important refuges for these animals through the end of the century.”

Commenting on seeing the whales during a research trip to the Indian Ocean, Dr Young added: “Meeting these sperm whales hundreds of kilometres from land, around Saya de Malha bank, was incredible – we are some of the first people to study them since the days of whaling.

“But the threats they face are a reminder of how far human influence reaches into the natural world, and the urgent need to reduce our impact.”

Lomas added: “This paper highlights the benefits of international scientific collaboration.

“It depended on data from nine research groups – and work by governments and non-governmental organisations – from different countries around the Indian Ocean. For example, the Marine Megafauna Conservation Organisation, GLOBICE, African Aquatic Conservation Fund and the IndoCet Consortium.”

Violaine Dulau, chair of IndoCet, the Indian Ocean network for Cetacan research, said: “By bringing together data and expertise from across the western Indian Ocean, we can finally see the bigger picture. Thinking at the scale of the ocean is essential to understanding the habitats sperm whales depend on and what their future may look like.” 

Dr Young concluded: “In a rapidly changing ocean, we need to know not only where animals are today, but where suitable habitat is most likely to persist in the future.”

The paper, published in the journal Endangered Species Research, is entitled: “Using ensemble ecological niche models to predict long-term core habitat of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the southwest Indian Ocean under future climate scenarios.”

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Journal

Endangered Species Research

DOI

10.3354/esr01538

Article Title

Using ensemble ecological niche models to predict long-term core habitat of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the southwest Indian Ocean under future climate scenarios

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2026

U$A

Hospital closures on the rise in both rural and urban areas—particularly among safety-net hospitals

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

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Key points:

• Although U.S. policy has focused on preventing the closure of rural hospitals, researchers found no significant difference between rural and urban hospital closure rates. Over a 15-year period, these rates increased for both types of hospitals and were higher than the rate at which new hospitals opened.  

• For-profit, small, and safety-net hospitals, and those in the most socially vulnerable communities, closed most often.

• According to the researchers, the findings show that hospital closures aren’t just a rural problem and provide evidence that policymakers should invest in supporting vulnerable hospitals no matter where they’re located.

Boston, MA—More hospitals across the U.S. are closing than opening, and urban hospitals are closing at the same rate as rural ones, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Further, the hospitals that close are more likely to be those serving socially vulnerable communities.

The findings will be published in a research letter in JAMA on Oct. 8.

Since the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that included changes to Medicaid policy, hospitals have been bracing to lose billions in funding, and concern has been growing over potential hospital closures. Most of this concern has been centered on rural hospitals, such that Congress created the Rural Health Transformation Program, providing billions in state grants for these hospitals. But whether hospital closures are actually concentrated in rural areas has been little studied and remains largely unknown.

The researchers sought to fill this gap and provide a current, comprehensive picture of U.S. hospital closures and openings. To do so, they analyzed data from the American Hospital Association annual survey, characterizing hospital closures and openings occurring from 2010 to 2025.

They found that hospital closures increased by 4% year over year, and openings decreased 3% year over year, with 432 hospitals closing and only 216 opening. The result was a net loss of 216 hospitals and more than 24,000 beds. There was no significant difference between rural and urban hospital closure rates.

The researchers also observed that the hospitals that more often closed were for-profit, small, and safety-net, and those in the most socially vulnerable counties—in both rural and urban areas. Safety-net hospitals and those serving a high number of Medicaid patients rarely opened.

“Many policymakers have been treating hospital closures as a rural problem, but our data show it’s a national problem,” said corresponding author Thomas Tsai, associate professor of health policy and management and co-director of the Healthcare Quality and Outcomes Lab. “We must shift away from only asking ourselves how we can save rural hospitals, and start asking: How do we protect access to hospital care for vulnerable communities, wherever they are?”

Article information

“Longitudinal Trends and Characteristics of Hospital Closures and Openings,” Joshua E. Calianos, Julia H. Song, E. John Orav, Jose F. Figueroa, Thomas T. Tsai, JAMA, October 8, 2026, doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.18260

The research was supported by the Commonwealth Fund.

Orav reported receiving grants from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Figueroa reported receiving grants from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Nursing Research, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the SCAN Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Arnold Ventures, and receiving personal fees from Project Hope (for editorial services for Health Affairs Scholar). Tsai reported receiving grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Arnold Ventures and receiving personal fees from Johnson & Johnson. No other disclosures were reported.

Visit the Harvard Chan School website for the latest news and events from our Studio.

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Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is a community of innovative scientists, practitioners, educators, and students dedicated to improving health and advancing equity so all people can thrive. We research the many factors influencing health and collaborate widely to translate those insights into policies, programs, and practices that prevent disease and promote well-being for people around the world. We also educate thousands of public health leaders a year through our degree programs, postdoctoral training, fellowships, and continuing education courses. Founded in 1913 as America’s first professional training program in public health, the School continues to have an extraordinary impact in fields ranging from infectious disease to environmental justice to health systems and beyond.

 

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Journal

JAMA

DOI

10.1001/jama.2026.18260

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Longitudinal Trends and Characteristics of Hospital Closures and Openings

Article Publication Date

8-Oct-2026

Elderly could live independently for longer thanks to new home sensor system which detects emergencies

Nottingham Trent University

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Older people could be monitored safely in their own homes without the need for intrusive cameras or wearable devices thanks to new research by Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

A study, in collaboration with Integrated System Technologies Ltd, has led to the development of a low-cost monitoring system that combines radar, heat sensors and smart plugs to track daily routines while protecting privacy.

The system incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) to combine data from the three monitoring technologies to identify possible health events, such as a falls, heart attacks, strokes or other critical illness.

Dr Yangang Xing, leader researcher from NTU’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment, said: “This technology aims to support the growing number of older adults who wish to remain in their own homes for longer, rather than moving into residential care.

“By combining these three technologies, we can establish a complete picture of how someone is coping at home. As well as detecting emergencies, it could provide an early warning if a person's mobility or daily routine begins to deteriorate.”

The system uses millimetre-wave radar as a low-cost way to detect movement in a property, with multiple sensors placed discreetly about the home at chosen locations.

Smart plugs – that connect to ordinary house appliances and Wi-Fi - are used to monitor behavioural patterns linked to everyday tasks such as making a cup of tea, preparing food or spending time at a desk.

Thermal sensors - that identify body posture without revealing facial features or personal identity - are used to recognise sitting, standing, walking and lying down, but are highly pixelated and kept low-resolution to prevent more intricate movements or images being displayed to protect privacy.

The AI learns an individual’s behaviour patterns over time in order to spot anything out the ordinary, such as an emergency health event, or a gradual deterioration in a person’s health.

Should an emergency be detected, care professionals and loved ones are notified to allow checks to be made on the wellbeing of the inhabitant, either remotely or in person.

For the study, the team tested the sensors in a mock domestic environment featuring six different room layouts, including bedrooms and living areas with varying furniture arrangements.

A series of activities was carried out and recorded to assess how accurately the system could identify movement and posture.

Researchers found that combining information from all sensors improved performance, suggesting the technologies worked best when used together rather than as standalone monitoring tools.

The research team included Dr Geoff Archenhold, Bilal Mohammed and Martin Harris of Integrated System Technologies Ltd; and Dr Jordan J. Bird and Dr Isibor Kennedy Ihianle of NTU’s School of Science and Technology.

The study, titled Privacy-Preserving Ambient Sensing for Activities of Daily Living: Multimodal Radar-Thermal Human Activity Recognition and Smart Plug Appliance Recognition, has been published in the journal Sensors.

Dr Archenhold, chief executive officer of Integrated System Technologies Ltd, said: “We believe that this system could form part of an ambient assisted living environment, where homes quietly monitor residents' wellbeing in the background and alert carers when unusual behaviour occurs. Changes in mobility, prolonged inactivity, altered sleep patterns or the absence of normal household routines could all potentially indicate emerging health concerns.

“The technology could ultimately allow older people to stay in their own homes for longer, giving them confidence to go about their daily business while feeling secure in the knowledge that their health and wellbeing is monitored without infringing on their privacy.”

Notes to editors: 

• Press enquiries please contact Chris Birkle, Nottingham Trent University PR Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2310, or via email

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Journal

Sensors

DOI

10.3390/s26165066

Method of Research

Imaging analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Privacy-Preserving Ambient Sensing for Activities of Daily Living: Multimodal Radar–Thermal Human Activity Recognition and Smart Plug Appliance Recognition

 

African gemsbok spreading in New Mexico: How far could they go under climate change?

College of ACES at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study shows suitable habitat for introduced gemsbok could expand under climate change from their current range in New Mexico well into surrounding states.

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Credit: Jornada Basin LTER

URBANA, Ill. — Majestic African antelopes known as gemsbok have been roaming the U.S. southwest since their introduction in the 1960s and 1970s. Brought to New Mexico as game species for hunting, gemsbok quickly settled in, expanding more than 100 kilometers from their introduction point. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers say that’s due to their exceptional adaptations to arid conditions, which they predict will dramatically expand under climate change. In a new study, the researchers reveal the potential extent of the exotic species’ spread by the year 2100, with suitable habitat spilling well beyond New Mexico into Texas, Arizona, Utah, California, and even as far north as southern Washington and Montana. Should gemsbok disperse and proliferate into all of these spaces, the impacts to cattle, native wildlife, and plant communities could be significant.  The team mapped where gemsbok could survive under future climate scenarios based on their current habitat preferences.  “We turned towards participant science to do this work. When people contribute photos to apps like iNaturalist, the occurrence records get scraped into something called the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. From that, we were able to use a statistical method called Maxent to find habitat associations for gemsbok,” said the study’s lead author, Nathan Alexander, who began the research as a doctoral student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at U. of I. He’s now a postdoctoral scholar at Southern Illinois University. For every gemsbok occurrence, the researchers looked at factors like temperature seasonality and precipitation, vegetation cover, terrain ruggedness, and human population density to paint a picture of where the animals spend time. Then they looked for similar habitat patterns across space and time to predict where gemsbok might go in the future. They found that many suitable habitats that now exist as isolated pockets will likely coalesce into larger, more contiguous habitats under future climate scenarios. “When there are these isolated patches, there might be dispersal barriers that they can't cross to get to the next patch. But when these patches coalesce and connect, there might be increased opportunities for gemsbok to invade and expand into these novel habitats. We see this particularly in western Texas, but also into western New Mexico and up into Arizona, and even some regions of California, like Death Valley,” said Kieran Andreoni, who began the research as a master’s student in NRES. He’s now conservation director at the Southern Plains Land Trust in Colorado. Native to the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, gemsbok are particularly well suited for arid conditions and may have an advantage over southwestern native species under climate change.  “Gemsbok are famous for being really well adapted to heat and drought. In addition to other heat adaptations, they can get all of their water from plants, so they don't really need to drink. That’s really unusual for animals that big — they can weigh 450 pounds. They're the poster species for dealing with the kind of changes we're going to see in the southwest,” said study co-author Bob Schooley, professor and head of NRES. Schooley adds that gemsbok left their natural predators — lions and hyenas — back in Africa, and southwestern predators like coyotes and mountain lions don’t kill nearly as many gemsbok. Considering their superior adaptation to arid climates and relative freedom from predators, the spread of gemsbok could threaten both domestic and native species.  The primary concern is diet overlap — with larger gemsbok herds eating the same forage as cattle and natives like pronghorn and bison, gemsbok could diminish food reserves for those species.  “Along with that diet overlap, gemsbok are able to forage on lower quality plant materials than some of our native species,” Alexander said. “So in drought years, we could imagine our native species might be a little bit more stressed and nutrient deficient, whereas the gemsbok are going to be able to move to less nutrient-rich plant material and still be able to persist in the environment.” Schooley added, “These desert rangelands are often used for cattle grazing. When there’s a severe drought, they pull the cattle off the landscape because there's no food for them. Well, no one pulls the gemsbok off. Considering their ability to survive on low-quality forage, they could severely damage remaining grasslands. So I think that's the kind of thing we worry about — what are the implications when they get to even larger numbers?” Alexander says there is also potential for gemsbok to carry and spread diseases to native and domestic ungulates. Gemsbok in the southwest have tested positive for malignant catarrhal fever, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, and bovine para-influenza-3, which are of concern to the cattle industry.  With competing interests between conservationists, ranchers, and hunting operations, the researchers say it will be tricky but critical to manage the population into the future to avoid potential consequences across the southwest.   The study, “Predicted range expansion of exotic Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) under climate change in the United States,” is published in the Journal of Mammalogy [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyag083].  Research in the College of ACES is made possible in part by Hatch funding from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. This study was also supported by a competitive NIFA grant (no. 7006200) and the National Science Foundation (Jornada Basin Long Term Ecological Research Program, DEB 2025166 and DEB 2425143).  Alexander and Schooley are also affiliated with the Illinois Natural History Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at U. of I.