16/01/2025: Innovation and collaboration are key to the future of road management. EU–funded projects OMICRON and InfraROB and high-level guests in the ‘Old Roads, New Technologies’ event highlighted regulatory, sustainability and collaborative challenges as well as innovative solutions for smarter infrastructure management. The projects presented their digital, robotic and other technologies for cheaper, safer and smarter road construction, inspection and maintenance.

Despite widespread declines in North American grassland bird populations over the last fifty years, a falcon species on a conservation area in Idaho appears to be holding strong. This is according to the new paper “Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) Abundance in a National Conservation Area in Idaho Has Increased since the 1970s-1990s,” highlighted in the current issue of the Journal of Raptor Research. A team of collaborators from Boise State University and the U.S. Geological Survey conclude that Prairie Falcons nesting and foraging in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (NCA) in Southwestern Idaho have increased in abundance and maintained nesting success over a 45-year period. This suggests efficacy of the NCA as a refuge for Prairie Falcons and offers a glimmer of relief for raptor conservationists.

Quantum spin liquids are fascinating states of matter where magnetic spins stay disordered, defying the usual rules of magnetism. Professor Yasuyuki Ishii and his team have made an exciting discovery about one such material, β’-EtMe₃Sb[Pd(dmit)₂]₂. Instead of acting like a 2D system as expected, it behaves like a 1D system. This breakthrough changes how we understand these mysterious materials, offering new insights into magnetism and opening doors to advances in quantum materials and technology.

In a step to advancing the lithium-ion battery technology, a research team led by Prof. Dongwook Han from Seoul National University of Science and Technology (South Korea) developed an innovative technique to enhance the high-voltage LNMO cathodes. By engineering a Li-vacant topotactic subsurface with a protective K₂CO₃ surface layer on cathode particles, they enhanced the stability, longevity and performance of Li-ion batteries. This breakthrough holds a transformative potential for electric vehicles, offering efficient energy solutions.