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The Week 0 matchup between NC State and Virginia will move from Rio de Janeiro to Charlottesville, Virginia, after extensive review.

History was made at the French Open on Wednesday. 

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is pushing back hard against the lingering narrative that his team is ruining baseball by spending exorbitant amounts of money.

Scientists Boost Battery, Fuel Cell Performance By Over 300%

Authored by Neetika Walter via Interesting Engineering,

Researchers in South Korea have developed a new catalyst design strategy that boosts the efficiency of reactions used in batteries and hydrogen fuel cells without changing the catalyst itself.

New catalyst approach could improve fuel cells and batteries  (Representational image)Shutterstock

The team, led by Professor Seung Jun Hwang of POSTECH and Professor Jaeyune Ryu of Seoul National University, found that adjusting the electrical environment around a catalyst can significantly improve its performance. The approach could help reduce energy losses in next-generation energy systems while improving efficiency and stability.

Catalysts are materials that speed up chemical reactions. They are essential components in technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and metal-air batteries, where they help drive the reactions that generate electricity.

Traditionally, researchers improve catalysts by changing the central metal, such as iron, cobalt, or nickel, or by redesigning the surrounding molecular structure known as a ligand. The new study takes a different route by leaving the catalyst largely unchanged and instead modifying the electric field around it.

Electric Fields Drive Gains

The researchers demonstrated that placing positively charged ions, known as cations, near the catalyst creates a localized electric field that influences how reactions proceed.

The team focused on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), a key electrochemical process that generates electricity in fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Improving this reaction has long been a goal because it directly affects device efficiency and energy consumption.

Experiments showed that the share of the desired reaction pathway increased from roughly 12 percent to as much as 52 percent when the electric field was introduced. This allowed the reaction to occur more efficiently while requiring less energy.

According to the researchers, the results suggest that catalyst performance can be tuned through environmental control rather than by redesigning catalyst materials from scratch. Such an approach could simplify future catalyst development and lower costs associated with creating new materials.

Beyond Batteries And Fuel

The implications may extend beyond energy storage and hydrogen technologies. The researchers believe the same principle could be applied to catalysts used for carbon dioxide conversion and environmentally friendly hydrogen production.

Many clean-energy technologies rely on catalysts to control complex chemical reactions. Being able to improve those reactions by adjusting local electrical conditions could provide a new tool for designing more efficient systems.

"This study demonstrates that reaction properties can be precisely controlled solely through the surrounding electrical environment, without changing the structure of the catalyst itself," said Hwang.

The researchers say the findings open a new direction for catalyst engineering by shifting attention from the catalyst's structure to its operating environment.

The oxygen reduction reaction examined in the study is a core process in hydrogen fuel cells, which generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen, as well as metal-air batteries that use oxygen from the atmosphere as part of the energy storage process.

"We expect it to present a new direction for developing next-generation batteries, fuel cells, and eco-friendly energy catalyst technologies," Hwang added.

If the approach can be scaled and applied across different catalyst systems, it could help improve the performance of a wide range of clean-energy technologies without requiring entirely new catalyst materials.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Tyler Durden Wed, 06/03/2026 - 19:15

Here are some observations from watching Tuesday’s practice.

The suspect killed in the Bakersfield bank robbery hostage standoff on Wednesday had a dark criminal history, including hosting illegal sex parties, and went AWOL during his short military career.

"We want to acknowledge any hurt it has caused, especially in the LGBTQ+ community," Patagonia said in a statement.

“There is bad intention in how they copy us. They’re breathing down our neck," Polymarket’s Matthew Modabber told The Post.

The city has gone to the dogs.

Sens. Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz call on President Trump to “fully dismantle UNRWA and eliminate it from the U.N. budget” because “it has long connived at Islamist terrorism against Israel,” thunders the Washington Examiner’s Editorial Board.

SAN ANTONIO — Before Mike Brown, there was Larry Brown. Twenty-three years ago, Larry Brown was a veteran head coach who took over a Pistons team that had just lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. And in his first season, Larry Brown guided Detroit to a shocking NBA title by upsetting the Shaquille O’Neal and...

Candace Owens speaking at anti-American conference in Russia, alongside Vladimir Putin, sanctioned oligarchs

Two Bay Area cities couldn’t be more different as they reveal the staggering income gap in the Golden State where one community struggles to get by and the other lives behind gated communities.

Los Angeles City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman was notably absent from City Hall on Wednesday, one day after finishing a distant third in the city's mayoral primary.

A disgraced ex-NYPD detective was slapped with four years behind bars Wednesday for his role in orchestrating an extensive COVID-era scheme, helping 65 clients secure fraudulent loans during the pandemic.

The 60-year-old Schwartz spent the past three seasons overseeing one of the NFL's top defenses.

The film icon had multiple miscarriages, “mystery” hospital trips and was labeled “difficult,” all things likely related to the painful disease.

The film icon had multiple miscarriages, “mystery” hospital trips and was labeled “difficult,” all things likely related to the painful disease.

Central Bank Gold Buying Rebounds In April From Dramatic March Selloff

First the good news: according to the latest World Gold Council update, central banks, a key pillar of the bullish case for gold, have returned to adding holdings in April after notable selling in March sent the price of the precious metal tumbling. The 17 ton purchase represents a turnaround from steep sales in March, which at nearly 30 tons were the largest monthly gold sales in years, driven almost entirely by Turkey. Poland remained the top buyer in the month, while China accelerated its pace of purchases. 

According to WGC, Poland remained be the top buyer in the month (14t), while China intensified its pace of purchases: its 8t net purchase was the highest since December 2024 and extends its current buying run to 18 consecutive months. The Czech Republic shows similar consistency in purchases, having bought 3t in April, its 38th consecutive monthly purchase. Meanwhile, Russia continues its sales streak this month (6t), with y-t-d sales of 22t.

Reported activity in April and y-t-d was concentrated in: 

• National Bank of Poland drove much of April’s buying activity, having bought 14t. This brings Poland’s y-t-d gold purchases to 45t with its gold reserves at595t or about 30% of its total reserves.
• People’s Bank of China added 8t to its gold reserves during the month, highest since December 2024. Official gold reserves now stand at 9% of total reserves or around 2,322t. China has been consistently purchasing gold over the past 18 consecutive months.
• Czech National Bank’s modest but consistent 2t net purchases in April brings its gold reserves to 79t or 6% of its total reserves.
• Meanwhile, Central Bank of Uzbekistan sold 1t this month, though on a y-t-d basis, it remains a net purchaser (24t) and is second only to Poland. Uzbekistan’s reserves make up 88% of its total reserves or around 414t.
• Central Bank of Russia continued it recent streak of net sales for the fourth month with reported April net sales of 6t.
• March’s top seller, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey reported virtually flat gold reserves in April, with weekly data showing that short-term gold/USD swaps matured in April, leaving only longer-term (1-3 month) gold/USD swaps outstanding. More on Turkey’s recent reserve management operations can be found in our recently published Gold Demand Trends Q1 2026.
• Eastern European and Asian central banks continue to dominate gold purchases with consistent purchases. Over the past 36 months, both regions have purchased 12t and 11t per month on average collectively. Global central banks activity shows average net purchases of 29t over the same period (Chart 2).

Now the bad news: according to Goldman, even as the rebound signals a return to sturdy central bank demand, it’s trending at a fraction of last year’s average pace. Meanwhile, the driver of last year's tremendous move higher which pushed gold above $5000, has yet to return: the furious ETF buying that characterized the meltup phase in gold, is not there; in fact, ETFs continue to sell as all momentum-chasing liquidity has landed in such areas as chip and memory stocks.

That underscores that the market is currently more focused on the near-term headwinds for the bullion rather than its structural tailwinds.

Meanwhile, with Treasury yields and the dollar grinding higher as the US economy proves surprisingly resilient in the face of elevated oil prices, and with positioning on the back foot, the path ahead for gold remains challenged.

Tyler Durden Wed, 06/03/2026 - 18:50

Just when you thought Blake Lively's battle against Justin Baldoni was over, the whole mess has taken a new turn.