In trying to use nanotech to make a catalyst for fuel, scientists have inadvertently created an electrochemical catalyst that helps turn Carbon-Dioxide into ethanol(the type of alcohol that is found in delicious,precious beer) whereas their original goal was to make methanol.
Also included is link to paper http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...201601169/full
From my limited understanding of chemistry, this is, Pardon my french, FUCKING BRILLIANT!!! This catalyst works at room temperature, is made of cheap materials, and has an efficiency of 63-70%, all the key things to make it viable or up-scaling production.
Also given that the primary methods of ethanol production involve using fossil fuels or crops to make en masse means that we now have a potential 3rd option to make this stuff, and we are churning out CO2 like mad bastards.
This quote from Issac Asimov seems apt: "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'"