Latest News & Analysis
HEADLINES ARCHIVE
Environmentally-friendly Explosive Being Developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory and U.S. Army
Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Maryland, have found a less toxic explosive material as a potential replacement for TNT (trinitrotoluene) in various munitions.
New York 'Ices Out' its Rats
New Yorkers have been waging a war on rats since the middle of the 18th century using as its weapon rodenticide. However, officials have added a new, more effective weapon to their arsenal: dry ice.
Poor Safety Culture Led to Ferry Fire That Hurt 45
The fire began in the main engine room when fuel spraying from a leaking flange contacted the hot surface of the port main engine. The ship burned for three days near Puerto Rico.
Vestas Books Wind Turbine Orders
The wind turbine maker will provide a total of 630 MW of generating capacity for projects in Colorado and Australia.
Alexa Will Offer Concierge Services at Select Hotels This Summer
Alexa will soon be joining folks on vacation as Amazon unveils a version of the voice assistant designed for hotel rooms.
Reducing Diesel Engine Emissions with the Aid of Bombardier Beetles
Thanks to Swedish researchers and the bombardier beetle, a cleaner way to use diesel fuel is under development.
Chemists Find Greener, Cheaper Method for Producing Medication
Chemists from Princeton University and Merck & Co. Inc. have found a revolutionary way to produce an epilepsy drug with materials that are cheaper, work faster and are more environmentally friendly than the precious metals currently being used.
Plant Gene Shortcut Could be the Key to Producing Effective Biofuels
Researchers from the Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI) have found that an amino acid-producing enzyme has another use: producing biofuels.
Video: Recycled Plastic as Raw Material for New Volvos
At least 25 percent of the plastics used in every newly launched Volvo car will be made from recycled material after 2025.
Watch: New Device for Heart Attack Patients, Ancestry Site Hacked, Analyzing Organic Compounds
Welcome to this week's edition of the Engineering360 news brief.
Aiming to Produce 10,000 Barrels of Algae Biofuel per Day by 2025
Algae biofuel is a renewable fuel source with a low carbon footprint. Initial findings from a joint research team suggest that the fuel source is both viable and scalable and their plan for a large-scale commercial facility could produce 10,000 barrels per day by 2025.
Researchers Find Pesticide-free Way to Reduce Mosquito Populations
On the lookout for pesticide-free ways to reduce mosquito populations and thus the spread of West Nile virus, researchers from the University of Waterloo are one step closer thanks to an unlikely weapon: minnows.
Give 'em Credit: American Express Cards to be Made of Ocean Plastic
The financial services giant is collaborating with Parley, a group devoted to combating marine plastic pollution, to issue American Express Cards fabricated from plastic retrieved from oceans.
When Machines Meet Markets, Sparks Can Fly
State and federal agencies have long fiddled with energy markets to achieve a broad range of goals. As a result, power plants are as much a part of public policy as precision pieces of engineering.
Apple Vows To Solve Problems with Locating 911 Calls
Because the system that handles 911 calls was designed for landlines roughly 50 years ago, it is thought to be vulnerable to errors. Apple is hoping to help correct those errors with a new feature built into the upcoming iPhone operating system.
The Hidden Costs of Computer-aided Design (CAD)
Since its inception, CAD (computer-aided design) software has improved the lives of engineers, manufacturers, designers and architects — to name just a few — the world over. Replacing manual drafting, CAD lets users create detailed and precise renderings of parts and components with ease, all without having to manually input design details.
Discover a Simulation Database Dedicated to Planetary Plasma Environments
The database is combined with observational data and visualization tools, providing planetary a new way to explore plasma environments in our Solar System.
Shark Skin-inspired Surfaces Show Antibacterial Activity
An antibacterial material mimicking the diamond-like pattern of shark skin may take a bite out of the rising incidence of bacterial infections.
Proposals for Drilling in the Sangre De Cristo Wilderness Area
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) seems to be acting diligently in response to the administration’s pro-drilling policies, but the battle goes on when proposals impact fragile wilderness ecosystems and the latest proposal could put a drill rig within a mile of Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park.
NREL Improves Tool For Solar-plus-storage Analysis
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has rolled out improvements to Reopt Lite, a web-based tool for solar photovoltaics and battery storage optimization.