HEADLINES ARCHIVE
Renewable Plastic Precursor Could Grow Cellulosic Biofuel Industry
A team of chemical and biological engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has found a way to produce from biomass a valuable compound used in plastic production that they estimate could lower the cost of ethanol produced from plant material by more than two dollars per gallon.
Wrapping Sponges in Graphene Nanoribbons Allows for Joule Heating to Help Clean up Oil Spills
A team of researchers with the University of Science and Technology of China has found a way to make sponges used to clean up oil spills in the ocean work better when soaking up heavy crude oil.
Climate Change to Increase Severe Aircraft Turbulence
The study is the first ever to examine the future of severe turbulence, which causes planes to undergo random up-and-down motions that are stronger than gravity.
Innovative Sensor Can Screen Toxic Drugs, Help Develop Biomaterials and Much More
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have found an innovative new use for a simple piece of glass tubing: weighing things.
Mapping the Origins of Stars and Galaxies
A powerful telescope capable of mapping the sky at submillimeter and millimeter wavelengths is under development.
Test Method Helps Determine Aluminum Alloy Composition
The method uses inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry to gauge if an alloy’s composition is within the needed limits.
Seaweed: From Superfood to Superconductor
Seaweed, the edible algae with a long history in some Asian cuisines, and which has also become part of the Western foodie culture, could turn out to be an essential ingredient in another trend: the development of more sustainable ways to power our devices.
New Research Could Help Speed Up the 3-D Printing Process
A team of researchers from Binghamton University and MIT have identified some bottlenecks in 3-D printers that, if improved, could speed up the entire process.
LED-Based Device Predicts Radiation Skin Damage
An imaging device might gauge the severity and type of skin damage caused by radiation therapy administered to breast cancer patients.
Nitrogen, Phosphorus from Fertilizers and Pet Waste Polluting Urban Water
Research from the University of Minnesota points to lawn fertilizers and pet waste as the dominant sources of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants in seven sub-watersheds of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
UBC Invention Uses Bacteria to Purify Water
A University of British Columbia-developed system that uses bacteria to turn non-potable water into drinking water will be tested next week in West Vancouver prior to being installed in remote communities in Canada and beyond.
Materials May Lead to Self-healing Smartphones
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, report that they have developed a self-healing polymeric material with an eye toward electronics and soft robotics that can repair themselves.
Stretching the Boundaries of Neural Implants
Implantable fibers have been an enormous boon to brain research, allowing scientists to stimulate specific targets in the brain and monitor electrical responses. But similar studies in the nerves of the spinal cord, which might ultimately lead to treatments to alleviate spinal cord injuries, have been more difficult to carry out. That's because the spine flexes and stretches as the body moves, and the relatively stiff, brittle fibers used today could damage the delicate spinal cord tissue.
Reinventing Metal 3D Printing with New Direct Writing
Metal 3D printing has enormous potential to revolutionize modern manufacturing. However, the most popular metal printing processes, which use lasers to fuse together fine metal powder, have their limitations.
Curbing Coffee Cup Usage
The use of disposable coffee cups could be reduced by 50-300 million annually according to research announced today by leading coffee roaster Bewley’s.
Graphene-Coated Contact Lens Block EM Radiation
Graphene-coated contact lenses can protect wearers from electromagnetic radiation and dehydration.
Autonomous Crack Detection in Nuclear Power Plants
An advanced algorithm and a powerful machine learning technique to detect cracks based on the changing texture surrounding cracks on steel surfaces.
Device Predicts Hemorrhagic Shock
New monitoring technology can be used in battlefield and hospital settings to detect when a patient is going into hemorrhagic shock.
A Solution for Wastewater Treatment Plant Stink
Identifying various odors, which run the gamut from burnt matches to rotten eggs to fecal matter, is a challenge at wastewater treatment plants.
PolyU Develops Accurate Contactless 3-D Fingerprint Identification System
The minutiae features from the fingerprint ridges — such as ridge ending and bifurcation — are universally considered to be the most reliable of fingerprint details, ensuring that each fingerprint is unique.