Vitamin B6, which is absorbed from a broad range of foods, helps bolster immune system function and neurotransmitters in the brain. But some patients with chronic conditions like diabetes might experience low concentrations of vitamin B6, leading to reduced mental and physical health function, with possible symptoms including irritability, depression, anemia, numbness or muscle twitching. Expensive blood draws are currently the only way to monitor B6 levels, but a team led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, has developed a new, non-invasive approach that could allow for continuous monitoring, even at home.  

Researchers at Lehigh University are developing a faster, more accurate way to predict how metals solidify during 3D printing and other additive manufacturing processes. Supported by a three-year, $350,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, assistant professor Parisa Khodabakhshi is creating a physics-based, data-driven model that connects manufacturing process parameters with the resulting material microstructure. The approach aims to replace costly trial-and-error methods with efficient simulation tools that can guide the design of high-performance metal components. The project’s outcomes could accelerate innovation across industries that rely on advanced manufacturing—such as aerospace, automotive, and healthcare—while helping train the next generation of engineers and scientists.

MIT engineers designed a control mechanism, known as DIAL, that allows them to establish a desired protein level, or set point, for any synthetic gene circuit.

 

Auburn University scientists have designed a new family of materials where the interaction between electrons residing periphery of molecules unlocks properties nature never intended. By anchoring special molecules onto stable surfaces like diamond, the team created electride arrangements that can be tuned to act as building blocks for quantum computers or as powerful catalysts for advanced chemistry. This discovery paves the way for technologies that promise faster, more efficient computing and entirely new ways to manufacture materials and medicines.

For billions of years, Earth’s continents have remained remarkably stable, forming the foundation for mountains, ecosystems and civilizations. But the secret to their stability has mystified scientists for more than a century. Now, a new study by researchers at Penn State and Columbia University provides the clearest evidence yet for how the landforms became and remained so stable — and the key ingredient is heat. 

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provides scientists with a powerful new tool for monitoring and predicting tectonic activity deep beneath the seafloor at mid-ocean ridges—vast underwater mountain chains that form where Earth’s tectonic plates diverge.

Researchers have improved the ability of wearable health devices to accurately detect when a patient is coughing, making it easier to monitor chronic health conditions and predict health risks such as asthma attacks. The advance is significant because cough-detection technologies have historically struggled to distinguish the sound of coughing from the sound of speech and nonverbal human noises.

The lyrics of traditional Okinawan songs were found to record past climate and geological history of the Ryukyu Islands (21st-century Okinawa Prefecture, Japan), according to a new study by a University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Earth scientist and fellow Ryukyuan music practitioners.