EurekAlert! National Science Foundation - NSF Funded Research News

NSF Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jun-2026 18:16 ET (22-Jun-2026 22:16 GMT/UTC)

Potatoes may have shaped genetic makeup of Indigenous Andeans

University at Buffalo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Evolutionary biologists and anthropologists found that natural selection favored Indigenous Andeans who had an unusually high number of salivary amylase genes (AMY1) starting around 6,000 to 10,000 years ago — the same period when potatoes were first grown in the Andean highlands,

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Leakey Foundation

AI-powered lab discovers brighter lead-free nanomaterials in 12 hours

North Carolina State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new autonomous laboratory navigated through billions of potential material synthesis recipes to identify brighter, lead-free light-emitting nanomaterials in just 12 hours.

Journal: Nature Communications

Understanding how lasers can rapidly magnetize fusion plasmas

Princeton University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

PPPL researchers have identified a novel mechanism in which expanding plasmas rapidly self-magnetize through the Weibel instability, generating magnetic fields strong enough to alter heat transport. The finding, supported by first-principles simulations, has direct implications for inertial fusion research and for understanding how magnetic fields arise in astrophysical plasmas.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

A critical Atlantic Ocean current shows two-decade slowdown, study finds

University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A major Atlantic Ocean current system that helps regulate Earth’s climate has been slowing for nearly two decades across a wide stretch of ocean, according to new research—potentially reshaping weather patterns across the globe.

Journal: Science Advances

Plants walk a fine line between growth and defense

University of California - Davis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it’s a double-edged sword: Too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth. In a new study UC Davis researchers discovered that plants use a surprising multi-layered system to regulate salicylic acid levels and keep their immune system in check.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Hidden math link helps designers build fantastic shapes

Princeton University, Engineering School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Princeton engineers have developed a system for designers to mimic irregular natural structures like termite mounds or human bones — not only their microstructural patterns, but their mechanical properties as well.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Researchers propose a new inspection method to improve online collaboration platforms

North Carolina State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Remote collaboration software tools, such as Zoom or Google Docs, have become essential for teamwork – but they often overlook the fact that people do not all approach collaboration in the same way. Researchers have now developed a new human-computer interaction (HCI) method called RemoteCollabEval (RCE) to identify barriers to collaboration and inclusivity, allowing designers and developers to build software features that better support diverse teamwork styles.

Meeting: ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS 2026)

Non-rotating early galaxy is a surprise to astronomers

University of California - Davis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have made a surprising discovery about a galaxy long, long ago and far, far away: It isn’t rotating.

Journal: Nature Astronomy
Funder: NASA Headquarters, Danish National Research Foundation, Space Telescope Science Institute

May the force be measured: Chemists prepare force sensors for International Space Station mission

Emory University

Individual cells behave differently at microgravity. Scientists are exploring why using technology that can detect mechanical forces as fleeting as the blink of an eye and as faint as piconewtons — about one billionth the weight of a paperclip.

Funder: Center for the Advancement of Science in Space

AI method tackles one of science's hardest math problems

University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Penn Engineers have developed a new way to use AI to solve inverse partial differential equations (PDEs), a particularly challenging class of mathematical problems with broad implications for understanding the natural world. The advance, which the researchers call “Mollifier Layers,” could benefit fields as varied as genetics and weather forecasting, because inverse PDEs help scientists work backward from observable patterns to infer the hidden dynamics that produced them.

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