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Feature Stories

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 7-May-2025 21:09 ET (8-May-2025 01:09 GMT/UTC)

Not just the Internet: Foresight uses fiber optics to detect structural damage after earthquakes

Politecnico di Milano

A new method based on optical interferometry, to monitor structural damage to buildings hit by earthquakes in real time. This is the outcome of the Foresight research project, led by the Politecnico di Milano and carried out together with INRiM – the National Metrology Institute of Italy and INGV – the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

The researchers want to exploit the fibre optic systems already in homes to provide an Internet connection, and use them to check the condition of buildings after an earthquake – especially in the period immediately following the first shocks.

Two Argonne scientists elected American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Two Argonne scientists, Karen Mulfort and Di-Jia Liu, have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for achievements in their field.

Removing barriers to high-quality opioid use disorder care

University of Arizona Health Sciences

Nurse-scientist hopes to empower primary care nurse practitioners to play a crucial role in improving access to evidence-based care for patients with substance use disorders.

Mayo Clinic manufacturing engineers on the cusp of delivering new biotherapies

JACKSONVILLE, Florida — Manufacturing engineers are at the forefront of bringing new medicines derived from human sources such as cells, blood and genes to patients. They produce what are often first-of-their kind biotherapies for diseases that previously had few or no treatment options.

The inaugural issue of the new journal "Safety Emergency Science" is officially released

Tsinghua University Press

In March 2025, an English academic journal "Safety Emergency Science" was officially launched.

Simons Observatory’s large aperture telescope achieves first light: a new window on the early universe

Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati

The Simons Observatory, a most advanced network of telescopes aimed at mapping the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) with unprecedented precision, has reached a major milestone: the Large Aperture Telescope (LAT) has achieved first light. This marks the full deployment of the observatory, beginning of a new era of cosmological observations that could unveil fundamental aspects of the early Universe, aiming at the detection of cosmological Gravitational Waves from the very first moment after the Big Bang.

SISSA has been the first SO Member Institution in Italy, and plays a crucial role in the SO, leading the Theory and Analysis Committee (TAC). Under the chairship of Prof. Nicoletta Krachmalnicoff, the TAC provides guidance to the collaboration in terms of scientific strategy, ensuring that SO's data analysis and theoretical models maximize the impact of the experiment.

Funder: Heising-Simons Foundation

TU Graz intensifies research into brake and tire wear

Graz University of Technology

Particles caused by tyre, brake and road surface wear are now responsible for the majority of traffic-related particulate matter and microplastics pollution. When stricter air quality limits come into force across the EU in 2030, it will be virtually impossible to comply with them without a reduction in wear-related emissions. As part of the new Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) Lead Project NExT – Non-Exhaust Emission Topics, researchers at TU Graz will be developing the necessary foundations for the reliable assessment and effective reduction of non-exhaust emissions over the next three years. To this end, interdisciplinary teams from five institutes under the project management of Cornelia Lex and Stefan Hausberger are conducting research into the formation of tyre, brake, road and rail wear particles. They are developing standardised, realistic test procedures for various vehicle classes and components as well as technical solutions that can significantly reduce emissions.

Funder: TU Graz

Sensory sensitivity challenges everyday life – sensory overload can have significant effects on mental health and social functioning

University of Oulu, Finland

The noise in a classroom, bright lighting, a rough-textured piece of clothing, or food with an unusual texture can make everyday life exhausting for someone with sensory sensitivity. Researchers at the University of Oulu, Finland, are studying how daily sensory overload affects the psychological well-being and social functioning of both children and adults.

Leading the way in reducing fine particulate matter in public facilities

National Research Council of Science & Technology

The research team led by Dr. Hak Joon Kim, Principal Researcher at Department of Urban Environment Research of the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (President Seog-Hyeon Ryu, hereinafter referred to as KIMM) has developed an eco-friendly air purification technology that reduces ultrafine particulate matters without the use of filters.

Funder: Ministry of Science and ICT

NASA, NSIDC scientists say Arctic winter sea ice at record low

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Winter sea ice cover in the Arctic was the lowest it’s ever been at its annual peak on March 22, 2025. At 5.53 million square miles (14.33 million square kilometers), the maximum extent fell below the prior low of 5.56 million square miles (14.41 million square kilometers) in 2017. Globally, ice cover reached a record low in mid-February.

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