Feature Stories
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Oct-2025 17:11 ET (21-Oct-2025 21:11 GMT/UTC)
Why bees in Norway are struggling
Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyUTEP researchers boost microalgae biofuel yields with nanotechnology
University of Texas at El PasoResearchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have demonstrated how nanotechnology can significantly improve biofuel production from microalgae. Their study, recently published in ACS Applied Bio Materials, focuses on Chlorella vulgaris, a fast-growing species commonly found in freshwater environments.
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- ACS Applied Bio Materials
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- National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Seeing the unseen: Trinity team builds game-changing particle impact machine
Trinity College DublinA new machine, the first of its kind in Europe, allows users to visualise what happens when tiny particles hit a surface three times faster than a bullet. This information will enable engineers to make better materials and coatings for aircraft parts, medical implants, and for simulating intergalactic collisions.
TU Graz develops a navigation system for divers
Graz University of TechnologyUp to now, underwater navigation for divers has been limited primarily to orientation at distinctive points or compass navigation. Although there are concepts that, similar to a sonar, are intended to enable position determination using acoustic signal sources, these require a high sound pressure level. This affects the ecosystem and causes stress for the local fauna. In the FFG project ScubaPOIs, a team led by Philipp Berglez from the Institute of Geodesy at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has now developed a system that uses GNSS-supported buoys that emit electromagnetic signals to enable precise positioning underwater without harming animals. Using a head-up display in their masks, divers can find their way to the desired destinations and back to the dive boat or around restricted areas. In addition, they can always be found in an emergency. In addition to TU Graz, pentamap GmbH, 1st-Relief GmbH, Oxygen Scientific GmbH, Disaster Competence Network Austria and the Austrian Centre for Research Diving were also involved in the project.
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- Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft
Homelessness in LA drops for second year in a row: 4 takeaways from the 2025 count
University of Southern CaliforniaShaping the future of quantum computing
National Center for Supercomputing ApplicationsCellular therapy developed for cancer now being tested in autoimmune disease
University of Miami Miller School of MedicineNew approach to suicide prevention is needed in universities
University of SurreyA new shared approach to suicide prevention in universities is needed – one where students, staff, families and wider communities work together to make student life safer and more supportive for all, say leaders of a new project.
The $19 strawberry that went viral. The egg prices everyone’s talking about. An expert explains why
University of California - San Diegorocery prices are having a moment in 2025. On social media, food costs have become a full-blown cultural conversation, from outrage over a $19 strawberry (yes, one strawberry) at the upscale Los Angeles grocery store Erewhon to the rising price of staples like eggs. These moments fuel frustration, memes and more than a few stressed-out grocery haul videos.
But behind the jokes and viral receipts is something real: food isn’t optional. For many, these price spikes aren’t just inconvenient—they’re overwhelming. And while the financial burden is a driving force, the constant conversation around the cost of food—whether we’re talking overpriced indulgences or everyday essentials—may also reflect deeper concerns about stability, control and trust in the economy.
To unpack the psychology behind these reactions, we turned to neuroeconomist Uma Karmarkar, an associate professor with a joint appointment at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management and School of Global Policy and Strategy. Karmarkar holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA and a second Ph.D. in consumer behavior from Stanford, and her research draws from psychology, marketing and neuroscience to understand what drives economic behavior.