11-Sep-2025 ECNU review of education study reveals hands-on science activities boost preschool children's motivation for learning ECNU Review of Education A new study from Çukurova University published in ECNU Review of Education shows that hands-on science activities effectively increase preschool children's motivation for science learning. This quasi-experimental research, involving 25 children aged 60–72 months, found that children who participated in hands-on science experiments over five weeks showed significantly higher science motivation compared to those in traditional classroom settings, with no gender differences in the positive effects. Journal ECNU Review of Education
10-Sep-2025 Artificial intelligence enables exoskeletons to assist users more efficiently RIKEN Exoskeletons typically work by implementing motions programmed in advance and having the user call for them, making it difficult to use them for a wide range of motions in real-life environments. Now, in a notable example for wearable robotics, published in npj Robotics, researchers from the RIKEN Guardian Robot Project in Japan have used artificial intelligence to better assist users, by designing an exoskeleton that functions based on inputs regarding the user’s status as well as a view of the environment based on the user’s perspective. Journal npj Robotics
10-Sep-2025 Cyborg-type robots facilitate neuroplasticity via volitional modulation University of Tsukuba Researchers at University of Tsukuba demonstrated for the first time in the world that brain regions responsible for high-level motor planning and preparation, such as the premotor cortex, are activated when a cyborg-type robot is volitionally controlled. This was confirmed through real-time brain measurements during robot-assisted movement. Active rehabilitation using wearable robots that respond to the user's intention could promote neural plasticity and facilitate functional brain reorganization. Journal IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering
10-Sep-2025 Europe leads on transparent borders as Australia lags behind University of South Australia New research shows that Australia is lagging well behind Europe when it comes to digitised border control, adopting a “staggering” level of secrecy that is threatening individual democratic rights. Journal Australian and New Zealand Journal of European Studies Funder Erasmus+
10-Sep-2025 New study reveals biochar’s hidden power to tackle groundwater pollution Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University Scientists have discovered that tweaking the composition of biochar, a charcoal-like material made from biomass, can significantly improve its ability to trap and neutralize toxic groundwater contaminants. The findings, published in Biochar, could pave the way for more cost-effective and sustainable approaches to cleaning up long-lasting pollution from chlorinated solvents. Journal Biochar
10-Sep-2025 USC team develops new sensory robot hand advancements University of Southern California Professor Daniel Seita collaborated with a student team in developing the MOTIF Hand, a tool advancing the capabilities of previous robot hand technology.
10-Sep-2025 Purdue-led study shows how fat disables the brain’s immune shield in Alzheimer’s disease Purdue University It was long thought that fat in the brain played no role in neurodegenerative diseases, but Purdue University researchers are challenging that assumption. Journal Immunity Funder U.S. Department of Defense, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute on Aging
10-Sep-2025 Research news from the Ecological Society of America Ecological Society of America How wild ungulates react to hiking trails, the key to invasive plants’ success and more from ESA’s journals.
10-Sep-2025 Semi-wet carbonation: Transforming construction waste into sustainable resources The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong’s skyline generates vast amounts of construction waste through daily demolition. While some of this waste is used for land reclamation, much still ends up in landfills. Prof. C.S. Poon, Michael Anson Professor in Civil Engineering and Distinguished Research Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is dedicated to advancing construction waste recycling and had developed a new semi-wet carbonation technique, transforming waste into valuable building aggregates and promoting more sustainable construction practices in the city.
10-Sep-2025 SwRI study reveals first MMS observations of waves generated by PUIs near Earth Southwest Research Institute SAN ANTONIO — September 10, 2025 — A new study led by Southwest Research Institute’s Dr. Michael Starkey has provided observational evidence from the SwRI-led Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission of pickup ions (PUIs) and associated wave activity in the near-Earth solar wind environment. The MMS mission, launched by NASA in 2015, placed four spacecraft in orbit to observe Earth’s magnetosphere, a magnetic field around the planet that shields it from harmful solar and cosmic radiation.
