Grocery stores and cafeterias successfully nudge selection of target foods, but can this same strategy be used to encourage food pantry clients to select target healthful foods? In a new study published in the Journal of Public Health, Auburn University and Cornell University researchers found that product placement and packaging had a significant impact on what clients selected in a New York State food pantry.

Combining superhydrophobic surfaces with Leidenfrost levitation -- picture a water droplet hovering over a hot surface rather than making physical contact with it -- has been explored extensively for the past decade by researchers hoping to uncover the holy grail of water-repellent surfaces. In a new twist, a group of South Korean researchers report an anomalous water droplet-bouncing phenomenon generated by Leidenfrost levitation on nanotextured surfaces in Applied Physics Letters.

A University of Texas at Arlington engineer is working with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to assess whether scanning lasers can accurately measure microtexture of aggregates, which are used in asphalt and concrete mixtures.