University of Texas at Dallas researchers have found that, under extreme cold, making ice even colder can weaken its grip on surfaces. The discovery, published online May 29 in the journal Newton, reveals that a material’s thermal properties play a critical role in determining whether ice remains attached to a surface. The finding could guide the design of future deicing systems for aircraft, wind turbines and other applications in extreme cold.

Efforts to virtually unroll and read papyrus scrolls carbonized in the eruption of Vesuvius show the value of X-ray scans and AI in deciphering texts. UC Berkeley and NIST scientists have now created, carbonized and scanned contemporary scrolls to see if lead in the ink would make deciphering easier. They found that even small amounts of lead make the letters readable in X-ray scans, arguing for a systematic lead analysis of the remaining papyri.

X-ray technology and artificial intelligence — along with the discovery of lead in the ink of fragments of a collection of ancient Roman scrolls — could soon help scientists read long-lost texts buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, according to a study published September 16, 2026, in the open access journal PLOS One by Douglas Seiler, an affiliate of the University of California Berkeley, USA, Jacob Michael LaManna from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA, David Kreimer from University of California Berkeley, USA, and colleagues.

It’s no secret that plastic and other human trash are a problem for marine life, but our understanding has long focused on the ocean’s surface. Now, a more complete picture is coming into focus, revealing that even some of our planet’s greatest depths have become home to our debris. As described in a study published on September 16, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One, an international team led by Dr. Daniel Lauretta of Argentina’s natural science museum surveyed the Mar Del Plata Submarine Canyon in the southwestern Atlantic, finding that our trash has accumulated in a part of the planet we typically consider pristine.

MIT researchers created a computing platform that leverages the unique properties of squishy materials at the nanoscale to develop tiny devices that can process information, inspired by how the brain works. This could enable edge devices like biological or environmental sensors that are more adaptable and energy-efficient than traditional electronics.

In rare cases, blood flow can become unbalanced in twin pregnancies with a shared placenta, putting both foetuses at risk. 

Researchers at ETH Zurich, together with doctors from the University of Zurich, have developed a magnetically controllable endoscope that can reach the affected blood vessels in the placenta more effectively than conventional instruments. 

A panoramic view facilitates navigation for surgeons; in an animal model, this was combined with magnetic control and laser treatment.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville researchers received more than $1.3 million from NSF and NIH to expand CRISPR-GRIT gene-editing technology and FACT methodology for fungi. Combining experiments with explainable AI, they will enable functional genomics across difficult-to-modify species, investigate drug-resistant Candida albicans, and support new biomanufacturing and antifungal treatment approaches for patients globally.