EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 8-Jun-2026 22:16 ET (9-Jun-2026 02:16 GMT/UTC)

28-Apr-2026

AI model detects very early normally ‘invisible’ tissue changes of pancreatic cancer

An AI model (REDMOD) can pick up the very early subtle tissue changes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the most common form of pancreatic cancer, which conventional imaging and the human eye find difficult to detect, finds research published online in the journal Gut. As such, it offers the potential to shift an all too common late stage, terminal disease diagnosis to one that is at an early stage (stage 0) and treatable, say the researchers. While REDMOD was more accurate than experienced radiologists, it requires testing in high risk patients, defined as those with unexpected weight loss and newly diagnosed diabetes, before it can be widely used in clinical practice, they add.

Journal: Gut
Funder: National Institutes of Health; Funk Zitiello Foundation;Centene Charitable Foundation; Hoveida Family Foundation

28-Apr-2026

No brain required: This is how the single-celled stentor learns

University of California - San Francisco
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have known for more than a century that a single-celled organism with no nerve cells — much less a brain — can behave in ways that resemble learning. But those observations only went so far. How the organism did that was a mystery.

Journal: Current Biology
Funder: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Commission, EMBO, Fondation Fourmentin-Guilbert

28-Apr-2026

UCLA research improves molecular probe for drug discovery

California NanoSystems Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A UCLA-led international research collaboration unveiled a new technology that may help scientists better understand how small molecules, including many drugs, bind to proteins. The invention works with an existing lab method called photo-crosslinking. Leaving behind a clean, uniform chemical signature, the technology allowed the team to directly compare how different molecules compete for the same binding site on a protein, all in a single experiment. Because most small-molecule drugs act by binding to specific protein targets, finding precisely where these molecules bind is a major benefit for drug discovery.

Journal: Nature Chemistry

28-Apr-2026

NYU Abu Dhabi researchers develop smart soft sensors to restore surgeons’ sense of touch in minimally invasive procedures

New York University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed soft, flexible sensors that help restore a surgeon’s sense of touch during minimally invasive, or “keyhole,” surgery.

Journal: Microsystems & Nanoengineering

28-Apr-2026

Biophysical Society denounces mass termination of National Science Board

Biophysical Society
Business Announcement

BETHESDA, MD – The Biophysical Society denounces the Administration’s termination of the National Science Board (NSB) en masse on Friday, April 24. The board, deliberately designed to avoid partisan political influence, plays a pivotal role in shaping U.S. science and engineering policy, guiding investments that drive innovation and economic growth. It also provides oversight and strategic direction for the NSF, ensuring the societal benefits of fundamental research. The National Science Foundation Act created both the agency and oversight Board and intentionally established rotating six-year terms to ensure consistent support for the work being done by the $9 billion agency.

28-Apr-2026

Toward tougher, longer-lasting, more sustainable tires

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new Harvard study describes a way to process natural rubber that preserves its long molecular chains while mixing in strength-endowing particles.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

28-Apr-2026

Wild flatworms heal wounds

Lund University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden collected wild flatworms from Malmö’s largest park, Pildammsparken. These creatures are masters at regenerating after injury. Now, for the first time, the worms’ unique ability to regenerate has been harnessed to help accelerate wound healing in human skin models.

Journal: ACS Omega
Funder: The Swedish Research Council, The Crafoord Foundation, The Carl Trygger Foundation,, The Gyllenstierna Krapperup Foundation, The Magnus Bergvall Foundation

28-Apr-2026

Ultraviolet light that fits on a chip

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Harvard team built a chip-scale lithium niobate UV light source that generates 120 times more power than previous approaches, paving the way for practical uses.

Journal: Nature Communications

28-Apr-2026

Simple robots that collectively build and excavate are inspired by ants

Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Harvard researchers built a swarm of simple ant-like robots (RAnts) that can collectively excavate and construct structures without central control. Their experiments show that adaptive group behavior can emerge from the interaction between many simple agents and their environment, with potential applications in many fields.

Journal: PRX Life