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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Apr-2026 14:16 ET (21-Apr-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)

Nature-inspired novel route shaping nanocrystals

Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Nanosized crystals easily form in nature through chemical weathering, while their formation requires a long time. In contrast, laboratory solid-state synthesis enables their rapid formation under ambient conditions, provided that suitably predesigned molecular building blocks or crystal frameworks are employed. Still, the effectiveness of precise control of the nanocrystals formation on the molecular level is far from desired, making it a challenging riddle to be solved. Recent studies, demonstrated by researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, and Warsaw University of Technology, led by Prof. Lewiński deliver a solution – a new route of transformation of molecular crystals to quantum dot monoliths.

Journal: Nature Communications

KAIST overcomes limitations of existing image sensors… clear colors even under oblique light

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Smartphone cameras are becoming smaller, yet photos are becoming sharper. Korean researchers have elevated the limits of next-generation smartphone cameras by developing a new image sensor technology that can accurately represent colors regardless of the angle at which light enters. The team achieved this by utilizing a “metamaterial” that designs the movement of light through structures too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Journal: Advanced Optical Materials

Aussie desert plant packs a protein punch

RMIT University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The drought-tolerant shrub affectionately known as Old Man Saltbush is mostly used as stock fodder, but can also be added to salads or cooking and has been enoyed by Indigenous Australian for thousands of years. Now, early research suggests it could be a healthy and sustainable alternative many more of us should be eating.

Journal: Food and Bioprocess Technology

University of Oklahoma researchers develop durable hybrid materials for faster radiation detection

University of Oklahoma
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have developed new hybrid materials that challenge conventional thinking about how light-emitting compounds work and could advance the field of fast radiation detection.

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Pollen counts can be predicted by machine learning models using meteorological data with more than 80% accuracy even a week ahead, for both grass and birch tree pollen, which could be key in effectively treating hayfever

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Pollen counts can be predicted by machine learning models using meteorological data with more than 80% accuracy even a week ahead, for both grass and birch tree pollen, which could be key in effectively treating hayfever

Journal: PLOS One

UC Riverside professor receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Wound Healing Society

University of California - Riverside
Grant and Award Announcement

Manuela Martins-Green, an internationally recognized researcher at UC Riverside whose work focuses on wound healing, tissue engineering, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of injury response, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wound Healing Society.

Funder: Wound Healing Society

Paul Ohodnicki named new Center for Energy Director at University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh
Business Announcement

The Center for Energy is a university-wide endeavor that leverages the energy-related expertise of approximately 100 faculty members across campus from multiple disciplines and departments among the Swanson School of Engineering, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Law School, Business School and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Reclaiming harsh habitats with black soldier fly larvae

Texas A&M University
Grant and Award Announcement

Extreme environments — on Earth and beyond — limit human habitation due to high levels of contaminants in the soil, making it difficult for food production. With instrumental funding from the WoodNext Foundation, researchers from Texas A&M University hope to rehabilitate extreme environments by integrating entomology, robotics, artificial intelligence and sensor technology.

Widening beaches make California 500 acres bigger than it was 40 years ago

University of California - Irvine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Southern California’s beaches have grown more than 500 acres over the past four decades despite being one of the most heavily urbanized and dammed coastal regions in the world, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, the U.S. Geological Survey and other institutions.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S. Geological Survey