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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Oct-2026 06:16 ET (29-Oct-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)

Aging microplastics may strengthen the grip of fluorinated pesticides in agricultural soils

Shenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Microplastics and pesticides often share the same agricultural soils, but scientists are still uncovering how these pollutants interact. A new study shows that aging can turn tiny polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, microplastics into more effective sorbents for the fluorinated pesticide fluensulfone, potentially increasing pesticide retention in soil.

Journal: Environmental and Biogeochemical Processes

Dryland dumpsites may be overlooked hotspots for microplastic pollution

Shenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dryland regions cover about 41% of Earth's land surface and are home to more than two billion people, yet their role in global microplastic pollution has received relatively little scientific attention. A new review suggests that open dumpsites in these regions may act not simply as places where plastic waste accumulates, but as active environments that accelerate its transformation into persistent and potentially more hazardous microplastics.

Journal: New Contaminants

Food waste transformed into biochar hybrid membranes for smarter thermal energy storage

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Heating, cooling, and ventilation account for a substantial share of energy use in buildings, creating growing demand for materials that can regulate temperature while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment. Now, researchers have developed a multifunctional membrane that combines food waste derived biochar, graphene, and a phase change material to simultaneously store thermal energy, improve heat transfer, and manage moisture.

Journal: Biochar

FDA clears blood test to aid evaluation for Alzheimer’s disease

Washington University in St. Louis
Business Announcement

The FDA has cleared a blood test developed from technology invented at WashU Medicine to aid in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. The test, PrecivityAD2, can detect amyloid plaque biomarkers with over 90% accuracy, offering a less invasive alternative to spinal taps and brain scans.

University of Oklahoma researchers selected for Department of Energy Genesis Mission

University of Oklahoma
Grant and Award Announcement

With funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the University of Oklahoma is helping build AI into the future of American science. Two OU-led research teams have been awarded nearly $1.4 million in funding under the DOE’s Genesis Mission, with a third researcher providing significant support for a Genesis Mission project being led by Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Researchers use AI to decode key DNA sequence in gene activation

University of California - San Diego
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have revealed the DNA identity of the “initiator,” a crucial sequence that kickstarts gene activation. AI analysis of a half million data points deciphered the initiator’s identity. Researchers can use the new information to scan for mutations that may lead to diseases such as cancer.

Journal: Genes & Development
Funder: Expanse CPU at the San Diego Supercomputer Center

UCLA study finds concrete’s natural absorption of carbon dioxide does little to offset emissions from cement production

University of California - Los Angeles
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Concrete slowly absorbs small amounts of carbon dioxide from the air over its lifetime, a natural process sometimes proposed as a solution to the cement industry’s heavy carbon footprint. But a new UCLA-led study finds that this passive absorption process is far too slow and too small in scale to meaningfully offset the emissions released when cement is made.

Journal: Communications Sustainability
Funder: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, University of California Office of the President via the Carbon Neutrality Initiative, Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation

FAA Executive Physician/Scientist joins UCF aerospace medicine team

UCF College of Medicine
Business Announcement

UCF has recruited Melchor Antuñano, one of the nation’s foremost aerospace medicine experts. After decades leading the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Antuñano joins the College of Medicine as professor, chief technologist and medical innovation officer.

A secret to survival for California’s most endangered salmon

NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Traditional field research combined with new technology has revealed a secret to the survival of juvenile salmon as they form in their eggs, especially in low-water years when many do not survive, new research from NOAA Fisheries and the University of California, Davis shows.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Bureau of Reclamation, California Water Resources Control Board