In a new study, Northwestern University researchers demonstrated that brewing tea naturally adsorbs heavy metals like lead and cadmium, effectively filtering dangerous contaminants out of drinks. Researchers tested different types of tea, tea bags and brewing methods. Finely ground black tea leaves performed best at removing toxic heavy metals. Longer steeping times helped tea remove larger amounts of contaminants.

The AHOMKA platform, an innovative mobile app for patient-to-provider communication that developed through a collaboration between the Tufts University School of Engineering and leading medical institutions in Ghana, has yielded positive results in tests with patients at high risk for heart attack or stroke. 

Over the course of eight weeks, the participants’ average blood pressure readings decreased from 139/87 mmHG to a more manageable 126/83 mmHg. 

Ebru Demir, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics in Lehigh University’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, recently received funding through the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program for her research combining artificial microswimmers with machine learning to build Smart Artificial Microswimmers (SAMs). By embedding AI into centimeter-scale robotic swimmers and comparing their behavior with predictions from simulations, her project aims to uncover the underlying physics that govern their movement in complex fluid environments. 

Flooding remains the most destructive natural hazard in the United States, costing billions in damages annually, disrupting critical infrastructure and endangering lives. While urban areas often have access to substantial resources to tackle these challenges, rural communities face persistent barriers in mitigating flood risks. Recognizing these issues, Avantika Gori, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, is leading an innovative project to close the gap. Together with Rice’s James Doss-Gollin, Andrew Juan at Texas A&M University and Keri Stephens at University of Texas at Austin, the team was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant under the CHIRRP program (Confronting Hazards, Impacts and Risks for a Resilient Planet).

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), in collaboration with the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and the BC Materials research centre in the Basque Country, has developed an innovative computational model that makes it possible to predict and improve the behaviour of multifunctional structures manufactured using 3D printers. This breakthrough, supported by the BBVA Foundation through a Leonardo Grant and recently published in the journal Nature Communications, opens the door to new applications in sectors such as biomedicine, soft robotics and other branches of engineering.