A nut used in herbal tea has become a hydrogel perfect for a variety of biomedical uses in new research from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Engineering (UChicago PME) and UChicago Chemistry Department. A paper published today in Matter created a malva nut hydrogel for medical uses ranging from wound care to ECG readings. The research doesn’t rely on the rumored health benefits of the nuts – in China, they’re known as the sore throat remedy Pangdahai (PDH) – but for their ability to swell 20 times their weight in water.

Stroke is the second-leading cause of death worldwide. Almost 90% of cases are caused by an obstruction of one of the arteries that supply blood to the brain, known as an ischemic stroke. It is an extremely time-sensitive condition that requires swift therapy for a patient’s full functional recovery. Emboa Medical Inc., a medical device startup, has mimicked a snake’s evolutionary advantage to improve the retrieval of blood clots that cause stroke.

Professor Dan M. Frangopol, the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his contributions to life-cycle civil engineering and leadership in its global development and adoption. Election to NAE membership is one of the highest professional honors accorded to engineers.

Artificial intelligence aboard aircraft could help prevent mid-air stalls and terrifying drops in altitude. In a new study, an international research team successfully tested a machine learning system for preventing trouble with turbulence. Researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center conducted tests on an AI system designed to enhance the effectiveness of experimental technologies for manipulating airflow on wing surfaces. The results indicate that these innovations work better when paired with deep reinforcement learning (DLR), in which the program adapts to airflow dynamics based on previously learned experiences.

Binghamton University, State University of New York maintains its status as an R1 institution for its prolific research activity, according to a new list from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.