EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 28-Oct-2026 23:16 ET (29-Oct-2026 03:16 GMT/UTC)

21-Jul-2026

Researchers develop automated system to accelerate outbreak detection and disease surveillance

Brown University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New workflow developed by Brown University researchers compresses hours of manual lab labor into a single automated process, unlocking reliable genetic sequencing for local public health labs.

Journal: BMC Genomics

21-Jul-2026

“Fictional” chatbots help explain popularity of artificial intelligence

University of Exeter
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The huge popularity of AI chatbots can be explained by their accepted role as fictional characters in people’s lives – in the same way as those found in films, TV and books, a new study shows.

Journal: Philosophical Studies

21-Jul-2026

AI platform could speed peptide drug discovery

University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed PeptiVerse, an open-source AI platform that predicts key chemical and biological properties of peptides, including whether they are likely to dissolve, enter cells, avoid toxicity and last long enough in the body to have an effect. The platform could help researchers screen peptide drug candidates earlier and support generative AI systems for drug design.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Hartwell Foundation, University of Pennsylvania

21-Jul-2026

A native California wildflower isn’t keeping up with climate change

University of California - Davis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The mountain jewelflower is struggling to keep up with climate change, as the wildflower fights to survive both summers and winters in the mountains, finds a UC Davis study.

Journal: Journal of Ecology
Funder: National Institute of Food and Agriculture

21-Jul-2026

SwRI, UT San Antonio-led experiment designated ready to fly by NASA

Southwest Research Institute
Business Announcement

SAN ANTONIO — July 21, 2026 — A Southwest Research Institute and University of Texas at San Antonio experiment has passed a critical NASA review, designating it ready for parabolic flight testing. The two institutions will evaluate the performance of a patent-pending electrolyzer, the Mars Atmospheric Reactor for Synthesis of Consumables (MARS-C), in partial gravity environments.

21-Jul-2026

Common plastic additive makes stretchable OLED displays brighter and more elastic

University of Chicago
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The same class of chemical additive that makes plastic wrap pliable and vinyl flooring soft could be the key to unlocking the next generation of wearable displays. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have discovered that blending a common plastic softener into light-emitting polymer films makes those films both brighter and more stretchable. The work, led by a UChicago PME undergraduate student in the class of 2025, offers a surprisingly straightforward solution to one of the central challenges in stretchable OLED technology: making light-emitting materials flexible without reducing how efficiently they emit light.

Journal: Nature Communications

21-Jul-2026

UNF receives NIH award to prepare students for innovative biomechanical pediatric research

University of North Florida
Grant and Award Announcement

The University of North Florida has been awarded a nearly $800K, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to provide immersive research education focused on pediatric rehabilitation and assistive technology.

21-Jul-2026

Simulations show distinct ground motion signatures of supershear earthquakes

Seismological Society of America
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sustained supershear earthquake ruptures produce distinct ground motion characteristics compared to subshear earthquakes, according to a study published in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, with potential implications for current building codes and ground motion models.

Journal: Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America

21-Jul-2026

2 million cars with anti-theft systems installed by dealers are at higher risk of theft

University of California - San Diego
Reports and Proceedings

At least 2.2 million cars on the road today are vulnerable to an attack that allows thieves to lock and unlock doors and immobilize vehicle engines remotely via a Bluetooth connection, computer scientists at the University of California San Diego have found.