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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Oct-2026 06:16 ET (30-Oct-2026 10:16 GMT/UTC)

This imaging technique shows nerves in ‘jaw-dropping’ clarity

University of Pittsburgh
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Pittsburgh researchers, led by Alejandro Almarza, developed a new way to visualize nerves inside joint tissue in full 3D without slicing it apart. By combining light sheet microscopy with a new tissue-clearing technique called c-Clear, the team mapped nerve architecture in rat knee joints, work that could help explain temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), a group of conditions causing jaw pain and dysfunction that affect millions. The resulting 16-terabyte dataset is now publicly available on the NIH's SPARC Portal, offering a foundation for future research into how nerve patterns relate to joint pain.

Journal: npj Imaging

McDonald receives NSF CAREER Award

George Mason University
Grant and Award Announcement

Nora McDonald, Assistant Professor, Information Sciences and Technology, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), received a National Science Foundation CAREER award for her project, “CAREER: Resilience in the Age of AI: Helping Adolescents Manage Generative AI and Personalization.”

Zeng studying secure ISAC in NextG through resource grid obfuscation

George Mason University
Grant and Award Announcement

Kai Zeng, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing (CEC), is studying integrated sensing and communication.

Is hookah safer? Or is that belief just blowing smoke?

University of Texas at Arlington
Grant and Award Announcement

Hookah is often seen as a cleaner alternative to smoking cigarettes, but researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington are launching a new study to put that assumption to the test.

A device that behaves like a single neuron

McGill University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

McGill University researchers have developed a light-detecting nanoscale structure that mimics how a neuron processes information. The neuron-like behaviour emerges from the materials themselves, reducing the energy demand associated with similar devices that rely on circuits or software.

Journal: Nanoscale
Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Fonds de recherche du Québec

Cleaning up clean energy

University of Delaware
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As demand for hydrogen-energy technologies grows, so does the need for iridium, a precious metal so scarce that only about eight tons are produced worldwide each year. University of Delaware researchers have developed a green recycling process that recovers iridium, platinum and the membranes used in hydrogen electrolyzers and fuel cells without relying on harsh chemicals or high-temperature burning. The work could help address a critical supply-chain challenge while reducing waste from clean-energy technologies. The technology is now being advanced toward commercialization through University of Delaware's Office of Economic Innovations and Partnerships.

Journal: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

They’re here: Biologists identify first established colonies of invasive clam in Northeastern US

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A collaborative team of biologists led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, MIT Sea Grant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Center for Coastal Studies has discovered that the invasive Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum, has established itself along the northwestern Atlantic coastline — the last place in the northern hemisphere to have remained Manila-clam free. The team’s findings, published in Biological Invasions, document an exceedingly rare moment when an invasive species first takes hold in a new environment and begins to spread.

Journal: Biological Invasions

New autonomous monitor prevents drone crashes in real time

University of Houston
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Houston engineer Marzia Cescon has built a new safety monitor system for the operation of quadrotor drones that can keep them on course and out of danger in real time.

Journal: Journal of Dynamic Systems Measurement and Control

Clinician support key to patient adoption of virtual reality therapies

JMIR Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in JMIR XR and Spatial Computing demonstrates that the way virtual reality therapeutics (VRx) are introduced to patients is a critical factor in how successfully they adopt the technology.

Journal: JMIR XR and Spatial Computing