Tech & Engineering
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 15-Dec-2025 12:11 ET (15-Dec-2025 17:11 GMT/UTC)
AI uncovers hidden rules of some of nature’s toughest protein bonds
Auburn University Department of PhysicsPeer-Reviewed Publication
Scientists from Auburn University and Colorado State University have shown how artificial intelligence can reveal the hidden rules of one of biology’s strangest phenomena: catch-bonds – molecular interactions that get stronger when pulled. Their findings shed light on how bacteria cling to surfaces, how tissues resist tearing, and how new biomaterials might be designed to harness force instead of breaking under it.
- Journal
- Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation
ORNL receives 2025 SAMPE Organizational Excellence Award
DOE/Oak Ridge National LaboratoryGrant and Award Announcement
Lithuanian chemists developed oxygen sensors that can be applied from food packaging to cancer diagnostics
Kaunas University of Technology- Journal
- Sensors and Actuators
AI tools fall short in predicting suicide, study finds
PLOSPeer-Reviewed Publication
The accuracy of machine learning algorithms for predicting suicidal behavior is too low to be useful for screening or for prioritizing high-risk individuals for interventions, according to a new study published Sept. 11 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Matthew Spittal of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues.
- Journal
- PLOS Medicine
Island ant communities show signs of ‘insect apocalypse’
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate UniversityPeer-Reviewed Publication
From pollinating flowers to enabling decomposition and supporting nutrient cycles, insects’ abundance and biodiversity are critical for maintaining healthy ecosystems. However, recent studies showing population declines have raised alarm about how insects are coping with the modern world. Understanding whether recent observations are part of longer timescale trends can help inform global conservation efforts, and identify the reasons behind the so-called “Insect Apocalypse”.
Published in Science, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) used a community genomics approach to explore ant populations in the Fijian archipelago as a model system to understand insect biodiversity trends. By studying the genomics of museum collections, they were able to trace the ants’ evolutionary relationships to explore their arrival to the islands and reconstruct the population history of the species.
- Journal
- Science
- Funder
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
UTIA participates in national study analyzing microbial communities, environmental factors impacting cotton development
University of Tennessee Institute of AgricultureBusiness Announcement