EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering - News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Jun-2025 11:09 ET (17-Jun-2025 15:09 GMT/UTC)

Binghamton University and BAE Systems sign MOU, collaborate on Energy Storage Engine

Binghamton University
Business Announcement

Binghamton University and BAE Systems today announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that solidifies their mutual commitment to advancing power electronics and energy storage research and development, workforce development and testing initiatives.

Travelers weigh in on weight-based airfares for eco-friendly skies

University of New Hampshire
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The holidays are in full swing and people are shopping, wrapping and packing to visit loved ones. Along with the extra fees for checked baggage and seat upgrades, some airlines are also considering weight-based pricing. A recent study out of the University of New Hampshire looked at how people felt about weighing their baggage and themselves to help reduce emissions and found while over half of travelers are not keen about hopping on the scale, some would be open to the idea — especially if it aligns with their own interests in the environment.

Journal: Transportation Research Part A Policy and Practice

WVU engineer protects mining equipment operators from fatal accidents with high-tech training headsets that visualize blind spots

West Virginia University
Grant and Award Announcement

To keep miners safe, a West Virginia University researcher is creating a training program that uses augmented reality headsets to prepare workers to operate around high-risk vehicles.

Funder: U.S. Department of Labor

The energy return on investment of global agriculture

PNAS Nexus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Kajwan Rasul and colleagues calculated the global energy return on investment for agriculture over time from 1995 to 2019. The authors find that the return on energy investment for global agriculture has increased from .68 to .91 over the study period. Animal-based products are particularly energy-hungry, accounting for 60% of the energy used in the global agrifood system but providing just 18% of the calories.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

UC3M investigates how to improve seat belts with a gender perspective

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
Business Announcement

Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) are carrying out a pioneering study that aims to analyse how morphological differences between men and women can influence the effectiveness of road safety systems, specifically seat belts, in order to develop more inclusive safety systems.

Flavonoids in polyphenols: Activating gut hormones to improve health

Shibaura Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Polyphenols, compounds commonly found in plant-based foods, may have a surprising role in managing diabetes. A study led by researchers at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan shows that polyphenols, especially flavonoids, interact with a bitter taste receptor, T2R46, found in the gut. Using advanced computational models, researchers demonstrated how this interaction regulates gut hormone secretion, improves glucose tolerance, and suggests dietary and therapeutic strategies for managing diabetes and related disorders.

Journal: Current Research in Food Science
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Event Horizon Telescope: Moving towards a close-up of a black hole and its jets

Chalmers University of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

After taking the first images of black holes, the ground-breaking Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is poised to reveal how black holes launch powerful jets into space. Now, a research team led by Anne-Kathrin Baczko from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has shown that the EHT will be able to make exciting images of a supermassive black hole and its jets in the galaxy NGC 1052. The measurements, made with interconnected radio telescopes, also confirm strong magnetic fields close to the black hole’s edge.

Journal: Astronomy and Astrophysics