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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 05:16 ET (25-Oct-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)

Mechanical energy could help turn biomass into fuels and valuable chemicals

Shenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biomass from agricultural residues, forestry waste, and other renewable sources contains abundant carbon that can be converted into fuels and valuable chemicals. Yet breaking down its complex lignocellulosic structure often requires high temperatures, substantial energy input, or intensive chemical treatment. A new review published in Sustainable Carbon Materials examines an emerging alternative: piezocatalysis, a process that converts mechanical energy directly into chemical driving forces for biomass conversion.

Journal: Sustainable Carbon Materials

AI framework improves 3D mapping of groundwater pollution and PFOA transport

Shenyang Agricultural University Collaborative Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Understanding how pollutants move underground is difficult because aquifers are far from uniform. Water can travel quickly through some zones and slowly through others, while most of these hidden structures cannot be directly observed. Researchers have now developed an artificial intelligence framework that can represent this three-dimensional complexity more efficiently and use monitoring data to improve predictions of PFOA movement in groundwater.

Optica Foundation names recipients for 2026 Prizes & Fellowships

Optica
Grant and Award Announcement

The Optica Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of several of its 2026 prizes and fellowships. These programs provide support and recognition for the next generation of optics and photonics leaders.

Vanderbilt Health to lead nationwide initiative to improve outcomes for critically ill patients

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Grant and Award Announcement

Vanderbilt Health has been awarded a federal contract providing up to $11.2 million over five years to establish and operate a first-of-its-kind critical illness clinical trials acceleration platform aimed at improving outcomes for patients in the ICU.

Funder: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health

NOAA selects Mississippi State to host new Northern Gulf research institute with up to $100 million in funding

Mississippi State University
Grant and Award Announcement

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected Mississippi State University to host its new Cooperative Institute in the Northern Gulf of America, an award valued at up to $100 million over five years.

Funder: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Can this biotech innovation halt the destructive march of a cereal killer?

John Innes Centre
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A UK-led research collaboration has taken a significant step in the global effort to protect cereal crops from the devastating blast fungus pathogen.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: UKRI/BBSRC

Bar-Ilan University and Weizmann Institute researchers use computational design to engineer immune cells to fight cancer and viruses

Bar-Ilan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A joint team of researchers at Bar-Ilan University and the Weizmann Institute has used advanced computational design methods to enhance the ability of genetically engineered immune cells to recognize and attack cancer and viral targets.

Journal: Science Advances

University of Phoenix study finds GenAI use among online adult learners associated with academic performance and technology confidence

University of Phoenix
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Phoenix scholars have published new peer-reviewed research examining how non-traditional undergraduate students use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in online higher education. The study found that more frequent GenAI use was significantly associated with higher academic performance and stronger confidence in technology skills, while lower confidence in reading, writing and math and greater time demands from work, study or family responsibilities did not significantly predict use. The article, “Strategic Integration or Skill Compensation? Understanding GenAI Use in Online Higher Education,” was published June 30, 2026, in Artificial Intelligence in Education, 2(1), 205–223. The research was conducted by fellows and scholars affiliated with the University’s Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR): Jessica Sylvester, EdD; Melinda Kulick, EdD; Leonidas Maganares, EdD; and Stella Smith, PhD, associate university research chair.

Journal: Artificial Intelligence in Education

Starch-based sensor changes color to indicate moisture in food packaging

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Developed at the University of São Paulo, the smart device uses cobalt chloride to detect a loss of crispness in products such as cookies.

Journal: Food Chemistry
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

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