Today on R&D World
RLWRLD names former IBM consulting executive COO to advance robotics commercialization
After spending tens of billions on R&D, Anthropic sees reasons to slow its pursuit of self-improving AI
OpenAI says GPT-6 Astra designed a talking Codex “pet.” Manufacturing took several rounds
MIT team says GPT-6 Astra can improve other AI models by editing their weights. Critics say its biggest result relied on standard ML engineering.
Palantir wants to dominate AI. Anthropic spent 43 times as much on R&D in Q3.
SpaceX in talks to buy Boost Mobile as it builds a hybrid satellite-cell service
Anthropic’s R&D spending passed Microsoft’s last quarter
Altman bets OpenAI could redo its $10 million Navier–Stokes proof at 1/100th the cost by September 2027
CAS AI leader on bringing agents into scientific workflows, with a Microsoft assist
NIH awarded more new grants in fiscal 2026, even as total awards fell
DOE’s BattMan brings four national labs together to de-risk battery scale-up
The day after Google reveals its frontier AI model Gemini 4 Carbon, Wall Street hands Alphabet its worst stock day ever.
DOE packages national lab know-how as 35 skills for Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI
HEMCO offers UniFlow fume hoods with application-specific liners
Physics See More >
LLNL’s gamma-ray sensor is bound for a Martian moon
An LLNL germanium sensor aboard JAXA’s MMX spacecraft will map the elements on Phobos and help pick where the mission collects samples for return in 2031.
OpenAI says its AI models produced major proofs in mathematics, computer science and physics
Northwestern and Western Digital demonstrate a new way to write magnetic memory
How a Duke-led HPC method brought cell-scale cancer simulation to a single cloud node
Princeton researchers uncover hidden mathematical link between origami and structural design
Sponsored Content See More >
Operational discipline is a critical determinant of clinical utility for neurologic monoclonal antibodies
By Bill Holt, DO, Vice President, Neuroscience Therapeutic Area, ICON For neurologic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), the scientific hurdle is no longer the primary barrier to success. Increasingly, operational execution—not efficacy—determines whether these therapies reach patients at scale. From multiple sclerosis (MS) to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) to early Alzheimer’s disease, mAbs have moved from…
Life Science See More >
NIH awarded more new grants in fiscal 2026, even as total awards fell
NIH made 13,686 new awards in fiscal 2026, up 21% from 2025, while total grants fell as annual payments on existing projects declined.
Nanotechnology See More >
Researchers developed quantum nanosensors that can measure the temperature of a single cell
Researchers have developed molecular quantum nanosensors (MoQNs) designed to operate in the cytoplasm and nuclei of living cancer cells to map radical-generation processes and thermal dynamics that are linked to cancer-associated cellular physiology. The sensors use molecular-level uniformity to achieve a threefold enhancement in spectral resolution and superior thermometric specificity. The platform enables absolute temperature…
Energy See More >
DOE’s BattMan brings four national labs together to de-risk battery scale-up
PNNL leads DOE’s BattMan consortium, combining four national labs’ manufacturing expertise, machine learning and digital twins to reduce battery scale-up risks.
INL’s $60 million nuclear AI project will spend the first year testing where AI agents can help and where they might hurt
One SwRI R&D 100 winner turns buckled fiberglass into a spacecraft truss. The other models freight rail with 900 hours of BNSF field data
Inside the Lab: NETL’s Oil and Gas Center of Excellence focuses on technologies to enhance production
Inside S&C Electric’s and Argonne National Lab’s CRADA partnership
Chemistry See More >
CAS AI leader on bringing agents into scientific workflows, with a Microsoft assist
CAS AI leader Andrea Jacobs on bringing CAS data and its Newton agent into Microsoft Copilot through MCP, and on connecting AI agents to lab instruments.
150 years of CAS chemistry data comes to Microsoft Copilot
AI is wreaking havoc on math and coding. Where could it have the biggest impact next?
R&D 100 Researcher of the Year Parans Paranthaman on superconducting tape, oilfield lithium and getting discoveries into production
PNNL scientists used ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy to capture PCET reaction in new detail
Material Science See More >
Northwestern and Western Digital demonstrate a new way to write magnetic memory
Northwestern and Western Digital wrote and read antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions with an electrical current at room temperature, reaching 363% TMR.
Eggshell-inspired shield cut projectile speed by 65% in simulation, but light-gas gun testing has not confirmed it
One SwRI R&D 100 winner turns buckled fiberglass into a spacecraft truss. The other models freight rail with 900 hours of BNSF field data
Researchers develop sawdust-based foam as polystyrene bans force industry to adapt
Researchers develop compostable PLA that potentially could be used for biomedical applications
Semiconductors See More >
OpenAI says GPT-6 Astra designed a talking Codex “pet.” Manufacturing took several rounds
OpenAI says GPT-6 Astra designed the case, circuit board and firmware for a talking Codex device. A factory built prototypes after several rounds of fixes.
Northwestern and Western Digital demonstrate a new way to write magnetic memory
Google teases Synaptics edge AI chip ahead of Oct. 20 launch
Materials startup Thintronics takes aim at Ajinomoto’s chip packaging film, with surging AI demand widening the opening
OpenAI and Synopsys plan a specialized model for chip design
Aerospace See More >
LLNL’s gamma-ray sensor is bound for a Martian moon
An LLNL germanium sensor aboard JAXA’s MMX spacecraft will map the elements on Phobos and help pick where the mission collects samples for return in 2031.
The UAE’s new space probe will crash into the asteroid it’s designed to study
Semiconductors, biomanufacturing and dual-use tech fill ISS National Lab’s startup cohort
Eggshell-inspired shield cut projectile speed by 65% in simulation, but light-gas gun testing has not confirmed it
