Researchers may have found a way to replace one of the scourges of the environment—polystyrene foam or Styrofoam. A team from Washington State University has created an environmentally-friendly alternative foam made from the nanocrystals of cellulose, the most abundant plant material on Earth. The foam is made using a manufacturing process where potentially harmful solvents…
Researchers Make Advancement With Cathode For Water-in-Salt Battery
By improving a water-in-salt battery prototype, researchers believe they are well on their way to developing new high energy batteries. A team from the University of Maryland (UMD) and the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL) have created a new type of chemical transformation of the cathode that yields, for the first time ever, a reversible…
Strideway Walkway Allows Better Gait Analysis
Enter the 2019 R&D 100 Awards! Strideway is a 2018 R&D 100 Award winner. All of the R&D 100 Awardees were announced at the R&D 100 Awards Gala held in Orlando, Florida on Nov. 16, 2018. The R&D 100 Awards have served as the most prestigious innovation awards program for the past 57 years, honoring R&D…
Scientists Work to Create Material Similar to Bacteria’s Protective Shell
New Deep Learning Model Finds Subtle Precursors in Mammograms to Predict Breast Cancer Risk
Artificial intelligence (AI) could help doctors predict breast cancer risk earlier and tailor care options to individual patients based on risk. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a new technique using a deep-learning model that predicts if a patient is likely to develop breast…
Bone Graft Substitute Degrades Naturally as Bone Fractures Heal
Enter the 2019 R&D 100 Awards! Novogro Bone Graft Substitute Putty is a 2018 R&D 100 Award winner. All of the R&D 100 Awardees were announced at the R&D 100 Awards Gala held in Orlando, Florida on Nov. 16, 2018. The R&D 100 Awards have served as the most prestigious innovation awards program for the past 57…
Rising Innovator: Striving for ‘Environmental Justice’ Researcher Turns to Citizen Scientists
For one scientist, engaging with the public is one of the more important—and rewarding—parts of her research. Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona often works with ‘citizen scientists’—everyday members of the public—to conduct research near hazardous waste sites or in environmental…
Coral Helps Researchers Tell the Tale of 400 Years of El Niño Activity
Researchers are working to develop a 400-year long seasonal record of El Niño events using new machine learning techniques and coral cores. A team from the University of New South Wales has are utlizing cores drilled from coral to detect different types of El Niño events, demonstrating how the nature of these events has changed,…
New Sensors Could Yield Smart Pill Bottle, Other Applications
Researchers Work to Incorporate AI into Hypersonic Weapon Technology
A research collaboration led by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories is hoping to implement artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the capabilities to hypersonic vehicles like long-range missiles. Along with researchers from Sandia, several universities have signed on to form Autonomy New Mexico, an organization patterned on the U.S. Department of Defense,…
New Technology Could Allow Scientists to Better Understand Pollution Impact on Each Individual
Robotic Companion for Seniors Could Reduce Loneliness
For many older people, particularly those who have lost a spouse or partner, living alone can be a daunting task. In addition to sometimes needing assistance being able to safely run their appliances, take their medication and conduct everyday household tasks, seniors also often face loneliness and boredom, equally important problems that are not usually…
Graphene Brings Lithium-Sulphur Batteries to New Frontiers
Scientists from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden believe a new type of battery with a catholyte that contains a graphene sponge could help bring lithium-sulphur batteries to the forefront, eventually replacing lithium-ion batteries. The researchers found that a porous, sponge-like aerogel made from reduced graphene oxide acts as a freestanding electrode in the…
3D-Printed, Liquid Device Could Automate Chemical Synthesis
RoCycle Soft Robot Makes Recycling Easier
While single stream recycling is convenient for consumers, it has become a burden for recycling companies, as employees have to sift through piles of recycled items to determine what is plastic, paper or metal. This process includes newspapers, plastic bottles and other recycled items moving quickly through a conveyor belt where human workers will manually…
Novel Wearable Sensor Monitors Health Through Sweat Using Nanotech
Microbes Near Volcano Chains Naturally Capture Carbon, Reducing Greenhouse Gas
New research suggests that subsurface microbes are crucial to storing substantial amounts of carbon underground between coastal trenches and inland chains of volcanoes. Researchers from 27 institutions in six nations led by Rutgers University found that microbes are able to store carbon and keep it from entering the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas by helping…
Training Hydrogels Enhances Strength, Endurance
Putting hydrogels through a vigorous workout could be as beneficial as hitting the gym is to a bodybuilder. A research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found a way to enhance the beneficial features of hydrogels by stretching them out in water, aligning the nanofibers inside of hydrogels to produce a stronger,…
New Technology Frees Up More Computer Memory
Stanford Researcher Outlines Key Steps to Address Climate Change
New Material for Cathode Improves Lithium-Ion Batteries
Scientists Create First-Ever 3D Printed Heart
Using human cells, Tel Aviv University (TAU) researchers have achieved a major breakthrough by developing a biologically personalized bioink and producing the first ever-3D printed heart. “This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart replete with cells, blood vessels, ventricles and chambers,” Tal Dvir, a professor in TAU’s…
