Technology

[Updated on April 10, 2025 with additional details] The 2025 National Science Foundation (NSF) layoffs—stemming from budget freezes and aggressive federal downsizing—could reduce National Science Foundation staff by up to half, threatening the agency’s ability to fund critical research nationwide. Amid projections of a multibillion-dollar shortfall under the CHIPS and Science Act and a new…

Recent accounts from NASA veterans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams reveal that their Boeing Starliner spacecraft experienced multiple, cascading thruster failures during its June 2024 docking attempt with the International Space Station (ISS). The problems brought the mission close to catastrophe and forced NASA to make a critical flight-rule waiver decision. This latest setback occurred…

This past week, Boeing secured a multi-billion dollar contract for the Next Generation Air Dominance fighter program last week, while tech rivals Anthropic and DataBricks formed a $100 million partnership as R&D stocks broadly declined amid market uncertainty. Meanwhile, there were mixed signals for the AI market, and the R&D World Index (RDWI) for the…

A deep learning system known as Aardvark Weather offers accurate weather forecasts that are orders of magnitude quicker to generate than existing systems. Described in a Nature article (currently posted as a preprint), the system can generate predictions on four NVIDIA A100 GPUs that would otherwise take roughly 1,000 node-hours on a traditional supercomputer system…

The U.S. R&D landscape as a whole looks fairly resilient. That’s the finding from an exploration of 10,000 scenarios in a simulation that aims to capture the interplay between federal and private-sector funding under economic strain. In any event, as 2025 unfolds amid economic uncertainty and budget cuts and a string of R&D related job…

The U.S. still leads the world in absolute R&D spending, now investing some trillion dollars annually in R&D each year. By 2027, the U.S. is on track to spend in the ballpark of $1.2 trillion on R&D. But its dominance isn’t secure. In 2025, America’s scientific enterprise faces significant headwinds, and other regions, particularly Asia,…

Each year, the European Commission publishes the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, an international compendium whose 2024 edition ranked 2,000 of the world’s top corporate spenders on research and development. Yet it consistently omits Amazon, arguably the single largest corporate R&D spender globally. Why? Because Amazon doesn’t explicitly report its R&D investment separately, instead grouping…

As the nation grapples with semiconductor supply chains and seeks to regain its edge in microelectronics, Penn State University is ready to contribute to the cause with its new advanced semiconductor lab. Backed by $4.3 million in funding and strategic partnerships, the lab promises to train future engineers and drive innovation in critical areas like…

Think about how a plastic lid on a take-out coffee cup can be molded into different shapes to fit snugly. Researchers at Pusan National University used a similar idea on a very tiny scale to make better “neural interfaces,” which are small devices that help doctors connect with nerves or parts of the brain. Their…

The R&D World Index saw a slight gain last week amidst a landscape of innovation and cost-cutting within global industries. Pharma giants Eli Lilly and Merck announced a partnership with Purdue University to launch the Young Institute Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Consortium, aimed at bolstering domestic pharmaceutical production. However, automotive supplier Continental AG revealed further job cuts…

Brain signals in, mechanical responses out—traditionally, that’s been the limit of many brain computer interfaces (BCIs). But in a sense, this BCI doesn’t just listen; it talks back. In a study published in Nature Electronics, a research team in China reported a two-way setup that not only efficiently decodes a user’s intentions  but also sends tailored…

There’s not doubt about it. In an increasingly stressful world, immersive “escapes” via XR (Extended Reality) have undeniable appeal. Yet, headsets like Apple’s Vision Pro, Varjo’s XR-4, and Meta’s Quest Pro demonstrate that XR is evolving beyond entertainment. With designs emphasizing “look through” viewing (Apple) or modular flexibility (HTC), these tools are a compelling R&D…

As renewable energy sources replace traditional mechanical generators, there is a growing need for accurate and cost-effective inertia monitoring to maintain power system stability. Low inertia in power systems can lead to severe frequency fluctuations, potentially causing blackouts. InertiaMeter, developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee Knoxville, addresses this challenge by…

The skills that fuel a cybercriminal’s success—systematic planning, relentless curiosity and precise execution—darkly mirror those driving breakthroughs in research and development. Yet in the wrong hands, that similar cunning can becomes a blueprint for infiltration rather than discovery. Just ask Hector Monsegur, the once LulzSec hacker who later became an FBI ally and was released…

Researchers Jerry Tang and Alex Huth at UT Austin have developed an AI tool that decodes brain activity into continuous text, even for those who struggle with language comprehension. Unlike previous methods that needed many hours of training and worked only for specific individuals, the technique can be adapted to new users in about an…

As cell therapy approvals continue to grow, new technologies and evolutions in cell therapy manufacturing are needed to get these therapies to patients. Despite the promises of the therapy class, many challenges remain within the manufacturing process that can potentially delay getting critical therapies for diseases such as cancer to needing patients. Current hurdles in…

Automotive coating company Axalta’s latest innovation, Primerless Consolidated Coating System, simplifies the traditional multi-layer painting process while enhancing both performance and sustainability. Axalta’s new system eliminates the need for a separate primer layer, achieving the desired color effects and coverage in a single basecoat application. This consolidated process streamlines the painting process, reducing cycle time…

Polartec Power Shield Pro, the latest iteration of the award-winning Polartec NeoShell (winner of the 2009 R&D 100 Award), is an expedition-grade waterproof, breathable fabric that uses non-PFAS, plant-based fiber technology. Power Shield Pro is the brand’s first “20/20” shell, boasting over 20,000 mm hydrostatic pressure (ISO 811) and over 20,000 g/m2/24 h breathability (JIS…

Selenium (Se) pollution, which harms aquatic ecosystems and wildlife and can be toxic in humans and animals, is found in natural water bodies worldwide. Current biological treatment to remove Se from wastewater is expensive, produces non-biodegradable sludges, has a large carbon footprint, and is sensitive to chemical and environmental limitations. Direct electrochemical reduction using gold…

SABIC’s LNP STAT-KON can replace metal-based bipolar plates in redox batteries for energy storage, thus enabling mass production of batteries for traditional and renewable energy-generating systems. This thermoplastic offers a balance of electrical and thermal conductivity, higher mechanical strength, better corrosion resistance to the electrolyte for an extended life, cost, use of available raw materials,…

When you take your dog for a walk, does he stop to sniff every tree trunk and patch of grass he sees, leaving you to wonder what smells so enticing? Scientists have also wondered, although not the trivial lawn fodder, what pups’ sensitive noses pick up to help detect drugs or disease. Lawrence Livermore National…

Industrial Technology Research Institute’s (ITRI) AADREMS is the first energy management system (EMS) to leverage deep reinforcement learning (DRL) for energy-saving services. The team behind AADREMS has made significant strides in accelerating DRL’s learning speed, making the technology practical for real-world applications. The system excels in managing interactions among multiple components, achieving 15 to 20%…

NAMI’s Transparent Sun Nanocurtain offers a durable, cost-effective solution for improving energy efficiency in windows of various shapes and curvatures. The product from Nano and Advanced Materials Institute and co-developer: Harvest Time Facade Limited blocks 50% of solar energy while allowing over 60% of visible light to pass through, and it reflects less than 6%…

Coatings for cookware and grills face a tough challenge: withstanding high temperatures and repeated cleaning cycles while maintaining a smooth finish. Silicone resins offer heat resistance but lack strength and are costly, while polyesters provide good strength but struggle with heat. Dow (Shanghai) Holding Co.’s Silicone Modified Polyester (SMP) aims to combine the best of…

Astronomers have identified what appears to be the largest confirmed filament in the universe, a structure named “Quipu,” using a combination of X-ray surveys and redshift analysis. It measures about 1.3 billion light-years across and holds the mass of roughly 200 quadrillion suns. Quipu’s filamentary path emerged through X-ray detections of hot intracluster gas—markers of…