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First whole-heart mapping technology delivers a global view of cardiac arrhythmias in a single beat (medicalxpress.com)

Corify Care's proprietary Global Volumetric Mapping technology, described in Communications Medicine, represents a new approach to cardiac electrophysiology. The publication marks the first system capable of mapping all four heart chambers at once, providing physicians with a complete, real-time view of arrhythmias that current solutions cannot deliver.

2026-02-14 04:20:01 +0100
New research uncovers how microbes shape ecosystem resilience (phys.org)

Most people think of microbes in simple terms: Some make you sick, while others help keep you healthy. But microbes' influence stretches far beyond human bodies. These astonishingly complex organisms regulate the health of forests, oceans and grasslands and determine how ecosystems respond to environmental change.

2026-02-14 03:30:01 +0100
Malawi vaccinates a new generation of children against polio, which still hasn't been eradicated (medicalxpress.com)

In a classroom in southern Malawi, children sit in rows on the floor as a health worker moves among them administering an oral vaccine that protects against polio.

2026-02-14 03:00:01 +0100
States sue to block $600 million cut to public health funds (medicalxpress.com)

Four states are suing to stop the Trump administration from rescinding hundreds of millions of dollars already set aside for public health programs.

2026-02-14 02:20:02 +0100
The city of Dallas wants to reduce the World Cup's environmental impact (phys.org)

As millions of visitors prepare to descend on North Texas for the FIFA World Cup, city of Dallas officials say the global spotlight also brings local environmental responsibility.

2026-02-14 01:50:01 +0100
Empathic robots on future health care teams: Researchers review Pepper and NAO robot effectiveness (medicalxpress.com)

A child with a new cochlear implant works on auditory rehabilitation exercises at home in Toulouse, France, aided by Pepper, a human-looking robot. In Canada, another child interacts with Pepper, who helps to reduce their anxiety before they go into the operating room. In Australia, a diabetic adolescent receives motivational interview coaching by a NAO social robot named Andy, to help reduce their high-sugar food and drink consumption.

2026-02-14 01:40:01 +0100
Quantum research in two ways: From proving someone's location to simulating financial markets (phys.org)

Quantum physics may sound abstract, but Ph.D. candidates Kirsten Kanneworff and David Dechant show that quantum research can also be very concrete. Together, they are investigating how quantum technology can change the world. While Kanneworff worked in the lab to study how quantum optics can be used to prove someone's location, Dechant focused on quantum computing for dynamic systems, such as the financial world. The two researchers are defending their doctoral theses this week.

2026-02-14 01:20:01 +0100
Thousands of NYC nurses return to work, but one major strike goes on (medicalxpress.com)

A monthlong nurses strike in New York City is coming to an end, but not for everyone.

2026-02-14 01:00:01 +0100
When consent meets reality: How young men navigate intimacy (phys.org)

A new study suggests that young men overwhelmingly support affirmative sexual consent in principle—yet often find its verbal implementation difficult in practice. The research, led by scholars at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Melbourne University's Department of General Practice and Primary Care, explores how young heterosexual men interpret and navigate consent during real-world sexual encounters.

2026-02-14 00:50:01 +0100
Can lifestyle changes reverse poor heart health? (medicalxpress.com)

We've all heard that making simple lifestyle changes today can help prevent heart disease down the line. But what if you already have key risk factors for heart disease, or even a diagnosis of heart disease itself? Is it too late to turn the tide by turning over a new behavioral leaf?

2026-02-14 00:30:04 +0100
What telehealth changes for adult survivors of childhood cancers: More genetic testing, earlier screening options (medicalxpress.com)

Adult survivors of childhood cancers are at higher risk for another cancer—such as breast, colorectal, sarcomas and thyroid cancer—that is not a relapse of their original illness. Previous cancer therapies are largely responsible. However, up to 13% of survivors also have a hereditary predisposition that elevates their risk of subsequent cancer.

2026-02-14 00:30:03 +0100
How a key receptor tells apart two nearly identical drug molecules (phys.org)

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are one of the largest families of cell surface proteins in the human body that recognize hormones, neurotransmitters, and drugs. These receptors regulate a wide range of physiological processes and are the targets of more than 30% of currently marketed drugs. The histamine H1 receptor (H1R) is one such GPCR subtype that plays a key role in mediating allergic reactions, inflammation, vascular permeability, airway constriction, wakefulness, and cognitive functions in the human body. While antihistamines primarily target H1R, current drugs can exhibit limited therapeutic efficacy, prompting researchers to look at H1R ligands from new perspectives.

2026-02-13 23:40:01 +0100
Wildflower season starts early: Big displays emerge a month before mid-March (phys.org)

Though superbloom is not a scientific term, that doesn't stop legions from hoping for a giant display of wildflowers come springtime. UC Riverside plant ecologist Loralee Larios weighs in here on the outlook for such a show this year, where one might see it, and how flower lovers can protect the blooms for years to come.

2026-02-13 23:00:01 +0100
Sophie Adenot, the second French woman to fly to space (phys.org)

When she was growing up, Sophie Adenot plastered her childhood bedroom with posters of rockets launching from Cape Canaveral.

2026-02-13 22:30:01 +0100
The IceCube experiment is ready to uncover more secrets of the universe (phys.org)

The name "IceCube" not only serves as the title of the experiment, but also describes its appearance. Embedded in the transparent ice of the South Pole, a three-dimensional grid of more than 5,000 extremely sensitive light sensors forms a giant cube with a volume of one cubic kilometer. This unique arrangement serves as an observatory for detecting neutrinos, the most difficult elementary particles to detect.

2026-02-13 22:00:03 +0100
Using books as discussion prompts can help children with language delay (phys.org)

Since the pandemic, more children have been starting school without being "school-ready." In 2022–23, 33% of all children starting reception in England did not have the skills needed for success in school, rising to 45% of children receiving free school meals.

2026-02-13 22:00:01 +0100
Northern Britain's oldest human remains are of a young female child, DNA analysis reveals (phys.org)

The oldest human remains ever found in Northern Britain have been identified as a young female three years after being discovered in a Cumbrian cave. Excavated at Heaning Wood Bone Cave in Cumbria's Great Urswick by local archaeologist Martin Stables, the 11,000-year-old bones provide clear evidence of Mesolithic burials in the North.

2026-02-13 21:20:03 +0100
AI framework fuses data and literature to speed high-entropy alloy discovery (phys.org)

High-entropy alloys are promising advanced materials for demanding applications, but discovering useful compositions is difficult and expensive due to the vast number of possible element combinations. Now, researchers have developed a novel AI-driven framework that integrates experimental data, computational modeling, and cross-disciplinary expert knowledge extracted from scientific literature. By combining these sources in a way that accounts for uncertainty, their approach can make reliable predictions even for poorly studied alloy compositions, outperforming conventional data-driven machine learning methods that rely on training data alone.

2026-02-13 21:00:06 +0100
Research shows companies can gain advantage by prioritizing customer privacy (techxplore.com)

For many companies, customer privacy is often seen as a regulatory burden that limits data use and personalization rather than as a business opportunity. Research by Natalie Chisam at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln reveals companies that handle customer data with transparency, care, and clear communication can gain a measurable competitive advantage through what researchers call privacy stewardship.

2026-02-13 21:00:04 +0100
Recycling strategies of fungi can affect how forests store carbon (phys.org)

Some fungi are wasteful, while others recycle—and this can determine how much carbon is stored in a forest. Researchers at Lund University have now revealed how fungi manage their mycelium, the network that builds the structure of fungus. Using microfluidic chips—units that handle and analyze extremely small volumes of fluid through microscopic channels—the researchers could show that the availability of nutrients among fungi affects how much of the mycelium is recycled. The results could provide new insights into the carbon cycle and climate.

2026-02-13 21:00:03 +0100
SSRI medications during pregnancy may increase risk of gestational diabetes but protect against preterm birth (medicalxpress.com)

An international team of researchers has found that the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes and early adaptation problems in newborns, even after taking maternal depression into account. The study also discovered that taking SSRI medication during pregnancy may reduce the risks of preterm birth and low birth weight. The work is published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology MFM.

2026-02-13 21:00:01 +0100
A microfluidic chip for one-step detection of PFAS and other pollutants (phys.org)

Environmental pollutant analysis typically requires complex sample pretreatment steps such as filtration, separation, and preconcentration. When solid materials such as sand, soil, or food residues are present in water samples, analytical accuracy often decreases, and filtration can unintentionally remove trace-level target pollutants along with the solids.

2026-02-13 20:40:03 +0100
NASA moon mission spacesuit nears milestone (phys.org)

The next-generation spacesuit for NASA's Artemis III mission continues to advance by passing a contractor-led technical review, as the agency prepares to send humans to the moon's South Pole for the first time. Testing is also underway for the new suits, built by Axiom Space, with NASA astronauts and spacesuit engineers recently simulating surface operations and tasks underwater to demonstrate safety and mobility.

2026-02-13 20:40:01 +0100
How did humans develop sharp vision? Lab-grown retinas show likely answer (phys.org)

Humans develop sharp vision during early fetal development thanks to an interplay between a vitamin A derivative and thyroid hormones in the retina, Johns Hopkins University scientists have found. The findings could upend decades of conventional understanding of how the eye grows light-sensing cells and could inform new research into treatments for macular degeneration, glaucoma, and other age-related vision disorders. Details of the study, which used lab-grown retinal tissue, are published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2026-02-13 20:30:02 +0100
Midair haptics and levitation may get steadier with predictable ultrasonic airflow (techxplore.com)

Acoustic streaming generated by airborne ultrasonic phased arrays plays a critical role in the performance of advanced ultrasonic technologies, including midair haptic feedback, odor delivery, and acoustic levitation. Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a predictive model for acoustic streaming in phased arrays by integrating three-dimensional acoustic and fluid simulations.

2026-02-13 20:20:04 +0100
Syntax discovered in the warbling duets of wild parrots (phys.org)

With a few minutes of searching, anyone can find videos online of chatty birds: macaws talk to their keepers, cockatoos sing to the camera, corvids mimic the jarring sounds of construction sites. Research has shown that some birds can understand and use words in context—so, when Polly speaks up from inside her cage, she may really want a cracker—but scientists know far less about how birds use their vocal abilities in the wild. Christine Dahlin, professor of biology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, is working to change that.

2026-02-13 20:20:02 +0100
False alarm in newborn screening: How zebrafish can prevent unnecessary spinal muscular atrophy therapies (medicalxpress.com)

A positive newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is currently considered a medical emergency. Without early treatment, severe disability or death in infancy are likely. However, research findings from Germany and Australia now show that in rare cases, a positive screening result can be a genetic false alarm. Researchers have discovered that functional tests in a zebrafish model may enable fast and reliable clinical decision-making in cases of unclear genetic findings.

2026-02-13 20:20:01 +0100
Helping lobster hatcheries safeguard genetic diversity (phys.org)

Some lobster mothers produce offspring that are far more likely to survive—in findings that could help safeguard lobster diversity. University of Exeter researchers, working in partnership with the National Lobster Hatchery (NLH) in Cornwall, studied European lobsters that survived the first few weeks of life. The paper, published in the journal Aquaculture, is titled "Hatchery lobster releases risk genetic bottlenecking via survival skews with maternal effects."

2026-02-13 20:10:01 +0100
Study identifies a new class of drug targets for aggressive leukemia (medicalxpress.com)

Hyperactive signaling pathways of some aggressive blood cancer cells can be tamped down by a previously unrecognized protein complex, ensuring the cancer's survival. If one component of the complex is deleted or removed, the cancer cells are sent into overdrive and die, finds a Yale-led study published in Science Signaling.

2026-02-13 20:06:35 +0100
From the lab to the living room: Decoding Parkinson's patients' movements in the real world (medicalxpress.com)

Scientists have traditionally studied how the brain controls movement by asking patients to perform structured tasks while connected to multiple sensors in a lab. While these studies have provided important insights, these experiments do not fully capture how the brain functions during everyday activities, be it walking to the kitchen for a snack or strolling through a park.

2026-02-13 20:00:03 +0100
Fossil evidence reveals how gray wolves adapt diets to climate change (phys.org)

Gray wolves adapt their diets as a result of climate change, eating harder foods such as bones to extract nutrition during warmer climates, new research has found. The study, led by the University of Bristol in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, and published in Ecology Letters, has implications for wolf conservation across Europe and beyond.

2026-02-13 20:00:01 +0100
Advancing porous materials: Scientists create solar-powered water treatment material (phys.org)

Brazilian scientists have made advances in an area recognized by the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: the development and application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These are porous crystalline materials that have the potential to revolutionize environmental and energy technologies. The study involved researchers affiliated with the Center for Development of Functional Materials based at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar).

2026-02-13 19:53:36 +0100
Hologram processing method boosts 3D image depth of focus fivefold (phys.org)

Researchers from the University of Tartu Institute of Physics have developed a novel method for enhancing the quality of three-dimensional images by increasing the depth of focus in holograms fivefold after recording, using computational imaging techniques. The technology enables improved performance of 3D holographic microscopy under challenging imaging conditions and facilitates the study of complex biological structures.

2026-02-13 19:52:27 +0100
New MOF material achieves real-time fluoride removal and detection in water (phys.org)

Recently, a research team led by Prof. Kong Lingtao at the Institute of Solid State Physics, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a new metal-organic framework (MOF)-based material capable of efficiently removing fluoride ions from water while providing real-time visual detection. This breakthrough addresses key limitations of conventional defluoridation methods, which often suffer from low efficiency and separate processes for removal and monitoring.

2026-02-13 19:50:39 +0100
Rule-breaking discovery reveals new way to strengthen metal in extreme conditions (techxplore.com)

There's a reason why blacksmiths fire metals before hammering them. Heat always softens metal, making it more malleable and easier to reshape. Or does it? In a surprising new study, Northwestern University engineers discovered that, in extreme conditions, heat doesn't soften pure metals—it strengthens them.

2026-02-13 19:48:23 +0100
Clinicians as team leads may raise the odds AI improves care, study suggests (medicalxpress.com)

Over the last decade, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care has risen significantly, but AI-driven innovations in health care delivery have not fully met expectations. Research on the use of AI in health care requires interdisciplinary collaboration, making team structure and leadership essential for guiding AI-driven innovation. In a new study, researchers examined how studies on AI outcomes in health care reflect team structure and leadership. They found that team leadership was significantly associated with AI impact and that teams with clinical leadership had a higher likelihood of impact.

2026-02-13 19:42:53 +0100
How pancreatic cancer prepares the tumor environment: A possible biomarker for the earliest stage of development (medicalxpress.com)

Even before a tumor in the pancreas becomes discernible, an activated cancer gene actively remodels its future environment and creates an inflammatory and immune-defensive microenvironment in which the carcinoma can grow. This has been shown by an international research team led by Ulm University in a pioneering study. The scientists' study opens up new possibilities for developing personalized intervention strategies—before a difficult-to-treat tumor even develops.

2026-02-13 19:41:51 +0100
Shaping carbon fiber with electricity: Wireless voltage pulses drive reversible bending (phys.org)

Controlled manipulation of fibers that are as thin as or even thinner than human hair is a real challenge. Despite technological development, the precise and reversible change of the microfibers' orientation is not easy. The interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, has recently developed a way to control the shape of microfibers with electricity. This brings us closer to a novel technical solution in micromechanics and soft robotics.

2026-02-13 19:40:29 +0100
'Dynamic plastic delocalization' can slow metal alloy cracking, engineers find (techxplore.com)

Metal alloys crack and fail through a mechanism called "fatigue" when repeatedly loaded and strained. While it is well known how to design alloys to withstand static loads and pressures, it is very difficult to design resistance to fatigue because it is difficult to predict how the underlying cause manifests at the atomic scale.

2026-02-13 19:40:09 +0100
Parkinson's disease triggers a hidden shift in how the body produces energy (medicalxpress.com)

Weight loss is a well-recognized but poorly understood non-motor feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). Many patients progressively lose weight as the disease advances, often alongside worsening motor symptoms and quality of life. Until now, it was unclear whether this reflected muscle loss, poor nutrition, or deeper metabolic changes. New research shows that PD-related weight loss is driven mainly by a selective loss of body fat, while muscle mass is largely preserved, and is accompanied by a fundamental shift in how the body produces energy.

2026-02-13 19:40:06 +0100
Hunting dark matter 'stars' that mimic black holes (phys.org)

Hypothetical dark matter stars known as "boson stars" could leave telltale ripples across the cosmos, offering researchers a new way to probe the invisible forces shaping the universe. In 2019, a strange event was observed in the depths of space. Called GW190521, the event sent out gravitational waves—invisible ripples in the universe—that were picked up on Earth. These waves appeared to mark the moment when two massive black holes, dozens of times the mass of our sun, collided and merged. Or at least, that was the initial theory.

2026-02-13 19:40:04 +0100
Time crystals could become accurate and efficient timekeepers (phys.org)

Time crystals could one day provide a reliable foundation for ultra-precise quantum clocks, new mathematical analysis has revealed. Published in Physical Review Letters, the research was led by Ludmila Viotti at the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in Italy. The team shows that these exotic systems could, in principle, offer higher timekeeping precision than more conventional designs, which rely on external excitations to generate reliably repeating oscillations.

2026-02-13 19:40:01 +0100
Changing the way we warn about natural disasters (phys.org)

With extreme weather events, fires and floods growing increasingly common, general warnings are no longer adequate. Researchers at Uppsala University, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization and others, now call for change—from mass mailings to personalized warnings that actually persuade people to act.

2026-02-13 19:33:22 +0100
Lithium alternatives? Calcium-ion batteries show strong 1,000-cycle performance in new test (techxplore.com)

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have achieved a breakthrough in calcium-ion battery (CIB) technology, which could transform energy storage solutions in everyday life. Utilizing quasi-solid-state electrolytes (QSSEs), these innovative CIBs promise to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of energy storage, impacting a wide range of applications from renewable energy systems to electric vehicles.

2026-02-13 19:20:41 +0100
From flattery to debate: Training AI to mirror human reasoning (techxplore.com)

Generative artificial intelligence systems often work in agreement, complimenting the user in its response. But human interactions aren't typically built on flattery. To help strengthen these conversations, researchers in the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing are challenging the technology to think and debate in ways that resemble human reasoning.

2026-02-13 19:20:05 +0100
Combating leukemia by stopping stem cells from turning cancerous (medicalxpress.com)

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive form of blood cancer. It affects people of all ages but is most common in those over 65. Around 150 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in Norway. Men are affected slightly more often than women. Fewer than 5 in 100 patients over the age of 65 survive.

2026-02-13 19:20:01 +0100
Acupuncture can reduce migraine pain, and brain scans reveal who might benefit (medicalxpress.com)

Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for migraine without aura, a type of migraine that occurs without warning signs like flickering lights. A new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open showed that real acupuncture (inserting needles into specific points to trigger a healing response) significantly reduced the number of days patients suffered from migraines each month compared to sham acupuncture. This is a controlled version of the treatment designed to minimize therapeutic effects. The research also identified brain connectivity patterns that can predict how well a patient will respond to treatment.

2026-02-13 19:00:04 +0100
Blood-based tests show strong promise for dementia diagnosis—but population diversity matters (medicalxpress.com)

In a study published today, Friday, February 13, 2026, in the journal Nature Aging, researchers show that blood-based biomarkers can support accurate dementia diagnosis across diverse populations when integrated with cognitive and neuroimaging measures. Blood-based biomarkers are emerging as one of the most promising advances for the global diagnosis of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. These tests offer a more accessible, scalable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional diagnostic tools such as brain imaging or cerebrospinal fluid analysis.

2026-02-13 18:40:01 +0100
How much can an autonomous robotic arm feel like part of the body? (techxplore.com)

When AI-powered prosthetic arms that move autonomously become widespread, understanding how people feel about them and accept them will be crucial. In a study appearing in Scientific Reports, scientists used virtual reality to simulate a situation in which a participant's own arm was replaced by a robotic prosthetic arm, and examined how the prosthesis movement speed affects embodiment, including body ownership, the sense of agency, usability, and social impressions of the robot such as competence and discomfort.

2026-02-13 18:20:03 +0100
Why metal microstructures matter: AI pinpoints stress hotspots to guide safer designs (techxplore.com)

Metals are made of randomly oriented crystals at the microscopic-length scale. The alignment of the crystal faces creates an infinite number of configurations and complex patterns, making simulations of specific patterns difficult and expensive. Aerospace engineers in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign created a model to capture the metal material's response to stress and predict failure hotspots at a scale equivalent in pixels to over 600 million dots per inch.

2026-02-13 18:19:24 +0100
Organic molecule stores solar energy for years, then releases it as heat on demand (techxplore.com)

When the sun goes down, solar panels stop working. This is the fundamental hurdle of renewable energy: how to save the sun's power for a rainy day—or a cold night. Chemists at UC Santa Barbara have developed a solution that doesn't require bulky batteries or electrical grids. In a paper published in the journal Science, Associate Professor Grace Han and her team detail a new material that captures sunlight, stores it within chemical bonds and releases it as heat on demand.

2026-02-13 17:40:01 +0100
AI-powered digital twin enables real-time energy evaluation for smart buildings (techxplore.com)

In the context of global decarbonization, reducing energy consumption in the building sector is an urgent issue. Researchers have developed a next-generation building energy evaluation model that combines rule-based symbolic AI computing with VR technology. This model enables real-time visualization and simultaneous evaluation of the energy-saving effects and indoor thermal comfort during the design stage of a Zero-Energy Building. This approach will have a wide range of applications in the design of next-generation smart buildings.

2026-02-13 17:23:14 +0100
Cell and gene therapy across 35 years—a bibliometric analysis of global advances (medicalxpress.com)

Cell and gene therapies, or CGT, have come a long way since they were first introduced. In the last few decades, both cell therapy—the transplantation of living cells—and gene therapy—the use of genetic material to modify cell functions—have been increasingly incorporated into clinical practice.

2026-02-13 17:16:28 +0100
Human stem cell lines offer new resource to help study HIV progression (medicalxpress.com)

King's College London researchers have created a unique collection of human stem cell models that could help to uncover why HIV leads to different outcomes in different people. The research was carried out by Dr. Nathalia Almedia, postdoctoral researcher, and Sam Acors, former Ph.D. student, who are co-lead authors of the paper published in Stem Cell Reports.

2026-02-13 17:04:38 +0100
Microfluidic chip finds viable eggs for IVF that doctors may have missed (medicalxpress.com)

Infertility affects approximately 8% to 12% of couples of reproductive age worldwide, and IVF (in vitro fertilization) is often the go-to treatment option. Typically, to increase the odds of a successful pregnancy, doctors need to retrieve as many eggs (oocytes) as possible. Current approaches to recovering eggs from follicular fluid, such as manual screening under a microscope, are not foolproof and can sometimes miss viable oocytes.

2026-02-13 16:00:02 +0100
Frontal brain signal tied to compulsive behaviors in people with OCD (medicalxpress.com)

A specific pattern of brain activity in a frontal brain region is linked to compulsive behaviors like excessive hand washing, chronic hair-pulling, and skin-picking in people with obsessive compulsive disorder, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. But briefly disrupting that signal can rapidly ease symptoms in three people with severe, treatment-resistant OCD, according to a study published in Cell.

2026-02-13 15:52:56 +0100
Redesigned electrolyte helps lithium-metal batteries safely reach full charge in 15 minutes (techxplore.com)

Lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) are rechargeable batteries that contain an anode (i.e., the electrode through which current flows and a loss of electrons occurs) made of lithium metal. Compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which power most electronic devices on the market today, LMBs could store more energy, charge faster and operate in extreme environments.

2026-02-13 14:10:01 +0100
Hot bots: AI agents create surprise dating accounts for humans (techxplore.com)

Computer science student Jack Luo is "the kind of person who'll build you a custom AI tool just because you mentioned a problem, then take you on a midnight ride to watch the city lights."

2026-02-13 09:26:07 +0100
Turning down the heat: Researcher identifies better way to remove heat from AI data centers (techxplore.com)

A University of Houston professor has taken on the global challenge of reducing the staggering amount of heat generated in artificial intelligence data centers. Hadi Ghasemi, J. Willard Gibbs Distinguished Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, has found that thin films designed into tree-like, or branched shapes release heat at least three times better than today's best methods.

2026-02-13 02:30:03 +0100
Unlocking the full potential of sodium- and potassium-ion batteries (techxplore.com)

As the world is moving toward more sustainable energy solutions, the emergence of next-generation batteries is a crucial and indispensable milestone. One such next-generation battery is the lithium-ion battery (LIB), which is currently dominating the energy solutions sector.

2026-02-13 01:00:04 +0100
Fast 3D imaging system developed for gas leak detection (techxplore.com)

Recently, a research team from the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a fast, multi-platform compatible detection network that can "see" gas leaks in three dimensions.

2026-02-12 22:50:21 +0100
A key barrier in protonic ceramics may be fading, and hydrogen tech could benefit (techxplore.com)

A newly developed ceramic material shows record-high proton conductivity at intermediate temperatures while remaining chemically stable, report researchers from Japan. Efficient hydrogen-to-electricity conversion is critical for hydrogen-based clean energy technologies, but few materials combine chemical stability with efficient proton conductivity. Thanks to an innovative donor co-doping strategy, the proposed ceramic material features increased proton concentration and mobility, realizing exceptional conductivity and stability under CO2, O2, and H2 environments.

2026-02-12 22:40:39 +0100
A microfluidic chip monitors gases using integrated, motionless pumps (techxplore.com)

A new microscale gas chromatography system integrates all fluidic components into a single chip for the first time. The design leverages three Knudsen pumps that move gas molecules using heat differentials to eliminate the need for valves, according to a new University of Michigan Engineering study published in Microsystems & Nanoengineering. The monolithic gas sampling and analysis system, or monoGSA system for short, could offer reliable, low-cost monitoring for industrial chemical or pharmaceutical synthesis, natural gas pipelines, or even at-home air quality.

2026-02-12 22:30:14 +0100
New sound-based 3D-printing method enables finer, faster microdevices (techxplore.com)

Concordia researchers have developed a new 3D-printing technique that uses sound waves to directly print tiny structures onto soft polymers like silicone with far greater precision than before. The approach, called proximal sound printing, opens new possibilities for manufacturing microscale devices used in health care, environmental monitoring and advanced sensors. It is described in the journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering.

2026-02-12 20:58:30 +0100
Betting on floating ports: Researchers test technology for faster construction (techxplore.com)

Building a port on land takes time. On water, the job can be done quickly. Hagbart Skage Alsos and his research colleagues at SINTEF are investigating how to build floating ports. Ports in Northern Europe are full. Offshore wind and other projects need a port for everything that requires transport to those construction sites. Such as when a landslide obliterates and closes a road or railway for a long time. A solution has to be found—and SINTEF researchers think running test scenarios in the fjord is the place to start.

2026-02-12 20:47:15 +0100
The insect-inspired bionic eye that sees, smells and guides robots (techxplore.com)

The compound eyes of the humble fruit fly are a marvel of nature. They are wide-angle and can process visual information several times faster than the human eye. Inspired by this biological masterpiece, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an insect-scale compound eye that can both see and smell, potentially improving how drones and robots navigate complex environments and avoid obstacles.

2026-02-12 18:00:02 +0100
France bets on nuclear power to phase out fossil fuels (techxplore.com)

France's government on Thursday presented an energy plan to use less imported fossil fuels, including by ramping up nuclear-fueled power production over the next decade.

2026-02-12 17:30:07 +0100
Power of the collective: Modular robot boosts resilience by sharing resources (techxplore.com)

EPFL roboticists have shown that when a modular robot shares power, sensing, and communication resources among its individual units, it is significantly more resistant to failure than traditional robotic systems, where the breakdown of one element often means a loss of functionality.