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The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a key process in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, technologies expected to play a central role in a low-carbon energy future. However, ORR proceeds slowly on most materials, limiting efficiency and increasing costs. Finding catalysts that can speed up this reaction is therefore a major challenge in reducing our energy footprint.
Better continuity of care with GPs for people with dementia who are in their final year of life can save the NHS money, according to new research from academics at the Cicely Saunders Institute, part of the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King's College London.
A research team led by Prof. Yousung Jung of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU) has developed an innovative AI-based technology that uses large language models (LLMs) to redesign new materials that were previously difficult to synthesize into forms that are experimentally feasible.
After analyzing how the climate crisis is addressed in digital media and on digital platforms, Ángela Alonso-Jurnet, a researcher in the Gureiker group at the University of the Basque Country (EHU), has compiled a list of ten opportunities outlining the most effective strategies employed by the scientific community, members of the public and climate activists.
Have you ever wished you could swim like a fish? How about speak like one? In a paper recently published in the Journal of Fish Biology, our team from the University of Victoria deciphered some of the strange and unique sounds made by different fish species along the coast of British Columbia.
A perspective in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface argues that advances in AI, sensing technologies and modeling are transforming the study of collective animal behavior, with implications reaching far beyond biology, from robotics to the dynamics of human crowds.
The Barrow-in-Furness accent is very different from the rest of Lancashire and Cumbria because of an intense mixing and rapid population change in the late 1800s, says new research by Lancaster University, which used the voices of Victorian speakers to inform the study.
U.S. health officials unveiled proposed changes to the nation's transplant system, hoping to help more patients get lifesaving organs, even when donations aren't perfect.
Talking to oneself is a trait which feels inherently human. Our inner monologs help us organize our thoughts, make decisions, and understand our emotions. But it's not just humans who can reap the benefits of such self-talk.
From patient portals and text messages to wearable devices and artificial intelligence, digital health technologies are becoming a significant part of medical care. But technology alone isn't enough to improve health outcomes. According to Daniel Amante, Ph.D., MPH, assistant professor of population & quantitative health sciences at UMass Chan Medical School, the most effective tools are those designed with the end user's input upfront to address specific challenges that both providers and patients face.
Ascending aortic hemiarch reconstruction offers the same long-term benefits to patients over age 65 with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) as more complex extended arch reconstruction procedures, according to a study presented at the 2026 Society of Thoracic Surgeons Annual Meeting.
Ditches and canals are the underdog of the freshwater world. These human-made waterways are often forgotten, devalued, and perceived negatively—think "dull as ditchwater." But these unsung heroes have a hidden potential for climate change mitigation, if they're managed correctly.
Stroke during pregnancy or shortly after delivery is rare, yet it can be life-threatening. Increased awareness and coordinated care of women during pregnancy for stroke risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and recovery are crucial to the health of both mother and baby affected by a stroke, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement published in Strokeand endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists.
A new study finds that Canada could remove at least five times its annual carbon emissions with strategic planting of more than six million trees along the northern edge of the boreal forest. The paper, "Substantial carbon removal capacity of Taiga reforestation and afforestation at Canada's boreal edge," appears in Communications Earth & Environment.
In some solid materials under specific conditions, mutual Coulomb interactions shape electrons into many-body correlated states, such as Wigner crystals, which are essentially solids made of electrons. So far, the Wigner crystal state remains sensitive to various experimental perturbations. Uncovering their internal structure and arrangement at the atomic scale has proven more challenging.
An international team has discovered the earliest known hand-held wooden tools used by humans. A study jointly led by Professor Katerina Harvati from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen and Dr. Annemieke Milks at the University of Reading describes discoveries from the Marathousa 1 site, in Greece's central Peloponnese, dating back 430,000 years.
The life of one of the most remote grizzly bear populations in the world is being documented by the animals themselves, with collar cameras that provide a rare glimpse of how they survive on Alaska's rugged and desolate North Slope.
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted the US tech giant will make a "huge" investment in OpenAI and dismissed as "nonsense" reports that he is unhappy with the generative AI star.
NASA began a two-day practice countdown Saturday leading up to the fueling of its new moon rocket, a crucial test that will determine when four astronauts blast off on a lunar flyby.
About 50 residents of a community outside Chile's capital spent Saturday trying their best to power an entirely human-operated chatbot that could answer questions and make silly pictures on command, in a message to highlight the environmental toll of artificial intelligence data centers in the region.
When infectious diseases surge, response often comes down to timing: whether communities can position the right people and supplies before case counts spike. A new tool developed by UC San Diego with UNICEF and New Light Technologies helps Peru and Brazil anticipate dengue and malaria, plan resources and lay the groundwork for global expansion.
What determines how long we live—and to what extent is our lifespan shaped by our genes? Surprisingly, for decades, scientists believed that the heritability of human lifespan was relatively low compared to other human traits, standing at just 20–25%; some recent large-scale studies even placed it below 10%.
Traditional processes used to discover new materials are complex, time-consuming, and costly, often requiring years of sustained effort. Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated powerful capabilities in information processing, offering new opportunities for intelligent and autonomous materials research.
A major breakthrough has been achieved in the fight against the invasive polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB), Euwallacea fornicatus in Western Australia. Researchers at Murdoch University have successfully established the first stable laboratory colony of PSHB in the state.
Blue carbon refers to organic carbon captured and stored by the marine and vegetated coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows. These ecosystems act as powerful carbon sinks, sequestering carbon from the atmosphere efficiently like terrestrial forests.
Community-engaged research often raises questions about who benefits from academic work and how knowledge moves between universities and the people most affected by the issues being studied. In his research and film projects, Kirk French, an assistant professor of anthropology and of film production and media studies at Penn State, works with communities as collaborators rather than subjects, shaping research questions, methods and outcomes alongside local partners.
Invasive species, pathogens, and parasites can have serious ecological consequences for aquatic ecosystems and also put human health and economies at risk. Early detection of these biological threats is vital for mitigating their impact. A new low-cost autonomous robot expands access to MBARI's engineering innovation, providing resource managers, decision-makers, and communities a tool for monitoring aquatic environments and mitigating the ecological and economic impacts of biological threats.
Turning on the light to turn off pain: This is the principle behind a new analgesic method called light-induced analgesia (LIA), discovered by scientists from the CNRS1 in rodents. Noninvasive and drug-free, LIA proves to be more effective and longer-lasting than commonly used analgesics such as ibuprofen. The study was published in Nature Communications on 26 January 2026.
Research on rare diagnoses and the development of precision medicine depend on patients being able to share their health data in a secure and ethical manner. The research study, published in Scientific Reports, in which a digital platform was developed to collect electronic informed consent, shows that many participants want to contribute to research and appreciate the digital solution, but also that the technology needs further development.
Researchers at the University of Maine and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are collaborating on a new way to dry non-aggregated cellulose nanofiber—a material that could replace plastics in a wide range of products.
A new study from the University at Albany shows that artificial intelligence systems may organize information in far more intricate ways than previously thought. The study, "Exploring the Stratified Space Structure of an RL Game with the Volume Growth Transform," has been published online through arXiv.
The modern world runs on chemicals and fuels that require a huge amount of energy to produce: Industrial chemical separation accounts for 10% to 15% of the world's total energy consumption. That's because most separations today rely on heat to boil off unwanted materials and isolate compounds.
Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of death worldwide. To save lives, constantly improving diagnostic and risk assessments is vital. One researcher from the University of Missouri School of Medicine is exploring ways to do just that by using machine learning, which is a type of artificial intelligence (AI).
A research team led by Prof. Dr. Christian Hinze, senior physician at the MHH Clinic for Kidney and Hypertension Diseases at Hannover Medical School (MHH), has gained new insights into the treatment of kidney transplant patients. The team has discovered properties of kidney cells that, after rejection, provide information about how well a transplant will recover in the long term.
Solar panels and wind turbines increasingly dot the landscape, but the future of clean energy may well depend on how smoothly we burn hydrogen. Yet as anyone who's lit a gas grill or fireplace knows, igniting a flame can be a bit tricky. Imagine how complex that process can be in commercial and industrial applications. Thanks to U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) ACCESS allocations, University of California San Diego researchers have taken a major step toward taming hydrogen flames with highly precise simulations that could reshape how we design tomorrow's zero-carbon gas turbines.
A Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) research team has developed a wastewater treatment technology that integrates a mesh bioreactor with an ultrasound-induced transient cavitation cleaning mechanism. The system can complete mesh cleaning within 3.8 seconds under anaerobic conditions and achieves 10–20 times higher flux than conventional membrane bioreactors (MBRs). The technology operates efficiently with substantially lower energy consumption, produces treated effluent surpassing international and local discharge standards, and reduces the cost of treating each cubic meter of wastewater to 50% of conventional MBRs, offering a sustainable solution for both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.
Intelligent drones and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are rapidly evolving from experimental prototypes into essential infrastructure across disaster response, health care delivery, agriculture, logistics, archaeology, environmental monitoring, and numerous other fields vital to human development, scientists say in new research.
Humans are required to make several decisions daily, from choosing what to eat at a restaurant to more crucial choices, such as the studies they wish to complete.
Ankle fractures are among the most common fractures in adults. Some ankle fractures are "stable," so the patient can carry on walking on the ankle without the bones falling out of position. However, some fractures are "unstable" and require more support, sometimes even involving surgery. More than 20,000 people are admitted to hospitals in England each year with an unstable ankle fracture. The best way of treating unstable ankle fractures is an important area of research, for both patients and health care systems.
Conventional wisdom has held for some time that children who grow up in environments rich with biodiversity—farms, homes with pets, rural settings in general—are less likely to have allergies. The thing nobody has ever completely understood is why? Yale researchers have now found an answer. It turns out that exposure to diverse microbes and proteins early in life creates broad immune memory and a specific antibody that helps block allergic reactions later in life. Rather than overreacting to harmless allergens (ragweed, cats, peanuts, etc.), researchers say, an experienced immune system responds in a balanced way.
Artificial intelligence helps doctors spot more cases of breast cancer when reading routine scans, a world-first trial found Friday.
We may not need to completely overhaul our lives to live healthier for longer, according to a large UK-based study. This is welcome news, particularly as many people will already have abandoned their New Year's resolutions.
Is living in a leafy neighborhood enough to improve your mental health? Not necessarily. What matters most is frequent exposure to nature across different settings, especially while being physically active. That's the takeaway from a study led by Université de Montréal postdoctoral fellow Corentin Montiel, supervised by professor Isabelle Doré of UdeM's School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences and School of Public Health.
Over the next decades, robots are expected to make their way into a growing number of households, public spaces, and professional environments. Many of the most advanced and promising robots designed to date are so-called legged robots, which consist of a central body structure with limbs attached to it.
New research from Michigan State University finds that how young adults recall adverse childhood experiences fluctuates based on the current quality of their relationships—particularly with their parents.
As companies around the world work to commercialize fusion energy—clean power generated by combining two light atoms—not much is known about public acceptance of the emerging technology. In a first-of-its-kind participatory design, Southeastern Michigan community members and students worked together to plan hypothetical fusion energy facilities.
Robots are getting better at sniffing out smells thanks to improvements in electronic noses (e-noses). A comprehensive review of the state of robot olfaction, published in the journal npj Robotics, has surveyed recent advances in the technology. It highlights how these digital noses are becoming more sensitive and more adept at identifying the source of an odor. This is leading to improvements in a range of areas, from search and rescue missions to detecting hazardous gas leaks.
A late-breaking study drawing on more than 15 years of national outcomes data from the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD) suggests that the two most commonly used multi-arterial coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) strategies—bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) and single internal thoracic artery plus radial artery (SITA+RA)—offer comparable long-term survival overall, with important differences emerging by patient age.
As green hydrogen emerges as a key next-generation clean energy source, securing technologies that enable its stable and cost-effective production has become a critical challenge. However, conventional water electrolysis technologies face limitations in large-scale deployment due to high system costs and operational burdens.
A research team, affiliated with UNIST, has unveiled a flexible photodetector, capable of converting light across a broad spectrum—from visible to near-infrared—into electrical signals. This innovation promises significant advancements in technologies that require simultaneous detection of object colors and internal structures or materials.
New technology from University of Houston researchers could improve the way devices manage heat, thanks to a technique that allows heat to flow in only one direction. The innovation is known as thermal rectification, and was developed by Bo Zhao, an award-winning and internationally recognized engineering professor at the Cullen College of Engineering, and his doctoral student Sina Jafari Ghalekohneh. The work is published in Physical Review Research.
From TVs and smartwatches to rapidly emerging VR and AR devices, micro-LEDs are a next-generation display technology in which each LED—smaller than the thickness of a human hair—emits light on its own. Among the three primary colors required for full-color displays—red, green, and blue—the realization of high-performance red micro-LEDs has long been considered the most difficult.
If you say a few words, generative AI will understand who you are—maybe even better than your close family and friends. A new University of Michigan study found that widely available generative AI models (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, LLaMa) can predict personality, key behaviors and daily emotions as or even more accurately than those closest to you. The findings appear in the journal Nature Human Behavior.
Bees navigate their surroundings with astonishing precision. Their brains are now inspiring the design of tiny, low-power chips that could one day guide miniature robots and sensors.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles used on ground operations could help slash carbon emissions and support airports to reach net-zero targets, new research suggests. The Newcastle University research shows that key airport stakeholders have positive attitudes towards hydrogen-powered ground support equipment (GSE). This highlights their environmental, operational, and health benefits, including zero direct emissions at the point of use, less smell and reduced noise, making them a promising option for supporting airport decarbonization.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as the models underpinning the functioning of ChatGPT and various other online platforms, has grown exponentially over the past few years. Current hardware and electronic devices, however, might not be best suited for running these systems, which are computationally intensive and can drain huge amounts of energy.
Amazon.com Inc. is in talks to invest as much as $50 billion in OpenAI and expand an agreement that involves selling computer power to the AI startup, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. OpenAI is also weighing a deal in which Amazon would use the startup's artificial intelligence models, which power the popular ChatGPT chatbot, in its products and platforms, the person said. Amazon's employees could also access the model for their work.
Apple's iPhone sales soared to a new quarterly record during the holiday season, despite artificial intelligence blunders that prompted the technology trendsetter to get a helping hand from Google.
AI can help displaced people avoid exploitation, but humans must call the shots, warn experts. For Susan Achiech, life began in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp, where her South Sudanese parents fled to for safety in the early 1990s. Now 26, she lives in Canada, running her own gaming company, Tech Femme Algorithms, while working as an insurance advisor and studying gaming programming.
Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory are developing the next generation of solid-fuel ramjet (SFRJ) propulsion, addressing one of the field's most persistent challenges: understanding and predicting what happens inside an operating combustor.
New technologies developed to extract oil and gas from deep within Earth have also opened the door to accessing super-high temperature heat just about anywhere. These enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) could play a valuable role in the global transition to clean, renewable energy and for powering new data centers by significantly reducing land requirements and infrastructure needs and eliminating the need for other constant sources of electricity, such as coal and nuclear, according to a recent Stanford University study.