Two Case Western Reserve University engineering faculty have been awarded U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grants. Computer scientist An Wang and environmental engineer Bridget Hegarty were each awarded a five-year grant to support their research programs. Hegarty also received a $1 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

UC Berkeley astronomers searching for massive black holes shredding stars found one in an unusual place — 2,600 light years from the core of a galaxy. The roque black hole may be from an earlier merger with another galaxy, or have been tossed out of the core after interacting with two other black holes. This is the first ever optically discovered off-nuclear tidal disruption event. Eventually, the two could merge and produce ripples of gravitational waves.

Microorganisms in the water surrounding coral reefs provide valuable insights on the health state of reefs and surrounding ocean.

Sampling and analyzing reef water microbes can be done in a variety of ways ranging in cost and complexity, adding to their usability.

As many coral reefs experience prolonged bleaching due to heat stress, rising temperatures due to climate change, and other anthropogenic activities, having more accessible monitoring tools can improve coral conservation efforts.

The authors believe that microbe diagnostic techniques can be easily adopted by established organizations to bolster reef monitoring programs and add to a global database of knowledge about coral reef habitats that can inform policy decisions.

A new gene editor developed by Columbia and Broad Institute researchers may soon open the door to gene therapies for a wider array of diseases.

Sterols are among the most abundant lipids in eukaryotic cells, yet are synthesized through notoriously long, complex metabolic pathways. Researchers from UC San Diego  have used a novel approach to show how they interact with other lipids that help cells self-organize. 

New York University scientists are using artificial intelligence to determine which genes collectively govern nitrogen use efficiency in plants such as corn, with the goal of helping farmers improve their crop yields and minimize the cost of nitrogen fertilizers.

Traditional methods of assessing damage after a disaster can take weeks or even months, delaying emergency response, insurance claims and long-term rebuilding efforts. New research from Texas A&M University might change that. Led by Dr. Maria Koliou, associate professor and Zachry Career Development Professor II in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M, researchers have developed a new method that combines remote sensing, deep learning and restoration models to speed up building damage assessments and predict recovery times after a tornado. Once post-event images are available, the model can produce damage assessments and recovery forecasts in less than an hour.