EurekAlert! National Science Foundation - NSF Funded Research News

NSF Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 6-May-2025 18:09 ET (6-May-2025 22:09 GMT/UTC)

Purdue researchers develop faster hazardous spill response method

Purdue University

When responding to a hazardous spill, every second counts — and Purdue University researchers have found a way to maximize that time with a new rapid screening method to test for volatile chemicals.

Journal: Science of The Total Environment
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

FSU researchers develop new methods to generate and improve magnetism of 2D materials

Florida State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Florida State University researchers have unlocked a new method for producing one class of 2D material and for supercharging its magnetic properties. The work was published in Angewandte Chemie.

Journal: Angewandte Chemie
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

Researchers demonstrate new technique for stealing AI models

North Carolina State University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have demonstrated the ability to steal an artificial intelligence (AI) model without hacking into the device where the model was running. The technique is novel in that it works even when the thief has no prior knowledge of the software or architecture that support the AI.

Journal: IACR Transactions on Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

Straining a material’s atomic arrangement may make for cleaner, smarter devices

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

What’s the best way to precisely manipulate a material’s properties to the desired state? It may be straining the material’s atomic arrangement, according to a team led by researchers at Penn State. The team discovered that “atomic spray painting” of potassium niobate, a material used in advanced electronics, could tune the resulting thin films with exquisite control. The finding, published in Advanced Materials, could drive environmentally friendly advancements in consumer electronics, medical devices and quantum computing, the researchers said.

Journal: Advanced Materials
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. National Science Foundation

A new formula for success in undergraduate chemistry

University of California - Riverside
Grant and Award Announcement

The University of California, Riverside, is transforming undergraduate chemistry classes, allowing students multiple opportunities to demonstrate knowledge while reducing the high stakes of traditional exams. Educators believe the approach will improve outcomes for underserved students.

Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation

A lipid nanoparticle delivers mRNA cure for pre-eclampsia

University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Penn Engineers have developed a Lipid Nanoparticle (LNP) that delivers mRNA theraputic to the placenta to treat pre-eclampsia in mice with human trials on the horizon.

Journal: Nature
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Science Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Study: Tumors grow larger in female fruit flies than males. Here’s what that could mean for humans

Tulane University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study found that tumors grew 2.5 times larger in female fruit flies than males. With fruit flies sharing many genetic similarities and signaling pathways with humans, the finding could lead to better understanding of cancer development and how biological sex can influence the growth of tumors.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: NIH/National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Science Foundation

A greener, cleaner way to extract cobalt from ‘junk’ materials

University of Pennsylvania
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As the demand for lithium-ion batteries escalates with the proliferation of mobile phone, electric vehicles and even pacemakers, key components in these powerhouses, like cobalt, face significant ethical and environmental concerns related to their extraction. Now, Eric Schelter of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues have pioneered a safer, more sustainable solution to separate cobalt from ores or recycled materials via precipitate.

Journal: Chem
Funder: DOE/US Department of Energy, U.S. National Science Foundation, Research Corporation for Science Advancement

Particle that only has mass when moving in one direction observed for first time

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For the first time, scientists have observed a collection of particles, also known as a quasiparticle, that's massless when moving one direction but has mass in the other direction. The quasiparticle, called a semi-Dirac fermion, was first theorized 16 years ago, but was only recently spotted inside a crystal of semi-metal material called ZrSiS. The observation of the quasiparticle opens the door to future advances in a range of emerging technologies from batteries to sensors, according to the researchers.

Journal: Physical Review X
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Simons Foundation

When does waiting stop being worth it?

University of Pennsylvania
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from University of Pennsylvania psychologist Joe Kable looks at individuals with damage to different parts of the prefrontal cortex to reveal how the brain evaluates uncertainty and guides split-second decisions.

Journal: JNeurosci
Funder: NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. National Science Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Intramural Research Program

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