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.

Mississippi State Professor of Physics Dipangkar Dutta is a principal investigator on a groundbreaking experiment—revealing “symmetry” in physics doesn’t always behave as scientists once believed—recently published in the prestigious journal Physics Letters B.

MIT engineers built E-BAR, a mobile robot designed to physically support the elderly and prevent them from falling as they move around their homes. E-BAR acts as a set of robotic handlebars that follows a person from behind, allowing them to walk independently or lean on the robot’s arms for support.