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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 7-Apr-2026 22:15 ET (8-Apr-2026 02:15 GMT/UTC)

A new model for old cracks

University of Pittsburgh
Grant and Award Announcement

University of Pittsburgh professors Lev Khazanovich and Julie Vandenbossche have secured a highly competitive $600,000, three-year grant from the National Academies' National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) to pinpoint the root causes of longitudinal cracking and create predictive models for integration into design software.

Funder: National Academies' National Cooperative Highway Research Program

With Evo 2, AI can model and design the genetic code for all domains of life

Arc Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The DNA foundation model Evo 2, first released in February 2025 as a preprint, is now published in the journal Nature. Trained on the DNA of over 100,000 species across the entire tree of life, Evo 2 can identify patterns in gene sequences across disparate organisms that experimental researchers would need years to uncover. The machine learning model can accurately identify disease-causing mutations in human genes and is capable of designing new genomes that are as long as the genomes of simple bacteria.

Journal: Nature

Automated CT scan analysis could fast-track clinical assessments

NIH/Office of the Director
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a versatile machine learning model that could one day greatly expand what medical scans can tell us about disease. Scientists used their tool, named Merlin, to assess 3D abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans, accomplishing tasks as simple as identifying anatomical features to as complex as predicting disease onset years in advance. Despite being developed as a general-purpose CT model, Merlin surpassed a gauntlet of similar automated tools in tasks they were specifically built to handle.

Journal: Nature

Machines spot deepfake pictures better than humans, but people outperform AI in detecting deepfake videos

University of Florida
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a large study, AI programs were highly accurate at detecting AI-generated faces, known as deepfakes, but humans outperformed computers at spotting fake videos

Journal: Cognitive Research Principles and Implications

“AI slop” hurts consumers and creators. But high-quality AI could help both.

University of Florida
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Low-quality AI content hurts both consumers and professional content creators, according to a new market study, but if AI-generated content improves enough, it could ultimately help consumers, novice artists and professional content creators

Journal: Journal of Marketing Research

Canadian drinking water at risk long after wildfires, UBC study warns

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Canada’s drinking water can remain at risk long after wildfires burn out, according to a UBC-led global review that found water-quality impacts often emerge months or years later—not just immediately after a fire.

Journal: Science of The Total Environment

Health informatics class gets an AI makeover to better prepare nursing students

George Mason University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Study finds larger learning gains after course redesign using artificial intelligence