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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Nov-2025 21:11 ET (24-Nov-2025 02:11 GMT/UTC)

New antibiotic targets IBD — and AI predicted how it would work before scientists could prove it

McMaster University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at McMaster University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made two scientific breakthroughs at once: they not only discovered a brand-new antibiotic that targets inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but also successfully used a new type of AI to predict exactly how the drug works. To their knowledge, this a global first for the AI.

Journal: Nature Microbiology

UBC enzyme technology clears first human test toward universal donor organs for transplantation

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The first successful human transplant of a kidney converted from blood type A to universal type O used special enzymes developed at the University of British Columbia to help prevent a mismatch and rejection of the organ. In a first-in-human experiment, the enzyme-converted kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead recipient with consent from the family, allowing researchers to observe the immune response without risking a life. For two days, the kidney functioned without signs of hyperacute rejection, the rapid immune reaction that can destroy an incompatible organ within minutes. By the third day, some blood-type markers reappeared, triggering a mild reaction, but the damage was far less severe than in a typical mismatch, and researchers saw signs that the body was beginning to tolerate the organ.

Journal: Nature Biomedical Engineering
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province, Key Research Funding for Sichuan Province, Kidney Transplant Early Warning and Intelligent Follow-up System/Phase I R&D project, Clinical Novel Technique Funding of West China Hospital, Nursing Development Funding

Natural barriers disturb the ecosystems in northern Sweden’s rivers

Umea University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Rivers in northern Sweden do not always become wider or richer in species further downstream. Natural barriers shape the flow and stop plants from spreading, new research from Umeå University shows.

Journal: Communications Earth & Environment

Novel method for controlling faraday rotation in conductive polymers

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a novel method for controlling the optical rotation of conductive polymer polythiophene in a magnetic field at low voltage. This method combines the "Faraday rotation" phenomenon, in which a polarizing plane rotates in response to a magnetic field, with the electrochemical oxidation and reduction of conductive polymers. This method has potential applications in magnetic field sensors and optical communication devices.

Journal: Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals

Artificial intelligence technology in environmental research and health

Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

With so many environmental issues arising, how can we even begin trying to solve them all? Perhaps, we can start by asking AI. This study highlights how AI can pinpoint viable action plans for these issues.

Journal: Environment International

Long-term biochar use boosts soil health and soybean yields, study finds

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A decade-long field study has revealed that biochar, a charcoal-like material made from plant residues, can significantly improve soil quality and boost soybean production in continuous cropping systems. The findings provide new evidence that biochar could be a powerful tool for making agriculture more sustainable.

Journal: Biochar

From glacier to gorge: Peking University study maps the hidden life of river carbon along the upper Yangtze

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

It begins as a trickle high on the Tibetan Plateau—icy, remote, and pure. By the time it reaches the Three Gorges, the Yangtze River has grown into a force of nature, carrying not just water, but the chemical fingerprint of an entire continent. Now, a groundbreaking study from Peking University reveals the invisible story hidden in the river’s flow: the molecular evolution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) along a 3,500-kilometer stretch of the upper Yangtze—the world’s third-longest river. Published on August 11, 2025, in Carbon Research as an open-access original article, this research was led by Dr. Dongqiang Zhu from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and the Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Earth Surface Processes at Peking University, Beijing. Using a powerful suite of analytical tools—including fluorescence spectroscopy, lignin phenol markers, and ultra-high-resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS)—Dr. Zhu’s team traced how organic carbon changes as it travels from the river’s high-altitude headwaters to its densely populated downstream reaches. And what they found is a dynamic, ever-changing mosaic of carbon chemistry shaped by glaciers, grasslands, wildfires, forests, and sunlight.

Journal: Carbon Research