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Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 11-Jun-2026 07:16 ET (11-Jun-2026 11:16 GMT/UTC)

New crystallization and microgel technology advances biohybrid brain research

University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Hyunjoon Kong and chemistry professor Hee Sun Han, and performed by Ryan Miller, currently a post-doctoral fellow at Georgia Tech, have unveiled a breakthrough technology that could transform the way scientists build and study lab-grown brain tissue models.

Journal: Advanced Functional Materials

Bias in data may be blocking AI’s potential to combat antibiotic resistance

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Machine learning methods have emerged as promising tools to predict antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and uncover resistance determinants from genomic data. This study shows that sampling biases driven by population structure severely undermine the accuracy of AMR prediction models even with large datasets, providing recommendations for evaluating the accuracy of future methods.

Journal: PLOS Biology

The perfect plastic? Plant-based, fully saltwater degradable, zero microplastics

RIKEN
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan have one-upped themselves in their quest to solve our microplastic problem. They report a new plant-based plastic made from cellulose, the world’s most abundant organic compound. The new plastic is strong, flexible, and capable of rapid decomposition in natural environments, setting it apart from other plastics marketed as biodegradable.

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Engineers develop real-time membrane imaging for sustainable water filtration

University of Colorado at Boulder
Peer-Reviewed Publication

CU Boulder engineers have developed a way to see, in real time, exactly how and when buildup forms on desalination filters, an advance that could help water treatment plants run more efficiently, cut energy costs and deliver clean drinking water to communities around the world.

Journal: Environmental Science & Technology

Demonstration of altermagnetism in RuO₂ thin films -- A new magnetic material for the AI era

National Institute for Materials Science, Japan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A joint research team from NIMS, The University of Tokyo, Kyoto Institute of Technology and Tohoku University has demonstrated that thin films of ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) exhibit altermagnetism—the defining property of what is now recognized as the third fundamental class of magnetic materials. Altermagnets have the potential to overcome limitations associated with current magnetic random access memory using conventional ferromagnets and are attracting attention as promising materials for next-generation high-speed, high-density memory devices. In addition to identifying RuO₂ as a strong candidate for such applications, the study also highlights the possibility of enhancing its functionality through control of crystallographic orientation. The research findings were published in Nature Communications on September 24, 2025.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the GIMRT Program of the Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, the Cooperative Research Projects of the Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University

Biodegradable dishes could transfer gluten to foods

American Chemical Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Some biodegradable tableware is made with wheat straw or bran, ingredients that may contain gluten. Researchers tested commercially available biodegradable items, reporting the initial results in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. One plate contained gluten and transferred the allergen into some foods and drinks at levels above gluten-free thresholds. The researchers say that because these products don’t require allergen labels, they could pose a health risk for people who need to avoid gluten.

Journal: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

A stormy ocean voyage yields insights on the global carbon cycle

University of California - Santa Barbara
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In the midst of the COVID pandemic, scientists embarked on an ambitious research expedition to the North Atlantic to investigate the inner workings of the ocean’s carbon cycle. A series of storms hammered the three vessels, among the most advanced research ships in the world, while bureaucratic mayhem threatened to scrub the voyage entirely.

Journal: Global Biogeochemical Cycles

UF dives deep into predicting storm damage with computer models

University of Florida
Grant and Award Announcement

The University of Florida recently received the Excellence in Partnering Award by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program for its collaborative, multi-institutional effort aimed at improving prediction of coastal storm impacts.

Exploring the origins of the universe: 145 low-noise amplifiers complete ALMA telescopes

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics
Business Announcement

Fraunhofer IAF and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy have provided 145 high-performance low-noise amplifiers for the ALMA radio telescope array in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The amplifiers are based on InGaAs mHEMT MMICs and are essential components of the high-frequency receivers for the wavelength range between 2.6 and 4.5 mm (frequency range: 67–116 GHz, known as Band 2). They will enable ALMA to perform more precise measurements of objects and galaxies in the universe in order to gain new information about the formation of stars, planets and life. The amplifiers delivered complete ALMA, which began scientific operations in 2011 and has been gradually expanded since then.