EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering - News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 24-Jan-2026 18:11 ET (24-Jan-2026 23:11 GMT/UTC)

9-Aug-2025

Unlocking the color secrets of water lilies: gene study reveals what makes petals blue, red, or white

A research team has shed light on how water lilies produce their vibrant petal colors, revealing key genes involved in blue, red, and white coloration.

Journal: Tropical Plants

9-Aug-2025

Cassava gene MeFER4 found to heighten stress sensitivity in transgenic plants

Maximum Academic Press

A research team has uncovered the unexpected role of the cassava ferritin-like gene MeFER4 in plant stress responses.

Journal: Tropical Plants

8-Aug-2025

The carbon capture revolution: how the circular economy could be our climate savior

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University

In a pivotal advancement for environmental sustainability, a new study proposes a convergence of carbon capture and storage (CCS) with the circular economy as a powerful strategy against climate change.

Journal: Carbon Research

8-Aug-2025

UCLA study reveals complex muscle control behind blinking and eyelid function

University of California - Los Angeles
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UCLA biomechanical engineers and ophthalmologists has uncovered new details about the muscle that controls blinking, offering a pathway toward developing blink-assisting prostheses. People can lose the ability to blink due to a stroke, tumor, infection or injury. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that the orbicularis oculi — the muscle that controls eyelid movement — contracts in complex patterns that vary by action and move the eyelid in more than just a simple up-and-down motion.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: NIH/National Eye Institute

8-Aug-2025

How wildfire smoke exacerbates ozone pollution

University of Utah
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research led by University of Utah atmospheric scientists modeled smoke produced in the West’s epic 2020 wildfire season to demonstrate how it drives ozone formation and further degrades air quality, even in places far from cities.

Journal: Atmospheric Environment
Funder: Utah Division of Air Quality, NASA Headquarters, University of Utah

8-Aug-2025

SFU indoor berry research scales up and branches out with support from the Homegrown Innovation Challenge

Simon Fraser University
Grant and Award Announcement

Greenhouse berry production research at Simon Fraser University (SFU) is ramping up thanks to $5 million in new funding over three years from the Weston Family Foundation’s Homegrown Innovation Challenge.

The SFU-led project—developed in collaboration with industry partner BeriTech—is one of four Canadian projects selected to participate in the Challenge’s Scaling Phase. With this support, the team will continue advancing their indoor blueberry trials while branching out to include raspberries and blackberries. The goal: to develop sustainable, scalable, and economically viable indoor growing systems that can support Canadian farmers year-round.

8-Aug-2025

Wildfire collaborative responds to community concerns about air quality

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Peer-Reviewed Publication

During the January 2025 LA Fires, researchers compared Los Angeles air quality data from EPA regulatory monitors, low-cost PurpleAir sensors, and satellites. The team found that while regulatory monitors are essential, they often miss local variability due to limited spatial coverage. Integrating low-cost sensors and satellite data on public risk communication platforms can help fill critical gaps. This growing network of sensors can work with regulatory systems, to strengthen them, offering more responsive public health strategies and better community protection.

Journal: Environmental Science & Technology Letters
Funder: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation