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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Jan-2026 09:11 ET (25-Jan-2026 14:11 GMT/UTC)

Portable biosensor may enable on-site PFAS detection

La Trobe University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A portable biosensor developed at La Trobe University may allow rapid, on-site detection of toxic “forever chemicals” in water, removing the need for samples to be sent to specialist laboratories.

Journal: ACS Sensors

Ionogel innovation could power safe, enduring energy storage

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an innovative energy storage system design that introduces a safer, more efficient method for electrical charge transfer. This study advances fundamental understanding of how functional groups impact the mechanical and electrochemical performance of highly charged polyelectrolyte membranes — thin, charged polymer sheets that help control the movement of ions in energy devices.

Journal: Advanced Functional Materials
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, U.S. National Science Foundation

Comparing four heat-inducible promoters in stably transformed sugarcane regarding spatial and temporal control of transgene expression reveals candidates to drive stem-preferred background/objective transgene expression

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment

Inducible promoters provide remarkable utility when sustained transgene expression compromises plant development or agronomic performance. In this study, four different plant heat shock protein (HSP) promoters were characterized in the vegetative tissues of stably transformed sugarcane to evaluate their efficacy and spatial expression profiles when directing the expression of a uidA reporter gene. This study produced new quantitative knowledge on the temporal and spatial expression of HSP promoters in sugarcane, expanding the promoter toolbox for crop biotechnology to support gene function studies and biotechnology applications, including precision gene editing and complex metabolic engineering.

Journal: Frontiers in Plant Science
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy

Digital modeling reveals where construction carbon emissions really come from

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study shows how digital building models can be used to pinpoint where carbon emissions occur across a building’s entire life cycle, offering designers and policymakers a powerful tool to reduce the climate footprint of the construction industry.

Heatwaves heat up soil but not toxin levels in rice, study finds

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a surprising twist amid rising climate concerns, new research shows that scorching soil temperatures during extreme heatwaves do not necessarily boost the uptake of toxic elements like arsenic in rice crops. This finding, from a real world experiment during China's record breaking 2022 heatwaves, challenges fears that global warming will poison staple foods.

New tool narrows the search for ideal material structures

Princeton University, Engineering School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new machine learning tool developed at Princeton will enable researchers to sift through trillions of design options to predict which metal organic framework will be useful in laboratories or industrial applications.

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, Schmidt Science Fellows

Reprogramming immunity to rewrite the story of Type 1 diabetes

Medical University of South Carolina
Grant and Award Announcement

A research team led by a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina and partnering institutions has been awarded $1 million from Breakthrough T1D, the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, to develop a revolutionary therapy for type 1 diabetes. The team is engineering pancreatic beta cells and immune regulatory T-cells that “talk” to each other through a novel lock-and-key mechanism, potentially restoring insulin production without immunosuppressive drugs and paving the way for an off-the-shelf cure.

Funder: Breakthrough T1D

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