Feature Stories
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Jun-2026 04:16 ET (17-Jun-2026 08:16 GMT/UTC)
How data center flexibility can relieve stress on the Western grid
University of UtahStudy led by University of Utah engineers shows data center operations can be adjusted to lower costs. By up to $590 million a year on the Western grid.
- Meeting
- Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences
Novel high-temperature alloys enable lighter, more fuel-efficient truck engines
DOE/Oak Ridge National LaboratoryORNL tested two aluminum alloys — cast ACMZ (AlCuMnZr) and printed DuAlumin3D — in a prototype GM engine. The materials enabled a more-than-10-percent improvement in fuel efficiency and a 15-percent reduction in weight without sacrificing strength or durability.
- Funder
- U.S. Dept. of Energy, General Motors, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Mining batteries, in a microwave
DOE/Sandia National LaboratoriesInstead of letting old lithium-ion batteries pile up as waste, Sandia National Laboratories researchers have developed a microwave-based process to recover and remake their cathodes, potentially turning spent batteries into a new domestic source of critical materials.
10 years of the Palau Observatory: Why polar researchers are working on a small Pacific island
Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine ResearchIn 2016, the Alfred Wegener Institute, together with the University of Bremen, the Palau Community College, and the Coral Reef Research Foundation, opened a research station at what is probably its warmest location: Palau. The archipelago lies in the heart of an area that is characterised by the cleanest air in the world. Moreover, this region is where the composition of the stratosphere - the layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer - is determined for the whole planet. This makes the location ideal for studying the distribution of trace gases and particles in the atmosphere and their impact on the global climate, from Europe to the polar regions. Over the last ten years, the observatory has developed into one of the largest in the entire tropics and the largest in the Western Pacific.
UK papers claimed 'lawfare' over top court's climate ruling
University of ReadingNew materials enable cleaner rare earth elements separation
University of HelsinkiQ&A: Can plants help reverse climate change?
Penn StateRice STEM-Letics camp turns sports into gateway for engineering
Rice UniversityAt Rice University, a soccer ball can become a lesson in force and motion. A goal post can open the door to engineering design. A robot can help students see the connection between coding, teamwork and play. That is the idea behind Rice STEM-Letics, a summer camp hosted by the university’s Center for STEM Engagement (R-STEM) and Rice Athletics that introduces students in grades three through five to science, technology, engineering and math through sports and hands-on activities.
Dr. Gunisha Kaur appointed to Federal Commission on Religious Freedom
Weill Cornell MedicineWeill Cornell Medicine anesthesiologist Dr. Gunisha Kaur, B.S. ’06, M.D. ’10, has been appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency that globally monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief.