Feature Stories
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-Apr-2026 07:16 ET (1-Apr-2026 11:16 GMT/UTC)
3-Feb-2026
AI listens for brain injury: FIU researchers improve concussion detection
Florida International University
Research from Florida International University aims to improve how concussions are detected by focusing on the human voice.
3-Feb-2026
Could AI help students feel better about learning maths?
Adelaide UniversityMaths anxiety is a significant challenge for students worldwide. While personalised support is widely recognised as the most effective way to address it, many teachers struggle to deliver this level of support at scale within busy classrooms.
- Journal
- npj Science of Learning
3-Feb-2026
Duraloy Technologies turns lab research into alloy innovation
DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
For more than 30 years, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has helped shape the future of high-temperature alloys, translating fundamental materials research into industrial impact. That expertise proved pivotal for Duraloy Technologies, whose long-standing partnership with ORNL transformed the company’s trajectory and set a benchmark for sustained public-private collaboration.
3-Feb-2026
Bringing fusion energy to the grid using artificial intelligence
Princeton University
To help make commercial fusion energy a reality, PPPL leads the StellFoundry project, which uses AI to sift through enormous amounts of data to determine which fusion system configurations are best. This project aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy’s new Genesis Mission, a major DOE initiative to accelerate scientific discovery and enhance national security using AI, as well as with the DOE’s recently released Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap.
3-Feb-2026
Planning ahead in an age of longevity
University of Pennsylvania
Life expectancy in the United States has been rising over many decades, ushering in what experts describe as “an era of unprecedented longevity.” Social worker Tamara J. Cadet of the University of Pennsylvania offers insights into how to navigate and financially and physically prepare for this extended lifespan.
- Funder
- TIAA Institute, Gerontological Society of America
3-Feb-2026
Running the distance: Patient teams with Johns Hopkins Medicine dermatologists to treat, understand rare hereditary cancer syndrome
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Jeffrey Ellin, a 46-year-old Baltimore resident and an avid long-distance runner, brought himself to the Levi Watkins, Jr., M.D., Outpatient Center in February 2020 with a small cosmetic complaint that would unexpectedly become a years-long challenge for him and his physicians.
3-Feb-2026
23 years after Columbia disaster, one-of-a-kind 'plasma tunnel' recreates extreme conditions spacecraft face upon reentry
University of Colorado at Boulder
For astronauts, coming back to Earth is one of the most dangerous parts of any mission. A new research facility addresses that challenge by creating streams of gas that flow at thousands of miles per hour and burn at temperatures of thousands of degrees Fahrenheit.
3-Feb-2026
Babies are born to learn – and they learn by moving
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
In her 35 years as a psychologist, NTNU researcher Audrey van der Meer has studied everything from baby swimming to what infants learn before they are born. At the core of her work is the idea that babies are born to learn – and the key to their learning is movement.
- Journal
- Neuropsychologia
3-Feb-2026
GSA celebrates strongest membership growth in decades
Geological Society of America
The Geological Society of America (GSA) closed 2025 with its strongest membership performance in decades, marking a decisive reversal of membership declines and signaling renewed confidence in the Society’s mission, value, and momentum in the geosciences overall.