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Feature Stories

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Oct-2026 09:16 ET (26-Oct-2026 13:16 GMT/UTC)

Researchers develop assistive technologies to address needs of people with disabilities

Lehigh University

From ride-on seats for children with cerebral palsy to sensors to assess swallowing difficulty in adult populations, researchers with Lehigh University's Center for Community-Driven Assistive Technologies develop devices to help people with disabilities across life stages.

A UTHealth Houston physician turned a Texas teen's frightening diagnosis into a champion title

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Two years ago, Geordon Boulware, now 15, was at a routine dental visit in his hometown of Lufkin, Texas, when his dentist discovered he had an abnormal growth on his jaw. After meeting with a local oral surgeon, Geordon and his mom decided to seek treatment in Houston.

Olli Lehtonen appointed as Professor of Human Geography and Regional Research Methods at the University of Eastern Finland

University of Eastern Finland

Olli Lehtonen has been appointed Professor of Human Geography and Regional Research Methods at the University of Eastern Finland.

Alexander Diener appointed as Professor of Critical Border Studies at the University of Eastern Finland

University of Eastern Finland

Diener, an American researcher recruited to work in Finland, reminds us that borders are integral to the global system.

New heat dissipation device design achieves a 47% weight reduction in an NTN planar antenna

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)

The National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Sharp Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, and TECHLAB Co., Ltd. jointly reduced the total weight of a planar antenna for NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) applications by 47% (from 5.5 kg to 2.9 kg) through a new heat dissipation device design.

This was achieved by integrating a CFRP heat dissipation device using a composite material combining carbon fiber prepreg and graphite sheet into the NTN planar antenna. The required electrical performance of the planar antenna was also confirmed. In addition, operation including the modem was confirmed as a satellite communication user terminal.

The achievement greatly expands the range of mobility platforms on which the terminal can be deployed, including drones and vehicles. It is expected to support the establishment of communication links in mountainous areas and disaster-affected regions, real-time transmission of location information from various types of mobility, and future applications such as autonomous driving, thereby representing a major step toward the realization of NTN.

Pregnant women and babies face risk from unregulated chemicals

Stanford University

Tens of thousands of chemicals are registered for use in the United States, yet researchers find relatively few have been assessed for risk to human health. Stanford environmental health scientist Tracey Woodruff discusses potential consequences for pregnant women and their babies, and suggests possible solutions.

Follow the tau: This brain protein presents a possible path to earlier Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Brown University

Hwamee Oh, an associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior and of cognitive and psychological sciences at Brown University, is researching different positron emission tomography (PET) imaging methods of detecting Alzheimer’s disease as part of the HEAD study, a long-term project involving nine sites in the United States, Canada and Spain. In a new study published in the Lancet, HEAD researchers compared the effectiveness of two chemical detectors, called tau tracers, that detect tau in the brain. They found that an experimental tau tracer outperformed a clinically approved tau tracer — a discovery, Oh said, that could pave the way for earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

Journal: The Lancet
Funder: National Institute on Aging

How data center flexibility can relieve stress on the Western grid

University of Utah

Study 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 Laboratory

ORNL 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 Laboratories

Instead 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.

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