Feature Stories
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Oct-2026 16:16 ET (19-Oct-2026 20:16 GMT/UTC)
Survey finds K-12 educators self-censor to avoid controversy over book selections
University of ConnecticutNational Lab partnership helps launch US lithium supply chain
DOE/Oak Ridge National LaboratoryWith support from U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Texas-based company Element3 has launched the first domestic lithium mining project in 50 years. This achievement is likely to have a big impact, turning the United States from a net importer of lithium to a country well on the path to greater energy independence, national security, and economic strength.
- Funder
- U.S. Department of Energy Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation
Move to connect: Susie Thiel and Amy Kostelic’s CURATE research
University of Kentucky‘Movies’ of interaction between light and matter help advance quantum tech
Purdue UniversityWith a microscopy technique she developed, Purdue University’s Libai Huang is able to see quantum particles moving through materials at a rate of up to 1 quadrillion (that’s 1,000,000,000,000,000) images per second, helping to establish the rules that advance computer chips, solar cells and LEDs, and quantum computing.
- Journal
- Annual Review of Physical Chemistry
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- U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy
New emergency department screening helps UK HealthCare identify sepsis sooner
University of KentuckyEarly recognition is critical when treating sepsis. Learn how a new screening process in UK HealthCare's emergency department is helping care teams spot warning signs faster and begin treatment sooner.
Back or spine problems? Mayo Clinic experts explain where to start
Mayo ClinicFaster, more accurate newborn sepsis test in development
Murdoch University- Funder
- Channel 7 Telethon Trust, Future Health Research and Innovation Fund, and National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC),, Western Australia Future Health Research and Innovation Fund
Keeping an eye on the sky
DOE/Sandia National LaboratoriesFrom toxic to valuable: Cleaning wastewater, finding treasure
Indian Institute of Technology GandhinagarResearchers from IIT Gandhinagar (IITGN), University of Cambridge, and University of Birmingham have collaboratively provided a metal organic framework (MOF) protocol that could strengthen industrial water treatment by capturing toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, nickel and manganese. The approach could also help recover valuable rare-earth elements, such as neodymium, yttrium, and dysprosium, from e-waste contaminated water, turning remediation into resource recovery. By combining aspects such as material synthesis, selectivity, recovery, and reuse into one workflow, the research provides a foundation for developing circular water treatment.
- Journal
- Nature Protocols