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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 11-Aug-2025 00:11 ET (11-Aug-2025 04:11 GMT/UTC)

New study of East Palestine, Ohio, train disaster finds high rates of PTSD and depression in affected communities

University of Virginia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new peer-reviewed study led by a national team of psychologists and public health experts found elevated rates ofposttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as major depression in communities affected by the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio,train derailment. The study offers one of the first large-scale diagnostic snapshots of mental health outcomes following thetechnological disaster.

UCLA study reveals complex muscle control behind blinking and eyelid function

University of California - Los Angeles
Peer-Reviewed Publication

UCLA biomechanical engineers and ophthalmologists has uncovered new details about the muscle that controls blinking, offering a pathway toward developing blink-assisting prostheses. People can lose the ability to blink due to a stroke, tumor, infection or injury. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that the orbicularis oculi — the muscle that controls eyelid movement — contracts in complex patterns that vary by action and move the eyelid in more than just a simple up-and-down motion.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: NIH/National Eye Institute

How wildfire smoke exacerbates ozone pollution

University of Utah
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research led by University of Utah atmospheric scientists modeled smoke produced in the West’s epic 2020 wildfire season to demonstrate how it drives ozone formation and further degrades air quality, even in places far from cities.

Journal: Atmospheric Environment
Funder: Utah Division of Air Quality, NASA Headquarters, University of Utah

SFU indoor berry research scales up and branches out with support from the Homegrown Innovation Challenge

Simon Fraser University
Grant and Award Announcement

Greenhouse berry production research at Simon Fraser University (SFU) is ramping up thanks to $5 million in new funding over three years from the Weston Family Foundation’s Homegrown Innovation Challenge.

The SFU-led project—developed in collaboration with industry partner BeriTech—is one of four Canadian projects selected to participate in the Challenge’s Scaling Phase. With this support, the team will continue advancing their indoor blueberry trials while branching out to include raspberries and blackberries. The goal: to develop sustainable, scalable, and economically viable indoor growing systems that can support Canadian farmers year-round.

Wildfire collaborative responds to community concerns about air quality

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Peer-Reviewed Publication

During the January 2025 LA Fires, researchers compared Los Angeles air quality data from EPA regulatory monitors, low-cost PurpleAir sensors, and satellites. The team found that while regulatory monitors are essential, they often miss local variability due to limited spatial coverage. Integrating low-cost sensors and satellite data on public risk communication platforms can help fill critical gaps. This growing network of sensors can work with regulatory systems, to strengthen them, offering more responsive public health strategies and better community protection.

Journal: Environmental Science & Technology Letters
Funder: Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

Expanding Montana’s precision ag: Anish Sapkota studies water, soil and more in agricultural systems

Montana State University
Grant and Award Announcement

Sapkota received a 2025 Emerging Scientist Award from the Western Society of Crop Science.

Dual-function organic molecule may advance display technologies and medical imaging

Kyushu University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Organic molecules that combine efficient light emission for displays and strong light absorption for bioimaging are difficult to design due to conflicting structural requirements. Researchers from Japan addressed this challenge by developing CzTRZCN, a single molecule that switches structure depending on light interaction, enabling both two-photon absorption and thermally activated delayed fluorescence. These dual functions are useful in OLEDs and biomedical imaging, paving the way for versatile organic materials in electronics, medicine, and life sciences.

Journal: Advanced Materials
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kyushu University, Tokuyama Science Foundation, Kyulux, KOOU-UAAT, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan

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