E-waste chemicals are appearing in dolphins and porpoises
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Apr-2026 16:15 ET (3-Apr-2026 20:15 GMT/UTC)
Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) are critical components of laptop, television and smartphone screens. Given their ubiquity in the environment, these compounds are considered persistent pollutants, posing threats to marine life that scientists want to understand. Research published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology provides initial evidence that LCMs from household electronics or electronic waste (e-waste) can accumulate in dolphin and porpoise tissues, including blubber, muscle, and brain, demonstrating their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Enzymatic biofuel cells can act as self-powered wearable biosensors by converting chemicals in body fluids into electricity; however, manufacturing challenges have prevented their widespread adoption. Now, researchers from Japan have developed water-based ‘enzyme inks’ that enable single-step screen printing of complete biofuel cells onto paper substrates. The printed electrodes demonstrated superior performance and stability compared to those made using conventional methods, paving the way for mass-produced, battery-free wearable health monitors.
Tiny RNA molecules carried by extracellular vesicles in the bloodstream can accurately predict kidney function decline and cardiovascular risk in chronic kidney disease (CKD), as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. By analyzing blood samples from a large cohort, the team identified multiple microRNAs linked to disease progression and built a model to distinguish high-risk patients with CKD. Clinically applying this risk score model can contribute to improved patient outcomes.
Current 3D anomaly detection techniques often prove insufficient for noisy industrial scans. In a new study, researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, and FPT University, Vietnam, have developed Vote3D-AD as an innovative solution. The single-pass framework trains exclusively on defect-free data and utilizes the Varied Defect Synthesis pseudo-anomaly generator and a vote-and-cluster architecture to outperform state-of-the-art alternatives on various benchmarks. It is expected to further streamline inspection pipelines.
The Ateneo de Manila University Research on Optical and Electronic Systems (ROSES) Laboratory is the Philippines' first and only facility dedicated to locally designing Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and training PIC designers.
Researchers at IMDEA Networks Institute, together with European partners, have found that tire pressure sensors in modern cars can unintentionally expose drivers to tracking. Over a ten-week study, they collected signals from more than 20,000 vehicles, revealing a hidden privacy risk and highlighting the need for stronger security measures in future vehicle sensor systems.