Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 3-Apr-2026 13:15 ET (3-Apr-2026 17:15 GMT/UTC)

24-Feb-2026

Rise of the rice robots – creating active smart materials

University of Birmingham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study found that rice exhibits rare behaviour, allowing scientists to create new materials designed to behave in ways impossible for natural materials.

Journal

Matter

24-Feb-2026

We trust AI with life and death decisions, but humans still don’t challenge the AI’s choices

University of Surrey

AI systems already decide how ambulances are routed, how supply chains operate and how autonomous drones plan their missions. Yet when those systems make a risky or counter-intuitive choice, humans are often expected to accept it without challenge, warns a new study from the University of Surrey. 

Journal

Annals of Operations Research

24-Feb-2026

Frictionless AI comes at a human cost to learning, growth and connection

University of Toronto
Peer-Reviewed Publication

AI's greatest strength—removing friction from work and relationships—is also a liability. Prioritizing outcome over process, it eliminates desirable difficulties that drive growth. By subtracting effort from life, AI risks removing the struggles that teach us, the loneliness that connects us, and the labor that makes life meaningful.

Journal

Communications Psychology

24-Feb-2026

 

Borrowing from biology to power next-gen data storage

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers integrated synthetic DNA — nature’s most efficient storage mechanism, capable of storing about 215 million gigabytes of data per gram — into a semiconducting material in a technological leap toward advanced, large-capacity and low-power memory storage devices.

Journal

Advanced Functional Materials

Funder

National Science Foundation

24-Feb-2026

 

Lasers and drones assess health of world forests and help track climate change

University College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Highly detailed 3D scans of dense tropical rain forest plots are enabling precise estimates of tree structure, volume and stored carbon, as part of a first-of-its-kind pilot initiative, led by UCL researchers. 

Journal

Earth System Science Data

24-Feb-2026

$9M for exploring the fundamental limits of entangled quantum sensor networks

University of Michigan
Grant and Award Announcement

Quantum sensors take sensitivity and accuracy to new levels, and even higher levels of precision are possible when quantum entanglement is used to connect them. 

24-Feb-2026

 

HKUST achieves first certified breakthrough in fully solvent‑free perovskite solar cell technology

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have made a major breakthrough in producing perovskite solar cells.

Journal

Nature Materials