A team of researchers from Penn State is trying to better understand the environmental impacts of energy extraction sites — specifically, if fracking is increasing radium content in local drinking water. According to a new study published in Environmental Science and Technology that examined water samples collected in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the answer is not a simple yes or no.

Researchers at Princeton engineering have created a semiconductor with unique properties: it is just a few molecules thick and can repeatedly change its properties in response to light. This is a step toward building more energy-efficient sensors, optoelectronic devices and computing technologies.

Embracing the transformational potential of new molecular profiling and artificial-intelligence-based data processing technologies on clinical and scientific innovation, Weill Cornell Medicine has created a new research department, the Department of Systems and Computational Biomedicine. Dr. Dan Landau, an internationally recognized cancer researcher and geneticist whose pioneering advances include single-cell-profiling technology innovation and an artificial intelligence-powered liquid biopsy for detecting tumor DNA in blood, will serve as the department’s inaugural chair, effective Sept. 1.

Wind farms have received heat in recent years for their potential to harm wildlife, a notable issue in western North America where some farms are located near populations of protected Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). A new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research titled “Behavioral Responses of Large Soaring Raptors to Audio Deterrents at Commercial Wind-Energy Facilities in the Western USA” found that outfitting turbines with devices that emit warning sounds to approaching raptors can effectively reduce the number of collisions, and therefore deaths, at wind energy sites. For large soaring birds like eagles, hawks, and vultures, this is an especially valuable finding and offers a positive development for a long-standing conservation challenge. 

USC researchers have developed flexible MRI sensors that can be customized to individual patients and 3D-printed in less than 10 minutes for about $30. In testing, the sensors produced roughly four times greater image contrast than standard commercial versions.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a milestone in the partnership between the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory to extend New York State's existing quantum communications network. The successful experiment by researchers at both institutions marks a key step in advancing this partnership and the cutting-edge quantum technology needed to expand the quantum network across the state. The expansion of the quantum communications network will enable new discoveries across various industrial sectors, bolster research and cybersecurity, improve computer operations including for large language models, and unlock new opportunities to improve New Yorkers’ lives.

In partnership with A.J. Tuck Company, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a new manufacturing approach that could simplify production of critical components for advanced nuclear reactors and other energy and defense applications. The method combines 3D printing and electroforming to produce complex, leak-free hot isostatic pressing (HIP) cans, sealed containers used to form high-performance metal parts from powder materials under high heat and pressure. This approach for making HIP cans could speed up production and reduce reliance on constrained supply chains.