Two Southwest Research Institute-developed technologies have been selected as winners of prestigious R&D 100 Awards. R&D World recognized SwRI’s patented Parallelogram Synchronized Truss Assembly (PaSTA) technology and the Advanced Locomotive Technology and Rail Infrastructure Optimization System (ALTRIOS), developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), as two of the most important innovations of 2026.

Researchers release free future climate files for 5,000+ European locations, ready to plug into standard building simulation tools. The data allows us to design buildings for the future European climate.

At Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, first positrons have been successfully produced at a test source for CERN’s proposed next-generation particle collider, which could succeed the Large Hadron Collider. The source, installed at the X-ray free electron laser SwissFEL, uses new technologies including high-temperature superconducting magnets to achieve a high yield of positrons. The achievement shows the feasibility of the positron-source concept and marks an important milestone in developing the technologies needed for electron-positron colliders.

The 4-week individualized, dose-controlled HD-tDCS combined with foot core exercise intervention improved sensorimotor function, reduced cortical activation during dorsi-plantarflexion tasks, and enhanced functional connectivity (FC) within related brain regions in individuals with chronic ankle instability. Lower cortical activation and higher increased related FC are associated with better ankle force sense. These findings indicated that this kind of combined intervention—simultaneously targeting cerebral cortex and peripheral ankle dysfunction—offers greater benefits than traditional functional training alone.

This study provides the first comprehensive estimation of the lifetime risk (LTR) of digestive system cancers in China using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 data. With a 11.36% LTR for incidence and 8.28% for mortality, the findings highlight a profound public health challenge. Significant male-to-female and regional disparities—particularly the high burden in East China—underscore the urgent need for geographically tailored screening programs and primary prevention to mitigate this escalating health threat.

A joint research team from China explored a new paradigm integrating physical models with deep learning, proposing “McLDI-INR: Mask-constraint Lensless Dynamic Imaging by Dual-Domain Collaborative Implicit Neural Representation.” This framework overcomes lensless imaging’s conventional reliance on multiple acquisitions, strong prior assumptions, and high-precision physical models in dynamic scenarios. It enables lensless imaging systems to recover clearer, higher-resolution images of moving samples, paving the way for more flexible and practical lensless imaging applications.

A programmable microfluidic device developed at Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan, combines deterministic lateral displacement, a microfluidic technique that is used to separate particles according to their size, with temperature-responsive polymer micropillars to dynamically change the separation conditions along a single channel. Using this device, the researchers successfully separated multiple particle populations. Additionally, they efficiently isolated viable cancer cells, white blood cells, and red blood cells from diluted whole blood.

Laparoscopic gastrectomy is a well-established but technically demanding treatment against gastric cancer. Robotic gastrectomy, developed to overcome these limitations, has gained popularity in Japan since national health insurance coverage began in 2018. This study comparing matched patient pairs treated between 2023–2024 found that robotic gastrectomy reduced blood loss, conversions to open surgery, and hospital stays. Robotic distal gastrectomy also lowered complications and infections, supporting adoption to improve outcomes with minimally invasive surgery in Japan.

Plastic might be the last ingredient you would ever add to a cookie recipe. But a team of researchers is looking to change that. They’ve programmed yeasts to turn plastic and agricultural waste into edible proteins and flavoring molecules, creating a treat from trash. The technology not only offers a new upcycling method, but could also sustain life in disaster zones or manned deep-space missions. The researchers will present their results at ACS Fall 2026.