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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Apr-2026 21:15 ET (3-Apr-2026 01:15 GMT/UTC)

Generative AI has seven distinct roles in combating misinformation

Uppsala University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Generative AI, which can create and analyse text, images and other content on the basis of instructions, can be used to combat misinformation. However, it can also exacerbate the problem by producing convincing manipulations that are difficult to detect and can quickly be copied and disseminated on a wide scale. In a new study, researchers have defined seven distinct roles that AI can play in the information environment and analysed each role in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks. For the seven roles, see fact box.

Journal: Behavioral Science & Policy

Epicurrents – an open-source web browser application for clinical neurophysiology education and scientific research

University of Eastern Finland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Developed at the University of Eastern Finland, a new an open‑source JavaScript library, Epicurrents, enables users to view several types of clinical neurophysiology recordings directly in a web browser.

Journal: Clinical Neurophysiology Practice

Trapping a single protein in a molecular cage: A new path to drug discovery for ALS

National Institutes of Natural Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Proteins often function in pairs or groups, concealing their internal connection points and making it difficult for scientists to study their individual units without altering their natural structure. Researchers successfully isolated single units of the protein SOD1, which is linked to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), by chemically tagging the protein and encapsulating it within tiny, self-assembled artificial cages. This technique exposed the normally hidden interface of the protein, allowing the team to identify specific compounds like quercetin that bind to these regions, offering a promising new strategy for finding drugs that inhibit disease-causing protein aggregation.

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Funder: JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Specially Promoted Research, JSPS Grants-in-Aid Early-Career Scientists, JST PRESTO, Joint Research of the ExCELLS, Japan Science Society, Iketani Science and Technology Foundation, Platform Project for Supporting Drug Discovery and Life Science Research [Basis for Supporting Innovative Drug Discovery and Life Science Research (BINDS)] from AMED, MEXT NMR Platform, MEXT Promotion of Development of a Joint Usage/Research System Project: CURE, JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists

HKU Laboratory for Space Research to host APRIM2026 positioning Hong Kong as an Asia-Pacific astronomy hub

The University of Hong Kong
Meeting Announcement

In a landmark development for the region’s scientific community, Hong Kong has been selected to host the Asia-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting (APRIM) for the first time. Dubbed the “The Olympics of Astrophysics and Space Science”, this prestigious event will take place from May 4 to 8, 2026, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC).

HKU engineering research team develops new framework to track antimicrobial resistance across human, animal, and environmental sectors

The University of Hong Kong

A multinational research team led by Professor Tong Zhang from the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU Engineering), in collaboration with an international team, has developed a new framework to assess and track antimicrobial resistance (AMR) connectivity across human, animal, and environmental sectors. The study systematically examines the connectivity of AMR and proposes an assessment framework along with mitigation strategies.

Journal: Nature Water

Kumamoto University professor secures JST ASPIRE grant to advance sustainable agriculture through international collaboration

Kumamoto University
Grant and Award Announcement

Professor Shinichiro Sawa of Kumamoto University has received funding from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) under its ASPIRE Program for an international research project on sustainable agriculture. Conducted in collaboration with France’s INRAE, the five-year project will study plant–soil microbial networks, including nematodes, to advance understanding of the agricultural holobiome. The project, selected under the “ASPIRE for Top Scientists” scheme, will begin in December 2025 with funding of up to 500 million yen (approximately USD 3.2 million).

Funder: Japan Science and Technology Agency

Associate Professor Yada of the Department of Architecture receives Japan Wabunka Grand Prix

Okayama University of Science
Grant and Award Announcement

An interdisciplinary team led by Associate Professor Toshio Yada of Okayama University of Science received the Grand Prix at the 5th Japan Wabunka Grand Prix for rebuilding a lacquerware wooden substrate workshop in Wajima that was destroyed in the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. The Small Wooden Substrate Workshop Revitalization Project enabled the rapid reconstruction of the facility in approximately three months, reusing damaged materials wherever possible while preserving the traditional townscape. The initiative supported the revival of Wajima lacquerware production and was recognized for promoting a post-disaster recovery approach focused on regeneration rather than demolition.