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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 6-Apr-2026 12:16 ET (6-Apr-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

HKU scientists uncover force-induced inter-protofilament gaps can pave the way for life in microtubule research

The University of Hong Kong
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Constructed with tubulin heterodimers connected into a hollow cylinder, the microtubule, an essential component of the cytoskeleton, plays a vital role in various intracellular processes. In a groundbreaking study, a cross-disciplinary research team led by Professor Yuan Lin from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, and Professor Jeff Ti from the School of Biomedical Sciences in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has revealed how the biological function of microtubules is achieved through mechanical regulation at the tubulin level.

Journal: Nature Physics

How the human exposome will unlock better health and medicine:

Exposome Moonshot
Meeting Announcement

A high-level scientific panel moderated by the Financial Times titled: “How the human exposome will unlock better health and medicine”, gathers three leaders of the Global Exposome Forum from the United States and Europe, to brief delegates from the global scientific community on progress made since its launch in Washington D.C. in May, 2025.

Meeting: 2026 AAAS Annual Meeting

Advancing AI for science: extracting and fusing cross-disciplinary expert knowledge with data to accelerate alloy discovery

Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

High-entropy alloys are promising advanced materials for demanding applications, but discovering useful compositions is difficult and expensive due to the vast number of possible element combinations. Now, researchers have developed a novel AI-driven framework that integrates experimental data, computational modeling, and cross-disciplinary expert knowledge extracted from scientific literature. By combining these sources in a way that accounts for uncertainty, their approach can make reliable predictions even for poorly studied alloy compositions, outperforming conventional data-driven machine learning methods that rely on training data alone.

Journal: Digital Discovery
Funder: Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

New measurement method enables efficient real-time verification of quantum technologies

University of Vienna
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The fragility and laws of quantum physics generally make the characterisation of quantum systems time-consuming. Furthermore, when a quantum system is measured, it is destroyed in the process. A recent breakthrough by researchers at the University of Vienna demonstrates a novel method for quantum state certification that efficiently verifies entangled quantum states in real time without destroying all available states - a decisive step forward in the development of robust quantum computers and quantum networks. The work was carried out in Philip Walther's laboratories at the Faculty of Physics and the Vienna Centre for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ) and published in the journal Science Advances.

Journal: Science Advances

KRICT develops microfluidic chip for one-step detection of PFAs and other pollutants

National Research Council of Science & Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The research team overcame these issues by designing a trap-based microfluidic device that confines a small volume of extractant droplet inside a microchamber while allowing the sample solution to flow continuously through an adjacent microchannel. This configuration enables rapid and selective mass transfer of target analytes into the extractant, while solid particles pass through the channel without interference. After extraction, the extractant droplet can be retrieved for downstream analysis.

Journal: ACS Sensors
Funder: Ministry of Science and ICT

Bioinspired phototransistor with tunable sensitivity for low-contrast target detection

Light Publishing Center, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics And Physics, CAS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Inspired by the human visual system, scientists in China have developed a bioinspired phototransistor with tunable sensitivity that significantly enhances the detection of low-contrast targets. By embedding a reverse-biased photodiode into the gate structure, the device achieves dynamic voltage redistribution and light-dependent conductance tuning, boosting sensitivity by more than 1000 times. The technology offers a powerful new strategy for intelligent machine vision under complex illumination.

Funder: National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation

HKUST develops novel calcium-ion battery technology enhancing energy storage efficiency and sustainability

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have achieved a breakthrough in calcium-ion battery (CIB) technology, which could transform energy storage solutions in everyday life.

Journal: Advanced Science