Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-Apr-2026 11:16 ET (10-Apr-2026 15:16 GMT/UTC)

5-Feb-2026

New ideas for resource-efficient closed-loop systems

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Reports and Proceedings

Global population growth and changing consumption and production patterns are leading to increasing demand for resources. Against this backdrop, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is investigating product and material cycles and their interactions with the environment in a new lead project. Its aim is to develop integrative, resource-efficient closed-loop systems, taking interdisciplinary approaches with sustainable technologies and nature-based solutions.

5-Feb-2026

 

Remarkable material could make electronic devices more efficient

University of Edinburgh

Scientists have created a new type of material that could enable common electronic devices to work faster and use less energy, a study suggests.

Journal

Journal of the American Chemical Society

5-Feb-2026

 

YouTubers love wildlife, but commenters aren't calling for conservation action

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

YouTube is a great place to find all sorts of wildlife content. It is not, however, a good place to find viewers encouraging each other to preserve that wildlife, according to new research led by the University of Michigan.

Journal

Communications Sustainability

5-Feb-2026

 

AI tool predicts brain age, cancer survival, and other disease signals from unlabeled brain MRIs

Mass General Brigham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

BrainIAC is an innovative AI foundation model developed by Mass General Brigham that was trained on nearly 49,000 brain MRI scans to identify key neurological health indicators, such as brain age and dementia risk, without the need for extensive labeled datasets. In a new study, it outperformed traditional task-specific models, demonstrating effectiveness in various clinical applications.

Journal

Nature Neuroscience

Funder

Botha-Chan Low Grade Glioma Consortium

5-Feb-2026

 

Surgery for quantum bits

ETH Zurich
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute demonstrated how quantum operations between superconducting qubits can be performed while correcting for bit-flip errors.Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute demonstrated how quantum operations between superconducting qubits can be performed while correcting for bit-flip errors.

Journal

Nature Physics

5-Feb-2026

MXene for energy storage: More versatile than expected

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Peer-Reviewed Publication

MXene materials are promising candidates for a new energy storage technology. However, the processes by which the charge storage takes place were not yet fully understood. A team at HZB has examined, for the first time, individual MXene flakes to explore these processes in detail. Using the in situ Scanning transmission X-ray microscope 'MYSTIIC' at BESSY II, the scientists mapped the chemical states of Titanium atoms on the MXene flake surfaces. The results revealed two distinct redox reactions, depending on the electrolyte. This lays the groundwork for understanding charge transfer processes at the nanoscale and provides a basis for future research aimed at optimising pseudocapacitive energy storage devices.

Journal

Energy & Environmental Science

5-Feb-2026

Scientists uncover the molecular marvel behind spider silk’s super powers

King's College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists have identified the molecular interactions that give spider silk its exceptional strength and flexibility, opening the door to new bio-inspired materials for aircraft, protective clothing and medical applications, and even advancing our understanding of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences