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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Jan-2026 10:11 ET (23-Jan-2026 15:11 GMT/UTC)

Water as an energy carrier: Nanoporous silicon generates electricity from friction with water

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A European research team involving scientists from DESY and Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) has developed a novel way for converting mechanical energy into electricity – by using water confined in nanometre-sized pores of silicon as the active working fluid. In a study published in Nano Energy (Elsevier), the scientists demonstrate that the cyclic intrusion and extrusion of water in water-repellentnanoporous silicon monoliths can produce measurable electrical power.

Journal: Nano Energy

Breast cancer survivors find relief for debilitating menopause symptom

Mayo Clinic
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About 50% of menopausal women experience genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) that involves changes to the genitals, including the vagina, urethra and bladder. When estrogen levels drop during menopause, it can cause the GSM symptoms of vaginal dryness, itching, burning, frequent urinary tract infections and pain during sex. Replenishing the hormone through vaginal estrogen is an effective GSM treatment. But many breast cancer survivors either can't or don't want to use estrogen.

Journal: Obstetrics and Gynecology

JMIR Publications’ Journal of Medical Internet Research invites submissions on Navigating AI-Enabled Uncertainty

JMIR Publications
Business Announcement

JMIR Publications invites submissions to a new theme issue titled “Navigating AI-Enabled Uncertainty – Strategic Implications for Digital Health Management” in its open access journal Journal of Medical Internet Research.

A new post-processing route to improve tensile strength and ductility in 3d-printed alloys

International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers have developed a dual post-processing method to make 3D-printed metals much stronger and tougher, addressing one of the field’s most persistent challenges.

By combining deep cryogenic treatment and laser shock peening, researchers find a new way to transform the microscopic structure of 3D-printed metals, relieving internal stresses and enhancing their mechanical resilience.

Journal: International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing

FAU historian traces the transformation of U.S. nursing homes into big business

Florida Atlantic University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A historian explores how a little-known Illinois company, the Americana Corporation, helped shape the modern nursing home in postwar America. Her research shows how architecture was central to this shift, not just housing older adults but creating an entire system of care. By examining the physical and institutional design of Americana’s homes, she uncovers how midcentury ideals around aging, medicine and profit became embedded in the built environment – a legacy that continues to define long-term care today.

Journal: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians

Roboticists reverse engineer zebrafish navigation

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Using simulations, robots, and live fish, scientists at EPFL and Duke University have replicated the neural circuitry that allows zebrafish to react to visual stimuli and maintain their position in flowing water. They provide a complete picture of how brain circuits, body mechanics, and the environment work together to control behavior.

Journal: Science Robotics

$2.2M NIH grant fuels next-gen cancer treatment at Corewell Health

Corewell Health
Grant and Award Announcement

Corewell Health physicians are researching cancer treatment advancements with a new, nearly $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The four-year grant will help doctors potentially bring a type of proton beam technology, called dynamic SPArc (Spot-Scanning Proton Arc), into everyday patient care.

Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health