EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 30-Oct-2026 14:17 ET (30-Oct-2026 18:17 GMT/UTC)

11-Jun-2026

HKU Engineering develops world-first "brain-like" chip to advance quantum computing and deep-space exploration

The University of Hong Kong
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering under the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Centre for Advanced Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits (CASIC), have achieved a major breakthrough in cryogenic electronics. The team have developed a programmable neuromorphic hardware platform that operates near absolute zero, providing a potential solution for scaling up quantum computers and enabling deep-space exploration.

Journal: Nature Communications

11-Jun-2026

HKU teams achieve recognition at Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

The University of Hong Kong
Business Announcement

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) achieves recognition at the 12th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, securing 19 awards, including the Outstanding Organisation Award, 1 Grand Prize, 2 First Prizes, 2 Second Prizes, 6 Third Prizes, and 7 Merit Prizes.

11-Jun-2026

HKU and NICE sign MoU to advance industrial technology innovation and commercialization strengthening innovation ties between Hong Kong and the Yangtze River Delta

The University of Hong Kong
Business Announcement

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the National Innovation Center par Excellence (NICE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 2 June 2026 to establish a strategic framework for collaboration in technology innovation, commercialisation, applied research, and talent development. This agreement marks a significant milestone in strengthening innovation connections between Hong Kong and the Yangtze River Delta, reflecting both parties’ shared commitment to translating cutting-edge research into real-world applications with impactful industrial and societal benefits.

11-Jun-2026

HKU researchers discover piezoelectric effect in diamond membranes, challenging century-old scientific dogma

The University of Hong Kong
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by Professor Zhiqin Chu, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Professor Yuan Lin, Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has reported a significant piezoelectric effect in ultrathin and ultra-flexible polycrystalline diamond membranes. This pioneering discovery challenges a century-long scientific dogma that diamonds are strictly non-piezoelectric.

Journal: Science Advances

11-Jun-2026

Meltwater is causing Antarctic glaciers to flow faster toward the ocean

Hokkaido University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new study, researchers have directly confirmed for the first time that water from melting snow and ice, or meltwater, found at the surface of a glacier can drain down to its base, causing the glaciers in Antarctica to speed up and move towards the ocean.

Journal: Nature Communications

11-Jun-2026

Biochar’s hidden electron power could unlock cleaner pollution control and energy recovery

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Biochar has often been praised as a “black gold” for sustainable agriculture, pollution control, and carbon storage. Yet despite its promise, its wider use has been limited by a practical challenge: compared with materials such as activated carbon, graphene, and carbon nanotubes, biochar often has lower surface area and electrical conductivity. Expensive post-treatment methods can improve its performance, but they may also increase cost, energy use, and secondary pollution.

Journal: Biochar

11-Jun-2026

Biochar may help stop antibiotics from escaping through hidden soil highways

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals that biochar can do more than simply trap pollutants. It may actively redirect antibiotic movement in structured soils, helping reduce the risk of contamination in nearby water systems.

Journal: Biochar

11-Jun-2026

Fungi help biochar and compost lock more carbon in nutrient-poor urban soils

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Urban parks, campus lawns, residential gardens, and other greenspaces are vital parts of city life. They cool neighborhoods, support biodiversity, store carbon, and provide places for people to relax. Yet many urban soils are losing organic matter and nutrients under the pressure of rapid urbanization. A new study published in Biochar suggests that the success of common soil restoration practices may depend strongly on one often-overlooked factor: the balance between fungi and bacteria already living in the soil.

Journal: Biochar

11-Jun-2026

New ‘digital brain twin’ created using multimodal data provides anatomically accurate brain models which could be used in experimental and clinical settings

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New ‘digital brain twin’ created using multimodal data provides anatomically accurate brain models which could be used in experimental and clinical settings.

Journal: PLOS Digital Health