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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Jan-2026 01:11 ET (27-Jan-2026 06:11 GMT/UTC)

Sunlight worsens wildfire smoke pollution, study finds

King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Wildfire smoke causes more air pollution than current atmospheric models can predict. A new study by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences explains why by revealing that, under sunlight, wildfire smoke particles act like tiny chemical factories, producing harmful oxidants such as peroxides, a group of highly reactive pollutants contributing to smog and haze.

Journal: Science Advances

Could bacteria help fix the smoky taste of wildfire-tainted wine?

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New laboratory experiments show that a bacterium that lives on grape plants can break down guaiacol—an unpleasant-tasting substance which ruins wines made from grapes exposed to wildfire smoke. Claudia Castro of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on October 1, 2025.

Journal: PLOS One

What are the best ways to protect against chainsaw injuries?

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fall is the time of year when people head to forests and woodlots with chainsaws to cut firewood to heat and enhance their homes over the coming winter months. It’s a risky endeavor, according to accident statistics and researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Judd Michael, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, who recently published a study in Safety on chainsaw injuries, urges those who use the powerful, dangerous tools to take precautions.

Journal: Safety

Gene editing, traditional crossbreeding produce disease-resistant cacao plants

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a development that could help protect one of the world's most beloved agricultural commodities, a research team at Penn State has successfully created disease-resistant cacao plants using gene-editing technology. According to the researchers, the innovation promises to help resolve a significant problem for the global chocolate industry, worth over $135 billion annually, which faces threat from the phytophthora species, a fungal-like pathogen that gives rise to the destructive black pod disease that can cause yield losses of up to 30% worldwide.

Journal: Plant Biotechnology Journal

University of Houston researchers drive breakthroughs in building longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries

University of Houston
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the University of Houston, a global leader in energy research and innovation, are spearheading a study that could transform the future of battery technology.

Journal: Science

Carnegie Mellon secures ARPA-H award to revolutionize early cancer detection with at-home technology

College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Grant and Award Announcement

A Multi-Party Team represented by Carnegie Mellon University researchers and private industry partners has secured an award of up to $26.7 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Platform Optimizing SynBio for Early Intervention and Detection in Oncology (POSEIDON) program to usher in a new era of proactive cancer screening, offering an at-home solution to detect over 30 Stage 1 solid tumor cancers from a simple urine sample.

Funder: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health

Could a fungus provide a blueprint for next-gen hydrogels?

University of Utah
Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Utah engineering researchers demonstrate structural and mechanical properties in the mycelium of a common soil mold that show promise in biomedical applications.

Journal: JOM
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, American Chemical Society