This article introduces a new methodology for predicting the service life of concrete structures in marine environments, published in Engineering. Researchers from Southeast University have developed a multiscale modeling approach combined with extensive data analysis to efficiently assess the durability of marine concrete structures. By leveraging numerical simulations and real-world datasets, the study offers a more efficient alternative to traditional long-term exposure testing, providing valuable insights for the design and maintenance of concrete structures in marine conditions.

International tech community to assess 20 years of using digital technologies for progress and chart future direction ahead of UN General Assembly review

In a step toward treating mitochondrial diseases, researchers in the Netherlands have successfully edited harmful mutations in mitochondrial DNA using a genetic tool known as a base editor. The results, published June 24^th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, offer new hope for people with rare genetic conditions.

This article explores the potential for Africa to develop its soybean industry and contribute to global trade. It highlights how recent advancements in breeding and technology, along with China–Africa STI partnerships, could help Africa overcome historical challenges in soybean cultivation and tap into the growing demand from China. The piece also examines the socio-economic benefits and environmental considerations of expanding soybean production on the continent.

Has your skin ever felt tight and dry after coming out of the ocean? You’re not just imagining it. Scientists from Binghamton University, State University of New York have confirmed what beachgoers have felt for years – saltwater dries out your skin – and why it happens. 

Dr. Congrui Grace Jin and her colleagues from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have worked for years on bio-manufacturing engineered living materials and have developed a synthetic lichen system that can form building materials with no outside intervention. Their latest study, funded by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program and recently published in the Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, applies this research to the autonomous construction of structures on Mars, using the planet’s regolith, which includes dust, sand and rocks.