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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 11-Jan-2026 12:11 ET (11-Jan-2026 17:11 GMT/UTC)

Common food bacteria could help make vitamins cheaper and greener

Rice University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals how Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis), a common food bacterium, regulates the production of a key precursor in vitamin K₂ (menaquinone) biosynthesis. The bacteria produce enough of this precursor to support their growth while preventing toxic buildup.

Journal: mBio
Funder: National Science Foundation, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Research update: PFAS found in several reusable period products

American Chemical Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or forever chemicals, are being identified in more places. Period products are on that list, likely because of the resistance to stains and liquids conferred by these chemicals. Building on previously presented research, a team publishing in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that some reusable products, namely period underwear and reusable pads, contained PFAS, which might be absorbed into the body through skin contact.

Journal: Environmental Science & Technology Letters

New £13m nuclear program to boost UK energy security through sustainable graphite innovation

University of Plymouth
Grant and Award Announcement

A consortium of UK universities - led by the University of Manchester in collaboration with the University of Oxford, University of Plymouth and Loughborough University - has been awarded a major grant for a programme that will transform the lifecycle of graphite in nuclear energy - an essential material for the future deployment of nuclear power.

Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

New solar cells could power devices from indoor light

University College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team led by UCL (University College London) researchers has developed durable new solar cells capable of efficiently harvesting energy from indoor light, meaning devices such as keyboards, remote controls, alarms and sensors could soon be battery free.

Journal: Advanced Functional Materials
Funder: Henry Royce Institute, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, UCL

Bioenergy-CCS combo could erase 780 Gt CO₂ and salvage young coal plants, review finds

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts reviews BECCS as the leading carbon-removal technology, showing retrofitted coal plants co-fired with biomass can cut 1.6 Gt CO₂ yr^-1 by 2040. Five policy and supply-chain recommendations aim to scale negative emissions without harming food security or water resources.

Journal: Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts

Catalyst-free ionogel turns bamboo to 11-MPa “super-skin” for IoT sensors

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts reports a catalyst-free cross-linking strategy that fuses cellulose with glutaraldehyde in an ionic liquid, yielding an 11-MPa ionogel with 29 mS cm⁻¹ conductivity. The transparent, stretchable material translates mechanical pressure into linear electrical output across 0.1–100 kPa, enabling real-time health tracking and Morse-code communication without external power.

Journal: Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts

How agile is your crypto? New interview study explores the opportunities and challenges of cryptographic update processes

CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
Reports and Proceedings

If you think of software as a building, you might say it’s made up of code blocks. Many of these building blocks are custom-built for a specific application; others arrive on site pre-cast, because they’re standard components and used in many buildings. Cryptographic algorithms and functions are a prime example of this. They’re built into software to encrypt data and communication flows. But as these building blocks age and become brittle, the security of the entire application degrades. In a qualitative interview study with 21 international participants, CISPA researcher Alexander Krause explored the challenges faced by experienced software developers when they want to renew existing crypto implementations—or even create better cryptographic building blocks from scratch. The CISPA study will be presented on August 14, 2025, at the Usenix Security Symposium in Seattle, USA.

Meeting: 34th Usenix Security Symposium