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

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 2-Apr-2026 20:15 ET (3-Apr-2026 00:15 GMT/UTC)

6-Nov-2025

Scientists discover breakthrough materials to enhance light-based computers

New York University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

NYU scientists report the discovery of “gyromorphs”—a material that combines the seemingly incompatible properties of liquids and crystals and that performs better than any other known structure in blocking light from all incoming angles. The breakthrough marks an innovative way to control optical properties and to potentially advance the capabilities of light-based computers.

Journal: Physical Review Letters
Funder: Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Simons Foundation

6-Nov-2025

Most astronauts aboard ISS suffer from sinonasal congestion, study finds

Texas A&M University

A collaborative study between Texas A&M University’s School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed) and Houston Methodist Hospital’s Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is the first comprehensive look into how space travel affects sinonasal health. Drawing on nearly two decades of astronaut medical records in partnership with NASA’s Johnson Space Center, researchers found that out of 71 astronauts from 2000 to 2019, 60 reported having at least one sinonasal medical issue during their missions, and 75% of the ISS astronauts reported nasal congestion.

Journal: Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

6-Nov-2025

Breakthrough could connect quantum computers at 200X the distance

University of Chicago
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In a new paper in Nature Communications, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Asst. Prof. Tian Zhong raised the quantum coherence times of individual erbium atoms from 0.1 milliseconds to longer than 10 milliseconds. This would theoretically allow quantum computers to connect through fiber cable at up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), smashing the previous limit of a few kilometers and bringing a quantum internet closer than ever before. The team achieved this breakthrough by building rare-earth doped crystals atom by atom using a technique called molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) rather than the traditional Czochralski method.

Journal: Nature Communications

6-Nov-2025

ERC Synergy Grant advances understanding of the blood–nerve interface to improve pain management

Estonian Research Council
Grant and Award Announcement

Tambet Teesalu, University of Tartu Professor of Nanomedicine, has been awarded an ERC Synergy Grant to study the blood-nerve barrier – the interface between blood vessels and nerve cells – in search of solutions to shortcomings in pain treatment.

Funder: European Research Council

6-Nov-2025

Human stomach cells tweaked to make insulin to treat diabetes

International Society for Stem Cell Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Type 1 diabetes is caused by an insufficient production of the hormone insulin by cells in the pancreas called beta cells and estimated to affect 9.5 million people worldwide. Low insulin levels allow glucose levels to remain elevated, which in the long term can damage organs such as the kidneys, the eyes, and the cardiovascular system. People with diabetes require lifelong monitoring of blood sugar levels coupled with insulin injections to keep blood sugar levels at a stable, healthy level.

A potential new treatment option for those patients is the replacement of lost or dysfunctional pancreatic beta cells, either by cell transplantation, or by the generation of new beta cells from existing cells within the body. This latter strategy was pursued by the team of Xiaofeng Huang from Weill Cornell Medicine, USA and Qing Xia from Peking University, China who previously discovered that cells in the mouse stomach can be transformed into pancreatic beta cells by genetic engineering.

Journal: Stem Cell Reports

6-Nov-2025

Fake or the real thing? How AI can make it harder to trust the pictures we see

Swansea University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study has revealed that artificial intelligence can now generate images of real people that are virtually impossible to tell apart from genuine photographs. Using AI models an international partnership of researchers created highly realistic images of both fictional and famous faces, including celebrities. They found that participants were unable to reliably distinguish them from authentic photos—even when they were familiar with the person’s appearance.

Journal: Cognitive Research Principles and Implications
Funder: Israel Science Foundation

6-Nov-2025

New testing scheme could work for chips and clinics

University of Texas at Austin

Diagnostic testing is big business. The global market for testing semiconductors for defects is estimated at $39 billion in 2025. For medical lab tests, the market is even bigger: $125 billion.

Both kinds of tests have something in common, says Rohan Ghuge, assistant professor of decision science in the information, risk, and operations management department at Texas McCombs. They involve complex systems with vast numbers of components, whether they’re evaluating computer chips or human bodies.

New research from Texas McCombs suggests a new approach to testing complex systems that might save time by eliminating some unnecessary and expensive steps.

Journal: Operations Research