EurekAlert! News by Subject: Tech & Engineering

Tech & Engineering

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 26-Oct-2026 03:16 ET (26-Oct-2026 07:16 GMT/UTC)

29-Sep-2026

Efficient catalysis with less metal

Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and agrochemicals are produced industrially using a wide range of chemical reactions. These processes need to become more efficient, less expensive, and more sustainable. The Pieber group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has now taken a step in this direction. In Nature Catalysis, researchers today present a new nickel catalyst that can be activated with visible light to efficiently make a broad array of chemical bonds.

Journal: Nature Catalysis
Funder: Austrian Science Fund, ACS, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme

29-Sep-2026

AI chip design and III-V pilot lines for electronics manufacturing

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics
Meeting Announcement

From October 6 to 8, 2026, the EFX—Expo for Electronics Manufacturing will take place for the first time at the Stuttgart exhibition center. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF will be exhibiting at the joint Chip Connect BW area. The focus will be on the institute’s newly launched research activities in the field of AI tools for chip design and chip design for AI applications, as well as its established expertise in III-V semiconductor manufacturing for pilot lines.

29-Sep-2026

European researchers set out EU innovation reforms in Science

Koç University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Europe could turn more of its scientific discoveries into new technologies, products and businesses by changing the way it funds innovation and supports researchers, according to a new Policy Forum published in Science.

Journal: Science

29-Sep-2026

AI’s social norms and their implications for society

PNAS Nexus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As more and more people turn to LLMs for advice on interpersonal matters, the ethical foundations behind the tools’ replies increasingly have the power to shape individual lives and, at scale, the social fabric itself. Alexandre S. Pires and colleagues explored the social norms of 21 LLMs by asking them to judge fictional people as “good” or “bad” after learning how the people made a range of interpersonal decisions.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

29-Sep-2026

Study shows wolverine populations affected by recreation, roads

University of Calgary
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Wildlife researchers have found that both recreation and roads affect wolverine populations in Canada's Rocky Mountains and Columbia Mountains. It’s believed to be the first time that a study has shown, at a landscape scale, that recreation is linked to lower population density in a carnivore.

Journal: Biological Conservation
Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Parks Canada, NextGenerationEU, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation

29-Sep-2026

Insights into extracellular vesicles in senescence-associated chronic lung diseases

Chinese Medical Journals Publishing House Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny particles secreted by cells that mediate intercellular communication and regulate immune responses. By carrying microRNAs, proteins, and lipids, EVs spread cellular senescence and promote the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), creating a cycle of "senescence-inflammation-dysfunction". In a recent review, researchers from China elaborate how EVs mediate cellular senescence in multiple chronic lung diseases. It also discusses the advances, existing challenges, and translational prospects of EV-based therapies for these aging-related pulmonary diseases.

Journal: Chinese Medical Journal
Funder: Projects of International Cooperation and Exchanges, National Natural Science Foundation of China, San Jin Talent Program Project of Shanxi Province

29-Sep-2026

Molecular simulations reveal how an enzyme’s shape guides molecular recognition

Shibaura Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Pyrimidine-nucleoside phosphorylase adopts different conformations that influence how it interacts with molecules. Researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan, used molecular dynamics simulations to show that closed conformations retain ligands more strongly than open ones and that sugar preference varies by compound and conformation, highlighting enzyme flexibility as an important consideration for drug design, artificial nucleoside synthesis, and greener biocatalytic manufacturing, and provide a framework for future enzyme engineering and inhibitor-design studies.

Journal: ACS Omega

29-Sep-2026

Perioperative nutrition care for pancreatic surgery improves, but gaps remain in China

Chinese Medical Journals Publishing House Co., Ltd.
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A nationwide survey of 130 Chinese pancreatic surgeons finds that perioperative nutrition management for pancreatoduodenectomy has improved substantially since 2020. Preoperative nutritional assessment rose from 62.5% to 82.3% and dietitian involvement from 49.0% to 70.0%. However, total parenteral nutrition on the first postoperative day remained high at 52.3%, while early oral feeding was only 16.2%.

Journal: Journal of Pancreatology
Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China

29-Sep-2026

HKUST develops novel cartilage-inspired polymer nanocoating to substantially extend battery lifespan

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A research team led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a biomimetic nanocoating that could significantly extend the lifespan of batteries used in smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), and other electronic devices. Inspired by the stress-buffering function of human cartilage, the team has developed an innovative cartilage-inspired polymer nanocoating that effectively suppresses the degradation and wear of battery cathode materials at the source. The new technology not only enables batteries to retain exceptionally high capacity after thousands of charge-discharge cycles but also opens a promising new pathway toward the industrial deployment of next-generation nickel-rich lithium-ion batteries.

Journal: Nature Nanotechnology