All Stories by Katie Grace Carpenter
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Metal-Organic Framework
Special pockets in these molecular structures make them useful in medicine, climate science and more.
- Health & Medicine
Teens invent first chewing gum to tackle anxiety
Flavonoids from passionflower plants may one day give chewing gums the ability to take the edge off frazzled nerves or anxiety, report two Regeneron ISEF finalists.
- Computing
Teen’s new app guards against the rise of villainous AI bots
Sometimes good chatbots and AI agents go rogue. A Regeneron ISEF finalist’s new app helps guard against bots developing dangerous personalities.
- Physics
Origami research takes top prize at 2026 Regeneron ISEF competition
The top three winners each won at least $80,000. Other teen finalists shared in more than $7 million in prizes at this international science fair.
- Life
Scientists Say: Spore
Patience is a virtue of these crafty, resilient little reproductive cells. Some bacterial spores have grown after lying dormant for a millennium.
- Health & Medicine
How pitchers rest between innings could save their arms — and stats
Focusing on muscle recovery during games could help keep pitch speeds high and injury risk low, one ISEF finalist finds.
- Life
Scientists Say: Biophoton
All living things glow with this mysterious light. But scientists need ultra-sensitive tools to detect it.
- Computing
Scientists Say: Boolean
Computers handle complex problems through a series of very simple answers, such yes or no, on or off — and most often, one or zero.
- Space
Scientists Say: Observable universe
No light will ever reach Earth from beyond this distant horizon of space.
- Life
Scientists Say: Clone
This adaptable tech can help with everything from engineering medical microbes to preserving endangered species.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Entropy
To understand the universe, we must look to entropy — the chaos engine of the cosmos.
- Tech
Scientists Say: Technofossil
Experts predict that the durability of modern, human-made materials will give rise to a radical new form of fossil.
