Engineering Design
- Tech
Laser-based tech can identify illegal elephant ivory
Most elephant ivory is illegal to sell. Ivory from extinct mammoths isn’t. They look similar, but lasers can tell the difference to help catch poachers.
- Tech
Where are the flying cars?
Flying cars are a common sci-fi trope, and engineers have the technology to make them. So where are they?
- Artificial Intelligence
Soccer-playing robots show how nimble AI-powered machines can be
Being controlled by reinforcement learning — a type of AI — helps robots navigate tough terrain. This could bring computer smarts to the real world.
- Health & Medicine
This spice could be the basis of a smart, infection-fighting bandage
Infused with yellow turmeric, the bandage turns red to highlight the pH of an infection. A teen showed that at the 2024 Regeneron ISEF competition.
- Earth
Analyze This: Where are U.S. earthquakes most likely?
A model used data on historical quakes and measurements from active faults to forecast risks of damaging earthquakes in the next 100 years.
- Tech
Holey basketballs! 3-D printing could be a game-changer
Wilson’s 3-D printed “airless” basketball is nearly silent and will never deflate, but will it prove a slam dunk for players and fans?
- Health & Medicine
Period blood could help diagnose diabetes and other illnesses
A new test for diabetes is the first diagnostic tool based on period blood. But it may be just the beginning.
- Computing
Teen’s battle simulator could help Ukraine’s troops fend off attacks
At the 2024 Regeneron ISEF, Volodymyr Borysenko showcased software he created to help Ukraine defend itself in ground attacks by Russia.
- Plants
Gene editing may help rice better withstand climate change
Three genes may limit the ability of rice to handle dry or salty conditions. A Regeneron ISEF finalist shows that CRISPR could target and change them.
- Health & Medicine
New tool maps where U.S. heat can pose threats to your health
The daily updated HeatRisk maps use color coding to show where the health threat from heat is highest. The website also offers tips for staying safe.
- Artificial Intelligence
Does AI steal art or help create it? It depends on who you ask
With AI image generators on the scene, artists see both power and peril ahead.
- Physics
Aerodynamics involved in shooting hoops can make vehicles greener
Some ships host tall spinning cylinders that act like sails. Roughing the cylinders’ surface will greatly boost fuel efficiency, teen scientists find.
