Engineering Design
- Physics
Skipping stone physics could aid net-tangled whales and more
The unexpected movement of buoys and spheres in water could lead to redesigns for fishing nets and ships.
- Chemistry
Scientists turn plastic wastes into soap
Chemists developed a way to turn plastic waste into surfactants. Those chemicals could one day become key recruits in a greener war on grime.
- Environment
Ultrasound waves can help remove polluting microplastics in water
The innovative process concentrates microplastics within a flowing liquid. A two-step process then removes the potentially toxic bits.
- Tech
With tech, farms can double up to produce both food and power
Agrivoltaics merges agriculture with photovoltaic panels, which generate electricity from sunlight. The combo produces clean energy and edible crops.
- Chemistry
Creation of quantum dots wins 2023 chemistry Nobel
The award honors three scientists who discovered and built quantum dots, which are now used in everything from TVs to medical tools.
- Space
Four researchers on Earth are spending a year on ‘Mars’
A crew of four entered Mars Dune Alpha in Houston, Texas. They will remain isolated inside for a year, living and working as if on the Red Planet.
- Animals
A new technique creates glowing whole-body maps of mice
Removing cholesterol from mouse bodies lets fluorescent proteins seep into every tissue. That has helped researchers map entire body parts.
- Agriculture
Crops are being engineered to thrive in our changing climate
Plants are already the best carbon catchers on Earth. New research could make them even better.
- Agriculture
Cow dung spews a climate-warming gas. Adding algae could limit that
But how useful this is depends on whether cows eat the red algae, a type of seaweed — or it gets added to their wastes after they’re pooped out.
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We’re running an audio experiment
Science News Explores is running an experiment. We’re providing audio recordings of stories, made with Amazon Polly, along with the written story. Read, listen or both!
- Tech
Scientists Say: Robot
These task-doers handle jobs as simple as vacuuming the floor and as complex as navigating extraterrestrial terrains.
- Tech
A puff of air could deliver vaccines needle-free
A new Nerf gun-like device may make injections safer, faster and easier.
