Engineering Design

  1. Climate

    Siberian heat wave that caused an oil spill made more likely by climate change

    The six-month heat wave in Siberia during the first half of 2020 would not have happened without human-caused climate change, researchers find.

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  2. Physics

    Flying snakes wriggle their way through the air

    Flying snakes go tens of meters (yards) without wings. They do it by undulating back and forth and up and down, a new study shows.

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  3. Science & Society

    For teens, big problems may lead to meaningful research

    Several teens who competed at the Regeneron Science Talent Search applied their STEM know-how to solve problems they or their communities faced.

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  4. Health & Medicine

    New COVID-19 vaccines show promise in people

    Early data from human trials show that several candidate COVID-19 vaccines produce virus-inactivating antibodies and immune cells that fight the virus.

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  5. Health & Medicine

    Can we taste fat? The brain thinks so

    Scientists had not considered fat a 'taste.' The brain begs to differ, new data show.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Remdesivir is looking even better at fighting COVID-19

    New studies suggest the drug remdesivir not only speeds recovery of COVID-19 patients in the hospital, but lowers their risk of death from the virus.

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  7. Physics

    Shape-shifting cuts give shoes a better grip

    With pop-out structures inspired by kirigami and animals, a shoe sole goes from flat to spiky to boost friction on slippery surfaces such as ice.

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  8. Health & Medicine

    Ah-choo! Healthy sneezes, coughs sound just like sick ones to us

    Think you can tell a sick cough from a healthy one? Think again. New research finds the human ear isn’t sensitive enough to tell the difference.

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  9. Physics

    A contrast between shadows and light can now generate electricity

    A new device exploits the contrast between bright spots and shade to produce a current that can power small electronics.

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  10. Animals

    Toxic germs on its skin make this newt deadly

    Bacteria living on the skin of some rough-skinned newts make tetrodotoxin. This paralyzing poison is also found in pufferfish.

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  11. Health & Medicine

    Common drug, dexamethasone, appears first to cut COVID-19 deaths

    A drug used for decades to treat inflammation now appears useful in saving the lives of severely ill COVID-19 patients — ones who have trouble breathing.

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  12. Health & Medicine

    Deadly heat: Expected by century’s end, it’s here already

    Instances of hot and humid conditions that threaten human lives are on the rise.

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