Engineering Design
- Environment
CO2 emissions have nosedived as COVID-19 keeps people home
The COVID-19 pandemic restricted travel that can pollute the air. By April, travel-related daily emissions of greenhouse gases was back to 2006 levels.
- Chemistry
Ancient recipes helped scientists resurrect a long-lost blue hue
Led by medieval texts, scientists hunted down a plant and used its fruit to make a blue watercolor with mysterious origins.
- Health & Medicine
Sweat tech alerts athletes when to rehydrate — and with what
Technology shows how the body responds to moderate and vigorous exercise. That helps athletes stay healthy — and helps scientists understand why.
- Math
Why sports are becoming all about numbers — lots and lots of numbers
Sports once focused on muscles, skill and tactics. Now math is becoming almost as important. It helps assess players — and improve their tools.
- Animals
Traces from nuclear-weapons tests offer clues to whale sharks’ ages
Traces left by nuclear-bomb testing in the 1950s and ‘60s can help researchers learn how old a whale shark is.
- Animals
Pesticides can have long-term impact on bumblebee learning
Pesticide-laced nectar and pollen can permanently harm the brains of baby bumblebees.
- Physics
Science offers recipes for homemade coronavirus masks
New studies provide data on what types of mask materials protect best against the virus that causes COVID-19. They also point to the value of a really snug fit.
- Materials Science
Micro-barbs could make shots less painful
A new type of microneedle design might take the sting out of shots and stick to the skin better than other approaches.
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Climb like a slo-mo Spiderman using this super suction robot
A whooshing ring of water keeps the robot’s vacuum from losing grip, even on rough surfaces
- Animals
Mice show their feelings on their faces
Pleasure, pain, fear and disgust — all can show on a mouse’s face. As computational analyses show, you just need to know what to look for.
- Health & Medicine
Tackling the novel coronavirus calls for novel ideas
Teams around the world are proposing new innovations to fight COVID-19. Projects tackle supply shortages, new treatments, vaccines and more.
- Chemistry
COVID-19 victims could breathe easier with these innovations
Feared equipment shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted research teams to develop novel technologies to help oxygen-starved lungs.
