Engineering Design

  1. Tech

    New robot can pick up a single drop of liquid

    The new device, which looks like a pair of plastic pinchers, is the first to be able to pick up individual droplets of liquid.

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  2. Tech

    Can a robot ever become your friend?

    Social robots can teach, help and keep people company. What would it take for machines to form real friendships with people? And do we even want that?

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  3. Environment

    For a better brick, just add poop

    Sewage sludge. Cow dung. They’re not just waste — scientists are finding uses for processed poop in construction materials.

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  4. Physics

    How salty does the sea have to be for an egg to float?

    Some objects float on top of the ocean, and other objects sink to the bottom. Why? Try this eggs-periment to find out!

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  5. Tech

    Will the internet soon reach the one-third of people without it?  

    Access to the internet is a human right, yet much of the world can’t get online. New tech has to be affordable and usable to end this digital divide.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    Toddler now thrives after prenatal treatment for a genetic disease

    Ayla was treated before birth for the rare, life-threatening Pompe disease. Now a thriving 16-month-old toddler, her treatments will still need to continue.

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  7. Environment

    Bacterial ‘living wires’ could help protect the seas and climate

    Long, thin bacteria that conduct electricity may be able to help clean up oil spills and reduce emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

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  8. Chemistry

    Explainer: What is a hydrogel?

    These unusual materials have a host of unusual properties. You can even make a starch-infused version in your kitchen.

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  9. Health & Medicine

    Should we use a genetic weapon against mosquitoes carrying malaria?

    One gene drive to eliminate malaria seems to work in the lab. Now it’s time to ask local people if they want it released in the wild.

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  10. Tech

    A shape-shifting robotic tooth-cleaner might one day brush for you

    A swarm of billions of magnetic, bacteria-killing nanoparticles can be shaped into bristles to fit any surface, including between teeth.

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  11. Chemistry

    Could we make vibranium?

    The ‘perfect’ metal may belong to the fictitious Marvel world of Wakanda, but scientists hope to one day mimic some of its key traits.

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  12. Materials Science

    These fabrics change color as they stretch

    Stretchy, color-shifting cloth may lead to new art, fashions and sensors. A century-old Nobel-prize-winning invention served as its inspiration.

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