Engineering
press releases.

Engineering23 Apr 2025

University of Houston engineer reinvents ceramics with origami-inspired 3D printing

In a breakthrough that blends ancient design with modern materials science, researchers at the University of Houston have developed a new class of ceramic structures that can bend under pressure — without breaking. Potential applications for this technology range from medical prosthetics to impact-resistant components in aerospace and robotics, where lightweight - but tough - materials are in high demand. Traditionally known for their brittleness, ceramics often shatter under stress, making them difficult to use in high-impact or adaptive applications. But that may soon change as a team ...

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Engineering23 Apr 2025

MIT engineers print synthetic “metamaterials” that are both strong and stretchy

In metamaterials design, the name of the game has long been “stronger is better.” Metamaterials are synthetic materials with microscopic structures that give the overall material exceptional properties. A huge focus has been in designing metamaterials that are stronger and stiffer than their conventional counterparts. But there’s a trade-off: The stiffer a material, the less flexible it is. MIT engineers have now found a way to fabricate a metamaterial that is both strong and stretchy. The base material is typically highly rigid and brittle, but it is printed ...

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Engineering23 Apr 2025

Police officers fire more shots than civilians in homicides, research shows

Ann Arbor, April 23, 2025 - An analysis using data from the US National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) has found that in homicides with police shooters, victims have been shot far more times than in homicides with civilians as shooters. The new study, appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, showed that individuals aged 25 to 44, Black people, and those living outside the Northeast region of the US tend to be disproportionately killed by police as well as sustain a higher number of bullet wounds. Lead investigator Vageesh Jain, MBBS, MPH, FFPH, Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Harvard T.H ...

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Engineering21 Apr 2025

Omnivorous? Vegan? Makes no difference to muscle building after weight training, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study asked three questions about muscle protein synthesis in response to a nine-day diet and weight training regimen: First, does the source of protein — plant or animal-based — make any difference to muscle gain? Second, does it matter if total daily protein intake is evenly distributed throughout the day? And third, does a moderate but sufficient daily protein intake influence any of these variables? The answer to all three questions is “no,” the researchers found. Their findings are reported in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. “The longstanding belief or ...

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Engineering18 Apr 2025

Uncovering the structural and regulatory mechanisms underlying translation arrest

Proteins form the structural and functional backbone of the cell, and any perturbation in their synthesis can disrupt normal cellular functions. The DNA blueprint is carefully read, transcribed, and translated into functional proteins through a tightly regulated process. The ‘ribosome’ plays a crucial role in orchestrating the translation of the messenger RNA transcript by assembling amino acids into the corresponding polypeptide sequence. Ribosomal functions beyond protein synthesis have been uncovered over the years, revealing its role ...

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Engineering18 Apr 2025

Pushing boundaries: Detecting the anomalous Hall effect without magnetization in a new class of materials

An international research team led by Mayukh Kumar Ray, Mingxuan Fu, and Satoru Nakatsuji from the University of Tokyo, along with Collin Broholm from Johns Hopkins University, has discovered the anomalous Hall effect in a collinear antiferromagnet. More strikingly, the anomalous Hall effect emerges from a non-Fermi liquid state, in which electrons do not interact according to conventional models. The discovery not only challenges the textbook framework for interpreting the anomalous Hall effect but also widens the range of antiferromagnets ...

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Engineering16 Apr 2025

Iron Age purple dye "factory" in Israel was in operation for almost 500 years, using mollusks in large-scale specialized manufacturing process

Iron Age purple dye "factory" in Israel was in operation for almost 500 years, using mollusks in large-scale specialized manufacturing process Article URL: https://plos.io/44elLDX Article title: Tel Shiqmona during the Iron Age: A first glimpse into an ancient Mediterranean purple dye ‘factory’ Author countries: U.S., Israel Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. END ...

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Engineering14 Apr 2025

New, non-toxic synthesis method for “miracle material” MXene

It is one of the most significant trends in materials science: materials that consist of only a single layer of atoms, so-called “2D materials”, often show completely different properties than thicker layers consisting of the same atoms. This field of research began with the Nobel Prize-winning material graphene. Now, research is being conducted into the material class of MXenes (pronounced Maxenes), which consist mainly of titanium and carbon, by TU Wien (Vienna) together with the companies CEST and AC2T. These MXenes have properties that ...

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Engineering9 Apr 2025

Engineering smart delivery for gene editors

Overcoming Delivery Challenges in Gene Editing Modern genome editing techniques, including CRISPR systems, hold great potential for treating genetic diseases. However, delivering these molecular tools reliably to their target cells remains a significant challenge. “Previous viral and non-viral delivery systems such as adeno-associated viruses (AAVs), lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), and other virus-like particles (VLPs), have been valuable but face limitations,” says Dr. Dong-Jiunn Jeffery Truong, last author ...

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Engineering8 Apr 2025

Bans on outdoor junk food ads derailed by industry lobbying

Plans to ban junk food adverts from bus stops and billboards to protect public health are being stymied by advertising industry lobbying, reveals an investigation published by The BMJ today. The BMJ sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 52 of the 317 councils in England to uncover how advertising firms and lobby groups were targeting council policies to restrict ‘out-of-home’ junk food adverts. McDonald's was the largest out-of-home advertiser in 2024 with a spend of £86.3 million, according to trade body Outsmart. Others in the top 20 include Pepsico, Coca Cola, KFC, Mars and Mondelez, the US owners of Cadbury. The FOI responses ...

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Engineering1 Apr 2025

Three University of Virginia Engineering faculty elected as AAAS Fellows

Faculty representing three disciplines in the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science — computer science, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and civil and environmental engineering — have been elected to the rank of fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The AAAS is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals. UVA Engineering’s faculty are among 471 scientists and engineers named in the class of 2024, according to the AAAS. Fellows are selected ...

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Engineering1 Apr 2025

An efficient self-assembly process for advanced self-healing materials

Polysiloxane materials, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based elastomers, exhibit a self-healing capability by the introduction of silanolate (Si–O–) groups. This ability stems from their dynamic siloxane (Si–O–Si) bonds, which can break and reform to repair damage. Their self-healing properties could make them valuable in applications like protective coatings for use in various fields, such as optics, electronics, and aerospace. To improve the properties of PDMS-based materials, they have been combined with inorganic fillers such as nanoparticles or nanosheets. Generally, the introduction of nanosheets into polymers leads to the formation of ...

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Engineering27 Mar 2025

New material gives copper superalloy-like strength

Researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Lehigh University have developed a groundbreaking nanostructured copper alloy that could redefine high-temperature materials for aerospace, defense and industrial applications. Their findings, published in the journal Science, introduce a Cu-Ta-Li (Copper-Tantalum-Lithium) alloy with exceptional thermal stability and mechanical strength, making it one of the most resilient copper-based materials ever created. “This is cutting-edge science, developing a new material ...

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Engineering26 Mar 2025

Making sturdy, semi-transparent wood with cheap, natural materials

SAN DIEGO, March 26, 2025 — Can you imagine a smartphone with a wooden touchscreen? Or a house with wooden windows? Probably not — unless you’ve heard of transparent wood. Made by modifying wood’s natural structure, this material has been proposed as a sturdy, eco-friendly plastic alternative. But wood’s biodegradability is often sacrificed in the process. Researchers are hoping to change that by creating transparent woods from almost entirely natural materials and making them electrically conductive. The researchers will present their results at the spring ...

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Engineering25 Mar 2025

New geometric design of material provides safer bicycle helmet

By using new geometric shapes in the shock-absorbing material, researchers at the Universities of Gothenburg and Isfahan have developed a bicycle helmet that provides better protection against head injuries. The material absorbs shock by contracting bilaterally. Bicycle helmets are important for protecting cyclists from head injuries, but traditional designs have limitations in terms of impact absorption and fit. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg and the University of Isfahan in Iran designed a bicycle helmet whose shock-absorbing ...

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Engineering24 Mar 2025

Chi, Advincula named Materials Research Society Fellows

Miaofang Chi and Rigoberto “Gobet” Advincula, both researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have been elected as Class of 2025 Fellows of the Materials Research Society, or MRS. Chi also holds a joint appointment at Duke University, and Advincula is jointly appointed at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The society, which has more than 13,000 members from 90 countries, selects Fellows for their distinguished accomplishments and outstanding contributions ...

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Engineering21 Mar 2025

A less toxic way to manufacture daily goods

Diisocyanates are used in the preparation of all polyurethanes, ranging from the foams used in shoe soles to the thermoplastics used in cell phone cases. Aromatic diisocyanates, which give polyurethane foams their structure, are commonly prepared on the megaton scale in highly secure facilities due to the use of phosgene, a highly reactive and toxic chemical reagent. Michael Burkart’s lab at UC San Diego recently reported the preparation of fully bio-based aromatic diisocyanates from a simple monosaccharide, D-galactose. This new route avoids the use of transition metals, gaseous reagents or any high-pressure/temperature reactions. As an application, the team demonstrates ...

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Engineering19 Mar 2025

New material allows amputees to adjust fit of prosthetic limbs throughout the day, using a smartphone

The latest advance in wearable robotic technology promises to solve a 200-year-old problem by revolutionising the fit of prosthetic limbs, transforming the lives of millions of amputees worldwide. The new material, ‘Roliner,’ offers amputees the power to change the shape, volume, and stiffness of the liner that is used to attach a prosthetic limb’s socket to a residual leg. Amputees could make these tweaks using their smartphone in real-time, providing a more comfortable and personalised fit. After eight years of prototype development and clinical investigation, researchers at the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College ...

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Engineering18 Mar 2025

Installing safety nets on Golden Gate Bridge linked to 73% decline in suicides

Early evidence indicates that the installation of safety nets on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has been successful in reducing the number of suicides at the bridge. The results, published online in the journal Injury Prevention, show a 73% decline in suicides in the 12 months since the nets were completed relative to the number before net installation began. The researchers say their findings “highlight the value of installing nets on this bridge and the importance of barriers as a strategy to prevent suicides by jumping.” The ...

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Engineering18 Mar 2025

Building a safer future: Rice researcher works to strengthen Haiti’s earthquake resilience

Over the past two decades, Haiti has endured the devastation of two catastrophic earthquakes — first in 2010 and again in 2021. Each disaster left behind widespread destruction: buildings reduced to rubble, entire communities displaced and an overwhelming loss of life. A major factor in the severity of these tragedies was the widespread structural failure of poorly designed buildings, many of which were not constructed to withstand the powerful tremors. Marc-Ansy Laguerre, a postdoctoral associate in civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, ...

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Engineering18 Mar 2025

Wayne State University research making strides in autonomous vehicle and machine systems to make them safer, more effective

DETROIT — A grant to Wayne State University from the National Science Foundation (NSF) is opening new doors for researchers and students to explore the future of autonomous vehicles, machines and drones. Zheng Dong, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science in Wayne State’s School of Engineering, was awarded a five-year, $595,611 NSF grant for the project, "CAREER: ChronosDrive: Ensuring Timing Correctness in DNN-Driven Autonomous Vehicles with Accelerator-Enhanced Real-Time SoC Integration." “We ...

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Engineering18 Mar 2025

CCA appoints expert panel on enhancing national research infrastructure

Canada’s research infrastructure is essential to the future of science and innovation, economic prosperity, and well-being throughout the country. At the request of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada, the CCA has formed an expert panel to support the federal government in optimizing Canada’s research infrastructure—from its national-scale scientific facilities to its digital platforms and collaborative networks—through evidence synthesis and strategic insights. Janet King, Chair of Polar Knowledge Canada’s Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Light Source’s Board of Directors, will serve ...

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Engineering18 Mar 2025

Benzoporphyrin gold complex: a breakthrough in organic conductive materials

Unsubstituted π-electronic systems with expanded π-planes are highly desirable for improving charge-carrier transport in organic semiconductors. However, their poor solubility and high crystallinity pose major challenges in processing and assembly, despite their favourable electronic properties. The strategic arrangement of these molecular structures is crucial for achieving high-performance organic semiconductive materials. In a significant breakthrough, a research team led by Professor Hiromitsu Maeda from Ritsumeikan University, including Associate Professor Yohei Haketa from ...

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Engineering18 Mar 2025

Revolutionary van der Waals open frameworks: a new era in porous materials

Researchers from Kyoto University have achieved a groundbreaking advancement in materials science by developing the world's first three-dimensional van der Waals open frameworks (WaaFs). This innovation challenges the conventional belief that van der Waals interactions are too weak for open framework materials, demonstrating their potential for stable and highly porous materials. Published in Nature Chemistry, the study presents a strategy using octahedral metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs) as building blocks to construct WaaFs. These frameworks exhibit high thermal stability, exceptional porosity, and reversible assembly, opening new avenues for applications in gas storage, separation, ...

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Engineering17 Mar 2025

Make Indian sign language an official language and open more schools for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, Cambridge study advises Indian government

University of Cambridge media release Make Indian Sign Language an official language and open more schools for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, Cambridge study advises Indian Government UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 15:30 INDIA STANDARD TIME / 10:00 UK TIME / 06:00 US ET ON MONDAY 17TH MARCH 2025 Around one in five (over 19%) of India’s deaf and hard-of-hearing children were out-of-school in 2014, according to a survey conducted for the Indian Government.* A new study calls on the Government to address this ongoing educational crisis by recognising ...

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