These 3D-printed objects can tell you if they're being used properly

Imagine a bottle of hazardous chemicals sitting on a laboratory shelf that changes its appearance to alert scientists that its lid is not properly secured, potentially preventing a dangerous spill.

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Neutron imaging peers inside iron redox flow batteries

A renewable energy future will rely on cheap and scalable battery technologies. A promising option is an all-iron redox flow battery, which uses iron—an abundant, low-cost, and safe material. Battery performance depends on how iron ends up on the negative electrode during battery use. Uniform iron deposits are best, but this doesn't always take place.

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New printing system makes anti-counterfeit labels easier to verify by phone

Research in the International Journal of Materials and Product Technology describes a responsive printing system designed to make anti-counterfeit labels more durable, easier to produce at scale and simpler to verify with a smartphone.

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Bringing 'giant batteries' closer to commercialization in the AI data center era

The explosive growth of AI data centers has brought the commercialization of "giant batteries" one step closer. A KAIST research team has developed a process that cuts the production time for a core material used in large-capacity batteries by 67%, resolving the largest production bottleneck standing in the way of commercialization.

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Why AI wants you to buy more, and mindfulness could help you buy less

You search online for a pair of sneakers. Minutes later, similar shoes appear on social media feeds. A shopping site offers a limited-time discount and suggests a matching jacket. This is no longer just an ad shown to millions of people. Increasingly, artificial intelligence is helping decide not only what you see but also which sales pitch is most likely to persuade you.

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Smart clothes will soon be on sale. But regulations are needed to prevent a new waste mountain

When you think of advanced futuristic clothing, what comes to mind?

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New model shows small NY mobility hubs are cutting car trips and boosting transit, even with sparse data

Two pilot mobility hubs in New York's Capital District are nudging commuters out of their cars and onto buses, bikes and car-share vehicles, according to a new analysis from NYU Tandon's C2SMART transportation research center.

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Anthropic AI used fake identities to target real people in UK test

An Anthropic AI model created fake online identities to send emails to real people in an attempt to get malicious code approved during tests by a UK government research group.

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AI learns to focus like humans to speed up video analysis

Artificial neural networks were originally inspired by the human brain, but they are still far less efficient at processing information. One reason the human brain is so efficient is its ability to focus only on the most relevant information and allocate cognitive effort based on the task.

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Single-atom-based electrode significantly expands operating voltage window of aqueous supercapacitors

A research team led by Jung Kyu Kim, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) (co-first authors: Ph.D. candidates Dong Zhang and Jong Hun Kim), in collaboration with Min-Cheol Kim, a professor at Sookmyung Women's University, announced the development of a novel electrode material that overcomes the chronic limitation of low operating voltage in aqueous electrolyte-based supercapacitors and significantly improves their energy density.

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How hackers attack municipal water systems—and why the utilities are so vulnerable

Hackers tried to break into at least 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota on July 26–27, 2026. Since then, Michigan and five other states have reported similar cyberattacks.

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Waste heat becomes cooling energy: Research team develops next-generation heat pump system

A next-generation heat pump system that can provide cooling using low-temperature waste heat of approximately 40°C (104°F) from factories and data centers has been developed. Unlike conventional air conditioning systems, which use electricity to compress refrigerant, the newly developed system uses waste heat as its energy source. It has also achieved world-leading adsorption-bed performance, paving the way for lower electricity consumption and greater energy efficiency.

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Human-aware robots adapt to partners, reducing back strain during team lifting

When people work in pairs or teams, they can often solve a wider range of problems, completing some tasks faster and more efficiently than they would alone. To assist users similarly to how other humans would, robots should be able to rapidly interpret human behaviors and commands, using their predictions to plan and precisely execute helpful actions.

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New study highlights the weather-driven costs of 24/7 clean power matching

As demand for electricity surges from artificial intelligence, data centers and other new technologies, companies are increasingly pledging to procure carbon-free electricity to mitigate emissions associated with their electricity use. While quantifying systemwide emissions is relatively straightforward, the complex nature of power grid operations makes it more challenging to ascertain the emissions impacts of a single consumer that also procures its own clean energy. This challenge is further compounded by clean energy sources like solar and wind, whose hour-to-hour generation can vary drastically depending on weather patterns.

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Q&A: Harnessing statistics to improve personalized medicine

Scientific advancements—including understanding health conditions and developing new treatments—hinge on data and its implications. Statistician Alex Luedtke is developing new methods to make data analysis as efficient and effective as possible with the goal of improving personalized treatment recommendations in mental health and other fields.

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Can wind be harnessed to capture and convert atmospheric water into freshwater?

Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting captures water vapor from the air using specialized materials, or sorbents, and thermal energy to produce freshwater.

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Tiny light, big dream: Harvesting power from soil in Japan

Glinting in the night, halfway up a hill in Japan, the greenhouse-like "Ku-An" test lab is lit by electricity harnessed from 1,500 wooden boxes of soil and compost.

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People prefer stories written by AI—especially when told they're written by a human

People gave the highest ratings to AI-generated stories they were told had been written by humans and were unable to tell the difference between human- and AI-created stories, according to new research published in Judgement and Decision Making. The study, led by researchers at Villanova University, U.S., adds to the growing body of evidence that many people's ability to spot AI-generated content is limited.

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Solving the solvent problem to make sodium-metal batteries a more practical energy storage option

Lithium-ion batteries are the leading choice in today's electric vehicle and battery energy storage system industries, but they contain a number of critical minerals—including lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite—that are considered essential for economic and national security reasons and therefore vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. As renewable energy, electrified infrastructure and high-power digital technologies continue to grow, there is an increasing need for energy storage systems that are low-cost, resource-abundant and capable of fast charging and discharging.

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Self-repairing, recyclable substrate developed for durable soft sensors

Soft sensors convert movement, temperature and moisture into electrical signals. Repeated bending and friction can cause their metal conductors to peel from the underlying polymer, while physical damage, such as cuts, can disable the device. Commonly used petroleum-derived substrates are also environmentally unfriendly because they are difficult to recycle.

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Composite catalyst could improve oxygen reactions in next-generation lithium-oxygen batteries

An electric vehicle that never needs recharging on a cross-country trip. Drones that fly for hours without landing. These scenarios demand energy storage far beyond what lithium-ion batteries can deliver—and lithium–oxygen batteries (LOBs) have long promised to bridge this gap. With a theoretical energy density up to 10 times higher than lithium-ion technology, LOBs could revolutionize electric mobility. Yet one fundamental obstacle has prevented their commercial adoption: the notoriously slow and inefficient electrochemical oxygen reactions that cause significant energy losses during charging and discharging.

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Polar molecules and polymer bridges overcome two key limits in organic electronics

A research team led by Professor Kang Bosoek of the SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano Technology (SAINT), Department of Nano Engineering and Department of Semiconductor Convergence Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University has developed two new molecular design technologies to enhance the electrical conductivity of organic electronic materials. One technology generates a greater number of charge carriers within a polymer, while the other connects transport pathways so that charge can move without interruption.

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A cooling ceramic wall to combat urban heat

In light of rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves, the Institute of Architecture and Media at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) is presenting an energy-efficient solution to urban heat islands: 3D-printed cubes made from highly porous ceramics that combine centuries-old knowledge of passive cooling with state-of-the-art additive manufacturing. The ceramic cubes are suitable for cooling both indoor spaces and outdoor air.

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Innovative design unlocks resilient semiconductor materials

Semiconductors such as silicon are the cornerstone of today's essential technologies, but the variety of materials available to power devices is limited. While metal oxides are durable, only a small subset are semiconducting because they are naturally insulating.

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China draws up safety rules for autonomous vehicles

China has drawn up new safety rules for the growing number of autonomous vehicles on its roads, including a mandatory deactivation override, the government said Tuesday.

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World Bank warns developing countries to embrace AI or be left behind

The World Bank on Tuesday called on developing countries to embrace artificial intelligence tools to deliver better governance outcomes, warning that they risk being left behind if they fail to do so.

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Control advance improves flapping-wing robot stability amid wind-like disturbances

Flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles (FW-MAVs) are small, lightweight robots inspired by the flight mechanisms of birds and insects. By using rapidly moving wings instead of propellers, these robots can achieve unique flight capabilities, such as hovering like hummingbirds and independently controlling their wings like dragonflies.

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Selective microwave heating speeds bamboo-to-hydrogen fuel conversion

Researchers at Kyushu University have shown that microwave (MW) radiation can dramatically speed the conversion of biomass into useful gases by creating localized high-temperature regions on nickel nanoparticles. Using advanced X-ray techniques to observe the catalyst during conversion reactions, the team found that these microscopic hot spots form on the catalyst even when the surrounding material remains much cooler, helping explain why MW-assisted catalytic reactions can outperform conventional heating.

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All 50 states have introduced bills to regulate digital media for kids. A new database tracks them

As of March 2026, every U.S. state had introduced at least one bill seeking to regulate social media or other digital platforms for people younger than 18. The wave of legislation would be difficult for anyone to keep track of, whether they're a researcher, parent or policymaker. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have built a public database to help.

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Solar-charged rock bed powers coffee roaster with heat stored for days

Michael Sweeney roasts coffee beans using energy from the sun at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. Sweeney has been collaborating with Sandia as part of a program to use solar energy to heat his coffee roasters.

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