Engineering advances and applied technology.
Researchers developed a Schirmer strip that simultaneously indicates glucose and pH through color changes, with smartphone image analysis helping assess the results. In tests using artificial tear fluid, the glucose signal appeared within 30 seconds and had a visual detection limit of 0.5 mM.
Researchers have used hydrogen plasma to process Nd-Fe-B magnet machining waste, separating it into metallic iron and a rare-earth oxide-rich fraction. The process also formed rare-earth hydrides, creating feedstocks that could be used in further magnet production without acid.
An article explores how nanomaterials could support water purification as pollution and water scarcity put pressure on clean supplies. It discusses materials that trap toxic metals and membranes designed to filter very small contaminants, while noting their possible uses and limitations.
A study of one onshore wind turbine found that fatigue damage could be estimated accurately from highly compressed stress data. The best tested approach recovered 99.5% of the damage estimated from continuous high-speed measurements.
Researchers developed a separator for sodium-metal batteries that releases lithium nitrate gradually during cycling. The design supported sodium–sodium cycling for more than 4,000 hours and helped full cells retain capacity through thousands of cycles.
In experiments on a six-metre carbon-dioxide pipeline with bends, joints and valves, sound sensors detected leaks and located their sources. The researchers estimated annual savings of $225,482 for monitoring one valve and about $18.9 million for monitoring pipelines, using December 2025 carbon-dioxide prices.
A study of apple, pear and kiwifruit pollen finds that adhesion to the stigma depends on several interacting forces. Pollen surface structures, pollenkitt, moisture and electrostatic charge each contribute to how pollen attaches and is positioned.
A study found that controlling how antibodies face on both the test particles and the test strip improved the sensitivity of lateral flow tests. The approach detected two cancer markers at once with little cross-reactivity and was checked against a hospital reference method in 28 serum samples.
A simulated multi-drone system used Wi-Fi signal measurements to estimate survivor locations in conditions with substantial noise. At a specified noise level, it reduced position-error and outlier measures compared with two other approaches, while spatial resampling shortened processing time.
Researchers created light-emitting W centers in silicon photonic circuits made by a commercial, CMOS-compatible foundry. The centers produced photoluminescence comparable in brightness to earlier custom-made versions, while the circuits’ electrical function remained intact.
Researchers developed a light sensor whose response time can be continuously adjusted across seven orders of magnitude, from 614 nanoseconds to 8.28 seconds. The same device can perform high-speed detection at low bias and neuromorphic, or brain-inspired, processing at higher bias.
Researchers developed a propylene-carbonate electrolyte that helped a 1-ampere-hour lithium-ion pouch cell operate from −50 to 120°C. The cell remained stable for 2,000 cycles, with an initial charge efficiency of 93.5%.
Researchers used a chiral form of phosphoserine in the lead iodide precursor for perovskite solar cells. The best device reached 26.04% efficiency and retained 90.2% of its initial efficiency after 1,000 hours of maximum-power operation.
A small tsunami arrived near the mouth of Japan’s Kurobe River about 10 minutes before the main tsunami from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. Simulations and observations indicate that the early wave formed when the earthquake moved a steep underwater slope horizontally.
A study finds that shale gas flowback fluid could be processed to recover lithium while treating the wastewater for reuse. The proposed system produced an estimated 30.1 kilograms of battery-grade lithium carbonate per day and removed more than 90% of chemical oxygen demand in the researchers’ analyses.
