Engineering Design

  1. Brain

    Nodding off may turn your creativity on

    In an experiment, people who fell into a shallow sleep were more likely than non-sleepers or deep sleepers to discover a sly math trick.

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  2. Environment

    Recycling a climate-warming gas could make ‘greener’ farmed fish

    Instead of warming the climate, methane gas can be collected to help farmers. Along the way, it may also save some fish.

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  3. Tech

    This crumb-sized camera uses artificial intelligence to get big results

    Researchers have developed a camera the size of a coarse grain of salt that takes amazingly clear photos.

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  4. Life

    In blazing heat, some plants open leaf pores — and risk death

    When heat waves and droughts collide, water is precious. Some thirsty plants try to cool off by opening tiny pores — only to lose water even faster.

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  5. Space

    Explainer: Telescopes see light — and sometimes ancient history

    Different kinds of telescopes on Earth and in space help us to see all wavelengths of light. Some can even peer billions of years back in time.

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  6. Space

    The long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope has a big to-do list

    The James Webb Space Telescope has been in the works for so long that new fields of science have emerged for it to study.

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  7. Chemistry

    Snail slime + gold could boost the power of sunscreens and more

    These two strange ingredients could make skin-care products that are better for both our skin and the environment.

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  8. Materials Science

    Analyze This: This material for 3-D printing is made by microbes

    Bacteria with tweaked genes pump out proteins that can be used in a 3-D printer. With microbes in the mix, the living ink can make drugs or suck up chemicals.

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  9. Chemistry

    Could reusable ‘jelly ice’ cubes replace regular ice?

    These hydrogel “jelly ice cubes” are made mostly of gelatin and water. They won’t melt, even when thawed, and may provide new food cooling options.

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  10. Climate

    Can scientists develop an icy sanctuary for Arctic life?

    The final refuge for summer sea ice may also protect the creatures that depend on it. Saving it is an ambitious goal with many hurdles.

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  11. Materials Science

    This glitter gets its color from plants, not a synthetic plastic

    In the new material, tiny arrangements of cellulose reflect light in specific ways to create vibrant hues in an environmentally friendly glitter.

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  12. Life

    From icebergs to smoke, forecasting where dangers will drift

    Smoke drifts. Fish eggs float downstream. Where such drifting things end up may seem a mystery. But research can predict where they’ll end up.

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