Engineering Design

  1. Environment

    Wildfire smoke seeds the air with potentially dangerous microbes

    Studies now show that most wildfires don’t kill microbes. That’s fueling worries about what risks these smoke hitchhikers might pose to people.

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  2. Animals

    Analyze This: Sharks aren’t as scary as what you see on TV

    In Shark Week shows, scientists found mixed messages about sharks, insufficient research support and little info on conserving endangered animals.

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  3. Tech

    Let’s learn about artificial intelligence

    Computers are getting smarter all the time. At some tasks, they can even outsmart people.

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  4. Tech

    Headphones or earmuffs could replace needles in some disease testing

    A new system that uses earmuffs to collect gases coming out the skin could help doctors diagnose a variety of diseases, scientists say.

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  5. Animals

    Endangered or just rare? Statistics give meaning to the head counts

    Whether studying tiny birds or massive whales, researchers collect a lot of data. The field of statistics helps them make sense of those data.

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  6. Health & Medicine

    What is the role of in-person classes in COVID-19’s spread?

    New data haven’t shown that schools pose a big coronavirus risk to kids and their families, despite fears that they might.

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  7. Environment

    Warming cities may see more rain — and frequent flooding

    Scientists are seeking to understand why and how to mop up excess precipitation.

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  8. Earth

    Stores and malls buy into ponds and rain gardens for flood control

    An extra bonus: These rainy-day ponds clean up that dirty water running off parking lots.

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  9. Chemistry

    New glue offers to turn any small walking robot into Spider-Man

    To climb walls, robot feet need to alternately stick and let go. A novel adhesive can do that. Its stickiness is controlled by electric fields.

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  10. Chemistry

    Lots of makeup may contain potentially harmful ‘forever chemicals’

    Hints of PFAS compounds have turned up in about half of tested makeup products. Waterproof mascaras and lipsticks were very likely to contain them.

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  11. Humans

    How torchlight, lamps and fire illuminated Stone Age cave art

    Experiments with stone lamps and torches are helping scientists see 12,500-year-old cave art with fresh eyes.

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  12. Animals

    Uncovering secrets of the glasswing butterfly’s see-through wings

    The tricks of its transparency include sparse, spindly scales and a waxy coated membrane.

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