Engineering Design
- Plants
Could a plant ever eat a person?
For now, humans aren’t on the menu for carnivorous plants. But what would it take for one to consume a person?
- Environment
Fungi help rescue crops being harmed by microplastics
Microplastics in the soil hinder plant growth. But two finalists at Regeneron ISEF found that fungi and farm waste can reduce the harm.
- Fossils
This ancient bird rocked a head like a T. rex
This bird from 120 million years ago had a head like a dinosaur and a body more like today’s birds.
- Tech
Nanocrystal ‘painted’ films may someday help relieve summer heat
The rainbow palette and cooling powers of new plant-based films comes from their microscopic surface patterns of tiny crystals.
- Tech
A device spots and counts honeybees hosting a dangerous parasite
At Regeneron ISEF, three teens debuted an infrared system to detect honeybees carrying mites. It can show beekeepers when a colony needs to be treated.
- Environment
Older diesel school buses linked to more student absences
Schools that replaced or upgraded old diesel school buses increased student attendance rates, new research shows.
- Environment
Making yards more diverse can reap big environmental benefits
Replacing grass with native plants uses less water and fewer chemicals while providing additional benefits to people and wildlife.
- Tech
A new solar-powered gel purifies water in a flash
The unusual, fruit-inspired structure of this material provides quick filtration that could satisfy people's daily water needs.
- Animals
Analyze This: Puppies naturally mimic human actions
Unlike cats, whose ancestors hunted alone, dogs evolved from a species that hunted in packs. Being social might explain why pups copy humans.
- Tech
Magnetic fields melt and re-form new shape-shifting devices
Miniature machines made of gallium and magnetic particles can switch from solid to liquid and back.
- Genetics
Experiment: Are fingerprint patterns inherited?
Let’s investigate whether fingerprint patterns are created randomly or whether they are influenced by genetics.
- Chemistry
Chemists have unlocked the secrets of long-lasting Roman concrete
By searching ancient texts and ruins, scientists found a concrete recipe that could make buildings stronger — and help address climate change.
