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Engineering

Dandelions are strategic about when to disperse their seeds, new research suggests.

Scientists Are Uncovering the Secrets of How Fluffy, White Dandelions Spread Their Seeds

Their seed dispersal strategies have helped these ubiquitous plants flourish all over the world, new research suggests

Scientists are considering what limits to potentially place on mirror-image cell research.

Scientists Weigh the Risks of ‘Mirror Life,’ Synthetic Molecules With a Reverse Version of Life’s Building Blocks

Though mirror biology might lead to improved drugs and other innovations, scientists have warned against potentially devastating consequences of this research

A new study examines how bees adapt to build honeycombs on top of various 3D-printed foundations.

Bees Manage to Build the Best Honeycombs, Even on Imperfect Foundations

In a new study, scientists tested how honeybees adapt to construct their hives on 3D-printed foundations of varying sizes

Bloom patterns resemble flowers as they unfold.

New Research

College Sophomore Discovers New Origami Pattern That Could Be Used to Build Telescopes and Satellites

Based on the work of a student at Brigham Young University, origami theorists have unlocked a new set of patterns that could change space exploration

A digital rendering of the bridge

Italy Plans World’s Longest Suspension Bridge to Connect Mainland With Sicily

The bridge, expected to cost more than $15 billion, would stretch more than two miles across the Messina Strait

A new study tested a device trained to translate four participants' inner thoughts.

Science Fiction? Think Again. Scientists Are Learning How to Decode Inner Thoughts

A brain-computer interface has gotten better than ever before at translating thoughts from people with speech difficulties. Researchers are also thinking through how to protect users’ privacy

Weaver ants link their bodies together to form chains while bending leaves to create their elaborate dwellings.

Weaver Ants Use Teamwork to Become ‘Superefficient,’ Building Complex Nests From Leaves With Extra Pulling Power

When humans work in large teams, they become less individually effective. But each ant grows more efficient when collaborating—a discovery that could help engineers build better robots

Only a small fraction of the world’s fisheries—roughly 2 percent—are currently monitored by observers, meaning the vast majority of fishing activity, including the bycatch of protected species, happens without oversight.

Could Artificial Intelligence Make It Easier and Safer to Monitor Fisheries?

New A.I. analysis systems aim to count fish and identify species, streamlining the time-intensive process of recording commercial fishing activity

The remotely controlled robotic rabbits have been placed at various undisclosed locations in South Florida to see how well they fool the invasive snakes.

‘Robo-Bunnies’ Are the Newest Weapon in the Fight Against Invasive Burmese Pythons in Florida

Scientists are experimenting with robotic rabbits in hopes of luring the destructive snakes out of hiding so they can be euthanized

An artist's reconstruction of the giant ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus (left), featured in the study, and researchers examining part of the creature's flipper at Sweden's Lund University (right).

Fossil Flipper Reveals Ichthyosaurs Hunted in Lethal Silence With Unique Adaptations for Stealth

An analysis of a roughly 180-million-year-old fossil fin reveals serrations and flexibility that might have served to dampen sound as the predator swam

A flamingo peeks from behind its feathers at the North Carolina Zoo.

Engineers Are Racing to Harness the Dazzling Magic of Feathers. They Haven’t Solved the Mystery Just Yet

The natural marvels, which do everything from enabling acrobatic flight to insulating against Antarctic cold, continue to inspire new designs and technologies

Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, according to the World Health Organization.

This 14-Year-Old Built an App That Detects Heart Diseases in Seconds

Siddarth Nandyala wants to put his tool in the hands of medical professionals so that they can catch cardiovascular abnormalities in their early stages

A study participant puts in a contact lens. Researchers developed lenses with nanoparticles that convert infrared wavelengths into visible light that humans can perceive.

New Contact Lenses Give Users Super-Vision to See Infrared Light—Even With Their Eyes Closed

Researchers have developed experimental contact lenses that use nanoparticles to convert the invisible wavelengths of near-infrared light into visible colors

"Purdubik's Cube" was developed and built by undergraduate students Junpei Ota, Aden Hurd, Matthew Patrohay and Alex Berta.

This Record-Setting Robot Can Solve a Rubik’s Cube Faster Than You Can Blink

Designed by a group of undergraduate students at Purdue University, the robot completes the puzzle in 0.103 seconds

The researchers conducted static compression tests to measure the force needed to break the eggs in different positions.

This Is the Best Way to Drop an Egg Without Breaking It, According to Scientists

Experiments challenge the commonly held idea that dropping an egg vertically will help prevent it from cracking in a classic school assignment

The Newark Earthworks in Ohio consist of three sections of preserved earthworks: the Great Circle Earthworks, the Octagon Earthworks and the Wright Earthworks.

An Ohio Earthwork Where Thousands Once Gathered for Celestial Observations and Religious Ceremonies Is Open to the Public

An earthen enclosure called the Octagon is drawing much-deserved attention to the state’s history-filled mounds built some 2,000 years ago by the Hopewell culture

Microscopic images of the bacteria and mycelium scaffolds. The circles indicate the likely presence of S. pasteurii bacteria.

New, ‘Living’ Building Material Made From Fungi and Bacteria Could Pave the Way to Self-Healing Structures

Researchers are developing the biomaterial as a more environmentally friendly alternative to concrete, but any wide-scale use is still far away

Historical remnants of the Comstock Lode silver mines

Engineering Marvels of the Silver State

Discover the 19th-century innovations that put Nevada on the map

Transplanting pig organs into people may soon become routine.

The Future of Transplanting Pig Organs in People

After years of research into xenotransplantation, the field is at a turning point—yet risks and ethical issues remain

Stanleya pinnata, or "prince's plume," takes up large amounts of selenium from the soil.

About One Billion People Are Deficient in Selenium. Genetic Engineering Could Change That

Hoping to stave off a global health crisis, scientists are breeding a new generation of crops that suck the mineral, which helps the thyroid and immune system, from soil

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