Cancer cells can migrate toward certain ‘sweet spot’ environments: Study gives insight into how cancer spreads and provides a tool for developing new treatments
An international team of researchers led by University of Minnesota Twin Cities engineers have found that cancer cells can gravitate toward certain mechanical “sweet spot” environments, providing new insights into how cancer invades the body. The findings could help scientists and engineers better understand how cancer spreads and could improve future treatments. The study is […]
Lab earthquakes show how grains at fault boundaries lead to major quakes: Faults once thought to be ‘creeping’ yet stable may be at risk for big ruptures
By simulating earthquakes in a lab, Caltech engineers have provided strong experimental support for a form of earthquake propagation now thought responsible for the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that devastated the coast of Japan in 2011. Along some fault lines, which are the boundaries of tectonic plates, a fine-grained gravel is formed as the plates grind against […]
Microbes can degrade the toughest PFAS: Under anaerobic conditions, common microbial communities can break the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond
Engineers at UC Riverside are the first to report selective breakdown of a particularly stubborn class of PFAS called fluorinated carboxylic acids (FCAs) by common microorganisms. Under anaerobic conditions, a carbon-carbon double bond is crucial for the shattering the ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bond by microbial communities. While breaking the carbon-carbon bond does not completely degrade the […]
Designers find better solutions with computer assistance, but sacrifice creative touch
From building software to designing cars, engineers grapple with complex design situations every day. ‘Optimizing a technical system, whether it’s making it more usable or energy-efficient, is a very hard problem!’ says Antti Oulasvirta, professor of electrical engineering at Aalto University and the Finnish Center for Artificial Intelligence. Designers often rely on a mix of […]
Deepest sediment core collected in the Atlantic Ocean: Team on the research vessel Neil Armstrong extracts core from the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench
A team of scientists, engineers, and ship’s crew on the research vessel Neil Armstrong operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) recently collected a 38-foot-long cylindrical sediment sample from the deepest part of the Puerto Rico Trench, nearly 5 miles below the surface. The sample core is breaking records as the deepest ever collected […]
Conversion process turns pollution into cash: Converting carbon dioxide to ethylene holds commercial promise, professor says
Engineers at the University of Cincinnati have developed a promising electrochemical system to convert emissions from chemical and power plants into useful products while addressing climate change. UC College of Engineering and Applied Science assistant professor Jingjie Wu and his students used a two-step cascade reaction to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and then […]
Engineers discover method to create upward water fountain in deep water: Fountain created by lasers, Marangoni Effect is the cause
A pair of University of Houston engineers has discovered that they can create upward fountains in water by shining laser beams on the water’s surface. Jiming Bao, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UH, and his postdoctoral student Feng Lin, attribute the finding to a phenomenon known as the Marangoni effect, which causes convection […]
Engineers test an idea for a new hovering rover: A levitating vehicle might someday explore the moon, asteroids, and other airless planetary surfaces
Aerospace engineers at MIT are testing a new concept for a hovering rover that levitates by harnessing the moon’s natural charge. Because they lack an atmosphere, the moon and other airless bodies such as asteroids can build up an electric field through direct exposure to the sun and surrounding plasma. On the moon, this surface […]
Eye imaging technology breaks through skin by crossing beams: New approach to optical coherence tomography increases its depth of view in biological tissues
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a method for increasing the depth at which optical coherence tomography (OCT) can image structures beneath skin. The gold standard for imaging and diagnosing diseases within the retina, OCT has yet to find widespread use as an imaging technique for other parts of the body due to its […]