Tech & AI

Researchers combined three imaging techniques to pinpoint exactly where and why clots develop in ECMO machines—artificial lungs that keep severely ill patients alive. The findings could guide design improvements and better anticoagulation protocols, reducing a major complication that costs hospitals time, resources, and patient safety.EN

A new composite binder made from bioash and minimal cement can solidify contaminated soil and lock away heavy metals like zinc and cadmium at a fraction of the cost of conventional methods. A pilot test treating 100 tonnes of soil in northern Sweden proved the approach works at scale, offering a cost-effective remediation path for mining regions across Europe.EN

Researchers have identified chemical recipes that extract valuable materials—copper, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth—from industrial sludge left behind during copper processing. The breakthrough could turn a costly waste stream into a profitable secondary resource, reducing mining pressure on scarce elements while solving an environmental liability.EN

Scientists have identified the optimal settings for sintering aluminum parts made with low-cost extrusion-based 3D printing, potentially unlocking a faster, safer route to metal manufacturing. The findings could accelerate adoption of additive manufacturing in industries from aerospace to automotive by eliminating expensive laser equipment.EN

Researchers have developed a specialized AI algorithm that solves hard optimization problems—like delivery routing and factory scheduling—more efficiently than existing approaches. The advance could help companies reduce logistics costs and improve resource allocation in real-world operations.EN

Five years into publishing urban sustainability research, npj Urban Sustainability argues that cities have exhausted incremental fixes and need fundamental regeneration strategies. For investors and policymakers, the shift signals that adaptation-focused infrastructure—from smart grids to waste systems—must now integrate circular economy principles and social justice to deliver real climate outcomes.EN

Researchers created a streamlined artificial intelligence system that diagnoses gastric cancer from tissue samples with 98% accuracy while running 30 times faster and smaller than traditional models. The breakthrough matters because hospitals can now deploy cancer detection on standard computers and mobile devices, reducing diagnosis wait times and expanding screening capacity in resource-limited settings.EN

Researchers have developed a chemical process that makes silicon particles more durable in lithium-ion batteries, achieving high charging efficiency and stable performance over repeated cycles. The advance could extend battery life and reduce costs for electric vehicles and grid storage systems that rely on silicon-enhanced anodes.EN

Datadelning blir tvingande — men kostnaderna är dolda. Amerikanska och europeiska finansiärer kräver nu att forskare delar data, men förberedelse, lagring och kuratoring kan sluka cirka 20 procent av en forskningsprojekts driftbudget. Det framgår ur en analys från UCSF:s neurkirurgiska centrum, som kartlagt faktiska kostnader för datamaintenance och delning i federerade miljöer. Studien visar att återvinningen är substantiell — specialiserade databaser genererar anslaget mellan 2700 och 6500 procent avkastning räknat från initiala förvärvskostnader. För AI-produktchefer och investerare i deeptech innebär detta att budgetering för datakuratorer, informationsteknik och långsiktig lagring måste in redan i planeringsfasen. Utan rätt kompetens och finansiering blir mandaten ineffektiva. Framtida leverantörsval bör därför väga in mognadsnivå på datainfrastruktur som kritiskt urvalskriterium.

A new case study of a government ministry's AI chatbot found significant gaps between how officials expect citizens to respond and actual public sentiment. The findings suggest agencies deploying AI for citizen services may be underestimating trust concerns—a critical factor for adoption rates and service legitimacy.EN

Researchers have successfully modeled and tested supersonic combustion in scramjet engines—a critical breakthrough for the next generation of hypersonic aircraft. The work, which combines advanced simulations with real flight-scale experiments, could accelerate development of military and commercial hypersonic vehicles by providing engineers with reliable design tools they've lacked.EN

Researchers have developed practical techniques to repair and stabilize irregular salt caverns used for hydrogen and compressed air energy storage. The findings could accelerate deployment of large-scale energy storage systems critical for grid stability and renewable energy integration—a $10+ billion market growing rapidly as nations electrify.EN

Researchers analyzing Turkey and Sweden's construction sectors have identified which factors most influence the industry's transition to sustainable practices—and crucially, which ones drive change in others. The findings could help policymakers and construction firms prioritize investments and regulations where they'll have the greatest ripple effect.EN

Researchers found that five major disease-relevant enzymes pick their protein targets based on surrounding chemical context, not just known consensus patterns. The discovery could reshape how drug developers design therapies and predict off-target effects in precision medicine.EN

Researchers have created yeast-based microcapsules that cling to plant leaves and release pesticides only when needed, slashing waste by over 80%. The technology could significantly reduce chemical runoff while lowering farmers' input costs—a breakthrough that addresses both environmental and agricultural economics.EN

Scientists have demonstrated a new way to squeeze light into impossibly small spaces without the heat damage that plagues current methods, dramatically improving light-frequency conversion efficiency. The breakthrough uses a ceramic material called lithium niobate and could enable more compact, efficient photonic devices for telecommunications, sensing, and quantum computing applications.EN

Engineers have struggled to predict when rubber components fail because existing fatigue tests vary wildly depending on loading conditions. A new mathematical approach promises consistent predictions regardless of stress patterns, potentially extending the lifespan of everything from car suspension mounts to industrial vibration isolators—and reducing costly field failures.EN

Researchers combined machine learning with ChatGPT-style AI to forecast safety risks at dams by comparing new structures to historical cases. The system achieved 78% accuracy on real-world Chinese dams, suggesting AI could help utilities and governments prevent costly failures and flooding without expensive on-site inspections.EN

Researchers developed an automated system that generates safer, more practical mitigation recommendations for dam operators by combining AI language models with a decision-tree algorithm. The approach improved recommendation quality by 94%, potentially reducing infrastructure failures and the operational burden on engineers managing critical water systems.EN

Researchers have developed a forecasting system that predicts when parking lots will fill up by analyzing how drivers actually arrive and leave. The advance could help cities reduce traffic congestion and emissions by directing drivers to available spaces faster, while cutting the computational costs of existing prediction methods.EN

Researchers discovered that heating iron chalcogenide superconductors causes their prized quantum properties to vanish, even though the material's fundamental structure remains unchanged. The finding threatens the viability of these materials for next-generation quantum devices and suggests engineers must rethink how to engineer stable topological materials for real-world applications.EN

Researchers have discovered an unexpected connection between a new class of algebraic structures and the Jacobian Conjecture, one of mathematics' most famous open problems. The finding could reshape how mathematicians approach this decades-old puzzle, with potential implications for computational geometry and automated reasoning systems that rely on polynomial equations.EN

Researchers have cracked a major bottleneck in automated planning systems used for robotics, logistics, and autonomous systems. New compilation methods let AI planners handle safety rules and task dependencies on large, complex problems 100+ times faster than before—opening the door to practical deployment in manufacturing, supply chains, and other data-heavy industries.EN

Researchers have demonstrated that physically large antenna arrays can beam power to IoT devices reliably over distance while staying within regulatory limits. The breakthrough means battery-free connected devices could soon become practical for real-world deployments, addressing a major cost and maintenance barrier for enterprises rolling out IoT at scale.EN

Researchers have identified how atoms migrate along grain boundaries in 304L stainless steel when subjected to prolonged stress, a process that weakens the material over time. The finding could help engineers design longer-lasting components for power plants, pipelines, and aerospace systems—where unexpected failure carries enormous costs.EN