Newswise: SciNews

Wet Coffee Grounds Turned into High-Grade Solid Fuel in Just 90 Seconds

National Research Council of Science and Technology — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 09:00:22 EST

A Researcher team at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has developed a technology that converts wet spent coffee grounds directly into high-quality biochar in just 90 seconds, no drying or oil removal required.

A Light-Color-Programmed Artificial Synapse for Brain-Like Balanced Learning

Sungkyunkwan University — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:05:18 EST

The human brain actively keeps "learning" in balance, by holding on to what matters and letting go of what does not. Researchers in Korea have now reproduced this ability in a semiconductor device, using the color of light to strengthen (remember) or weaken (forget) an artificial synapse's memory.

UC San Diego Researcher Farooq Azam to Receive 2026 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences

Inamori Foundation — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:00:00 EST

The Inamori Foundation today announced Farooq Azam, a marine microbiologist and distinguished professor emeritus at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, as the recipient of its 2026 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences. Among Azam's many contributions to science is his discovery of the "microbial loop," which has influenced our understanding of the ocean's role in sustaining life and regulating the planet.

Chemist Tsutomu Miyasaka to Receive 2026 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology

Inamori Foundation — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:00:00 EST

Chemist Tsutomu Miyasaka will receive the 2026 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology for his contributions to the development of perovskite solar cells.

Inamori Foundation Announces 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureates

Inamori Foundation — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:00:00 EST

The Inamori Foundation has announced the 2026 Kyoto Prize Laureates: Tsutomu Miyasaka, Farooq Azam and Laurie Anderson.

Illinois Study: How Cracks in Dry Soil Impact Moisture Evaporation

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:05:21 EST

Soils that are exposed to prolonged drought often develop desiccation cracks, which impact soil properties and exacerbate moisture loss through evapotranspiration. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examines the evolution of soil cracking and how cracks interact with storage and movement of water in the soil.

Spatial Map of Bladder Cancer Reveals Hidden Tumor Environments and New Paths Toward Precision Therapy

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:40:31 EST

* Spatial profiling of muscle-invasive bladder cancer reveals how different tumor cell states are organized within individual tumors * Bladder tumors are not simply "luminal" (more differentiated) or "basal" (less differentiated) but often contain both cell states arranged in distinct spatial patterns * Luminal tumor cores and basal-like invasive regions respond differently to treatments * Findings provide a framework that may inform precision therapy strategies tailored to the spatial tumor cell landscape of bladder cancer

Un aditivo diminuto tiene un gran impacto en la compostabilidad del bioplastico

American Chemical Society (ACS) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:40:30 EST

Los plasticos compostables podrian formar parte de una solucion al problema de los residuos plasticos del mundo. Sin embargo, actualmente, estos materiales necesitan instalaciones industriales de compostaje para descomponerse. En un paso hacia la fabricacion de un plastico compostable en el hogar, un grupo de investigadores que publican en ACS Central Science han mejorado el acido polilactico (PLA, por sus siglas en ingles), un polimero de origen biologico y compostable muy utilizado, mediante la incorporacion de una pequena cantidad de un aditivo. Las pruebas demuestran que este aditivo ayuda al material a degradarse mucho mas rapidamente sin sacrificar cualidades fundamentales como la resistencia o la transparencia.

UT MD Anderson Shares Latest Research Breakthroughs

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:15:22 EST

* Oral combination therapy demonstrates high response rates for patients with hard-to-treat acute myeloid leukemia * Research brings new biological understanding of cancer cell origin and evolution, age-related inflammation * Studies provide insights into the tumor immune microenvironments of brain metastases treated with radiation therapy and of muscle-invasive bladder cancer * New gene therapy successfully delivers large proteins and restores muscle function in models of muscular dystrophy

NASA Selects LASP Mission to Study How Earth and Space Weather Connect

University of Colorado Boulder — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:00:27 EST

NASA has selected a mission concept led by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) to investigate the complex system of space weather that surrounds Earth, and how this system connects to our planet's atmosphere.

Study: New Nanotube Membranes Reveal Unusually Fast Lithium-Ion Transport

University of Illinois Chicago — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:00:00 EST

Findings could be used in clean energy generation and lithium recovery.

KRISS Develops Saltwater-Processed Graphene Sensor for Ultrafast Harmful Gas Detection at Room Temperature

National Research Council of Science and Technology — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:47 EST

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS, President Dr. Lee Ho Seong) has successfully developed a chlorinated graphene (Cl-Gr) gas sensor that uses readily available saltwater to rapidly detect and recover from harmful gases at room temperature.

Tiny Additive Has Big Impact on Compostability of Bioplastic

American Chemical Society (ACS) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:08 EST

Compostable plastics could be part of a solution to the world's plastic waste problem. But currently these materials need industrial composting facilities to break down. In a step toward making a home-compostable plastic, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have augmented polylactide (PLA) -- a widely used biobased and compostable polymer-- with a small amount of an additive. Tests show it helps the material degrade substantially faster without sacrificing critical qualities like strength or transparency.

Data Center Emissions Could Be Curbed with Underground Carbon Capture

American Chemical Society (ACS) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:04 EST

Over the last two decades, annual carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. have declined significantly. In recent years, however, this trend has slightly reversed, likely due to the explosive growth of data centers. As energy-intensive data centers proliferate, their emissions could undo years of decarbonization efforts. According to an analysis of data in the public domain, capturing and storing emissions in underground reservoirs could halt this reversal, researchers report in ACS' Energy & Fuels.

Chula, TCMA, and Canadian Partners Collaborate on Carbon Capture Technologies to Support Net Zero Transition

Chulalongkorn University — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 08:55:53 EST

Chulalongkorn University and the Thai Cement Manufacturers Association (TCMA) have launched a collaboration to advance the "pilot-scale carbon dioxide capture innovation" project, a key initiative aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from Thailand's cement industry and accelerating the country's transition toward net-zero emissions.

Rethinking How We Treat Mining Waste

Arizona State University (ASU) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:00:30 EST

Waste created from mining activities carries contaminants that can potentially make their way into nearby waterways. It may also contain critical minerals that could be sourced to strengthen domestic supply chains.

Intelligent, but Not Conscious: A Warning About AI Chatbots

Universite de Montreal — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 06:00:21 EST

As artificial-intelligence systems become more powerful and increasingly used for advice, comfort and psychological support, three neuroscientists sound the alarm.

Reading the Room's Magnetic Personality: New Algorithm Cuts Indoor Positioning Error by Nearly Half

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:45:35 EST

Imagine navigating a sprawling subway system or a dark tunnel where Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals cannot reach. For decades, this has been a technological blind spot. Researchers have now developed a novel navigation method that reads a building's unique magnetic "fingerprint" to determine its location with unprecedented accuracy.

Oxygen Opens New Paths for Solid-State Batteries

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:35:15 EST

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are widely viewed as a safer and more powerful alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries, but their promise is often limited by unstable interfaces inside the cell. A new study shows that carefully introducing oxygen into a sulfide-based solid electrolyte (SE) can stabilize this vulnerable interface while keeping lithium ions moving rapidly. Using lithium sulfate (Li₂SO₄) as an oxygen source, the researchers reshaped the internal lithium pathways of an argyrodite electrolyte and activated cage-to-cage ion conduction. The result is a solid electrolyte that supports high capacity, fast charging and discharging, and long cycling stability, offering a practical strategy for next-generation batteries.

A Cleaner Sodium Boost for Better Batteries

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:30:25 EST

Sodium-ion batteries are gaining attention as a lower-cost and more resource-abundant alternative to lithium-ion systems, but their practical performance is often weakened before they truly begin working. A major obstacle is the loss of active sodium ions during the first charge-discharge cycle, especially when hard carbon anodes are used. A new study reports a residue-free electrolyte additive, sodium trifluoromethanesulfinate (NaSO₂CF₃), designed to release sodium ions at the right stage of battery formation while avoiding harmful solid leftovers. By combining molecular design, electrochemical testing, and pouch-cell validation, the work offers a practical route to improving initial efficiency, cycle life, and manufacturability in sodium-ion batteries.

Tuning Platinum for Cleaner Hydrogen

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:15:39 EST

Clean hydrogen production depends on catalysts that can split water efficiently while using precious metals more wisely. A new catalyst design addresses one of the long-standing barriers in alkaline water electrolysis: the slow breakdown of water molecules on platinum (Pt) surfaces. By placing Pt clusters on a symbiotic oxide support made from titanium dioxide quantum dots and cobalt oxide (TiO₂ QDs/Co₃O₄), the study reshapes the electronic state of Pt and creates paired active sites. These sites separately accelerate water dissociation and hydrogen adsorption, enabling faster hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, stronger stability, and a clearer path toward more efficient alkaline electrolyzers.

Department of Energy Selects 36th Class of Computational Science Graduate Fellows

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:10:48 EST

Twenty-nine students working toward achieving doctorates in fields that emphasize the use of computing and mathematics have been selected for the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) program.

Across the Universe, Young Stellar Activity Drives Galactic Evolution

Ohio State University — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:00:39 EST

In a new study, astronomers have revealed new details about how young stars shape their galactic surroundings.

Midwest Tornado Outbreak: Severe Weather Risks

George Washington University — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:55:33 EST

Una nueva tela reguladora del calor se siente esponjosa como el algodon, pero no se moja

American Chemical Society (ACS) — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:50:29 EST

Una vez que el algodon se moja, saca el calor del cuerpo. Esto resulta util al hacer ejercicio o estar al aire libre en un dia caluroso, pero es peligroso en dias de frio intenso. Ahora, un grupo de investigadores que publican en ACS Energy Letters han creado un material de fibra sintetica ultraligero con una esponjosidad similar a la del algodon, pero que tambien repele el agua. El prototipo de esta tela supero al algodon regular tanto en la retencion del calor en un entorno frio como en la liberacion del calor a temperatura ambiente.