Newswise: SciNews

ETRI Develops "Hierarchical AI Agent"...That Tackles Complex Errands with Ease

National Research Council of Science and Technology — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 20:00:49 EST

Korean researchers have developed a hierarchical AI technology that autonomously plans even complex long-horizon tasks. The development of this hierarchical task-planning AI technology, which reduces hallucinations and doubles the success rate, is expected to help robots and agents carry out long-term missions.

More Than Megawatts: How Argonne Is Connecting the Future of Energy

Argonne National Laboratory — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:15:16 EST

Argonne National Laboratory advances nuclear energy, hydropower, battery storage and grid resilience research to strengthen U.S. energy reliability, flexibility and infrastructure planning.

This Paint Changes Colors When Hit. The Uses Are Striking

Tufts University — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:10:59 EST

Imagine a paint that changes color depending on how hard its surface is hit. It could be used on football helmets to monitor concussion-level impacts, to record the handling history of shipped packages, or placed on insoles to analyze an orthopedic patient's gait.

Fermilab Installs First Beamline Component for New State-of-the-Art Accelerator

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 16:00:05 EST

Hong Wang elected to European Academy of Sciences and Arts

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:55:20 EST

Hong Wang, a senior distinguished R&D scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Transportation Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been named a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Plants Get Wearables to Track Their Health

Tufts University — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:50:21 EST

By the time farmers see curling leaves or stunted growth in their fields, their crops may already have spent days under stress. A new innovation in plant "wearable" sensors aims to catch those distress signals earlier--before the plant visibly suffers, allowing farmers to respond and help their crops thrive.

Robert Loredo to Lead Florida Atlantic's Center for Quantum Technologies, Advancing Florida's First Quantum University

Florida Atlantic University — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:40:05 EST

FAU has named Robert Loredo executive director of its FAU Center for Quantum Technologies. A leader in quantum education and workforce development, Loredo will guide the university's growing quantum research, education and industry partnerships.

Registration Opens for Tulane's Flagship Future of Energy Forum, Bringing Global Leaders to New Orleans

Tulane University — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:35:51 EST

Registration is now open for the third annual Tulane Future of Energy Forum, a premier gathering that convenes leaders from industry, government, academia, finance, technology and policy to examine the forces reshaping the global energy landscape. Over three days, participants will explore the technological breakthroughs, market shifts and policy decisions driving one of the most consequential transformations of the 21st century.

World-wide Collaboration Leads to Potentially Revolutionary AI Lab Program

Rutgers University's Office for Research — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:10:05 EST

Rutgers Office for Research (OfR) leaders collaborated with researchers around the world to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) program that has the potential to revolutionize lab research.

Study Sheds Light on How Mountaineering Mice Survive Extreme Environments

University of Nebraska-Lincoln — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:05:35 EST

Even for elite mountain climbers, reaching the summits of the Central Andes is an arduous undertaking. Atop these peaks -- some of which reach elevations of almost 7,000 meters -- it's a perenn

Peering Into Materials Down to the Nanoscale in the COCOON Lab

Tufts University — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:05:18 EST

A new materials imaging service is doing something that most microscopy centers in the world cannot: allowing examination of physical structure, molecular and elemental composition from the macroscale down to the nanoscale--all in only one imaging session

C1 Neurons Identified as a Driver of Prolonged Fear and Anxiety

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:50:15 EST

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital outlined a neurological path of anxiety-like responses, hinting at a targeted therapy opportunity.

New Report Outlines Potential to Predict Coastal Cliff Collapses

University of California San Diego — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:40:38 EST

Following a four-year study of San Diego County coastal cliffs, Scripps Oceanography scientists found that a network of in-ground sensors can provide a reliable warning of impending, dangerous landslides with hours to days notice. These promising findings could be used by emergency response authorities to create an actionable warning system to protect the public from hazardous cliff failures.

Reducing Power Temporarily Improves Carbon Dioxide Conversion

Washington University in St. Louis — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:35:45 EST

Catalysts that convert waste carbon dioxide into valuable products like acetate are designed to run continuously on electricity for the conversion process. But electricity from renewable energy sources, such as solar or hydroelectric power, often runs intermittently, which can damage parts of the catalyst and reduce performance.

DOE Expands Stable Isotope Production Capabilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Department of Energy, Office of Science — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:25:54 EST

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science's Isotope R&D and Production (IRP) program has re-established and revolutionized its domestic stable isotope enrichment capabilities.

China COPE Seminar Highlights Integrity Infrastructure; 24hreview Pre-Submission Integrity Layer Draws Industry Attention

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 06:40:31 EST

At the 2026 COPE China Seminar, a pioneering initiative translating publication ethics principles into public infrastructure sparked extensive discussion. 24hreview, positioned as a pre-submission integrity safeguard layer for publishers, presented the outcomes of its initial pilot, aiming to provide a standardized, shared pre-submission integrity layer for the global academic publishing community.

First Completed Rocky Worlds Program Observations Open New Era in Exoplanet Studies

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 06:10:17 EST

Ever since the first planets beyond our solar system were discovered, astronomers have hoped to study rocky worlds similar in size to Earth. But detecting and characterizing these planets and their atmospheres has proven extraordinarily difficult. Rocky planets are relatively small, their signals are faint, and possible atmospheres can easily be obscured by fluctuations in the stars they orbit. The Rocky Worlds Director's Discretionary Time (DDT) program was created to confront those challenges directly, using the combined powers of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescopes, to build a clearer picture of how rocky planets behave across the galaxy. The team's first completed observations are laying the foundation for the program and for the broader astronomical community's study of exoplanets.

Measuring Iron in Motion at Earth-Core Conditions

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:00:31 EST

It was a journey to the center of the Earth, if only for the briefest of moments.

JMU Experts Available to Discuss Data Center Challenges, Opportunities

James Madison University — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:55:51 EST

Chula's CUSAT Team Achieves Global Space Milestone, Prepares to Launch CUSAT-1 Satellite in 2028

Chulalongkorn University — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:55:33 EST

Students from Chulalongkorn University's Satellite and Space Technology Club (CUSAT) have made history by winning the 9th KiboCUBE Programme, a joint initiative by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

University of Delaware Team Selected to Stress-Test America's Fastest Supercomputer

University of Delaware — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:30:41 EST

A University of Delaware team is one of nine nationwide chosen to test "Discovery," set to be America's fastest supercomputer. Led by Sunita Chandrasekaran, UD researchers will run simulations to prep the platform for AI and fusion energy breakthroughs.

Immune Cells Get Transformed into Fungus-Fighting Nanoparticles

University of California San Diego — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:00:09 EST

Nanoparticles made from the membranes of human immune cells could offer a promising new way to fight fungal infections that are becoming harder to treat. The antifungal nanoparticles target Candida albicans, a fungus responsible for oral and vaginal yeast infections as well as life-threatening bloodstream infections.

Isotope Probing Shows Soil is Packed with Dormant Viruses Lying in Wait

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 03:00:50 EST

A single gram of soil contains between 10 million and 1 billion viruses. Most of those viruses do not infect plants, animals or people -- but they do target bacteria and other microbes.

The Ghost in Orion's Shell

University of Vienna — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 01:00:49 EST

An international team led by Juan Diego Soler at the University of Vienna used two of the world's most powerful radio telescopes to uncover previously hidden structures within the Orion Nebula. The project produced the sharpest maps ever made of neutral hydrogen in that region of massive star formation. The findings expose the complex relationship of star-forming regions with their environment and suggest that the Orion Nebula has been shaped by multiple episodes of stellar feedback rather than a single expanding bubble. The study has currently been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

EU Project Pursues Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion From Industrial Waste

Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:10:34 EST

Platform chemicals such as ethylene are most often made from fossil source materials and generate considerable CO₂ emissions. The EU-funded project REACT, in which Empa is one of the partners, aims to instead produce ethylene from industrial CO₂ waste, thus closing the carbon loop. The consortium is developing a functional electrolysis system for the conversion of CO₂ to ethylene.