SMRTR Science & Engineering

Science & Engineering stories

Get hand-picked daily summaries of the best, most informative science and engineering articles from around the web. Browse recent summaries, then jump to the original source when you want the full article.

Latest story• Mar 5, 2025

Delta Air Lines bets on ‘blended-wing’ flight to reduce emissions

Delta Air Lines is backing JetZero's development of a blended-wing-body aircraft to reduce fuel consumption, emissions, and noise by up to 50%. JetZero will join Delta's Sustainable Skies Lab incubator, gaining operational expertise. The startup aims to test a demonstrator in 2027, eventually carrying up to 250 passengers. This aligns with Delta's goal of carbon neutrality and 95% sustainable aviation fuel use by...

Read summary Original source

Latest stories

Satellites are polluting the stratosphere

Satellite operators are intentionally deorbiting communications satellites to prevent orbital congestion and uncontrolled reentry. The FCC now requires communications satellites to fall out of orbit within five years, with over...

Read summary Original

'Simulating scientists': A new AI tool wants to make serendipitous scientific discovery less human

Australian researchers have developed LLM4SD, a new AI tool to accelerate scientific discoveries. The open-source tool retrieves information, analyzes data, and generates hypotheses across various scientific fields. LLM4SD...

Read summary Original

AI models are dreaming up the materials of the future

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are being studied for their potential to efficiently capture and release carbon dioxide from the air, offering a promising, cost-effective approach to carbon removal and climate change mitigation.

Read summary Original

China sets world record, ‘traps’ light for 4,035 seconds to boost quantum information

Chinese scientists at the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences set a world record for light storage, holding light-based information for over an hour using a single-crystal silicon carbide film. They converted light...

Read summary Original

China’s new inverted perovskite solar modules retain 94 % efficiency after 1000 hours

Chinese researchers created high-efficiency inverted perovskite solar modules using pyrrodiazole additives, achieving 20.3% certified efficiency and 94% performance retention after 1000 hours, while enabling large-scale...

Read summary Original

SMRTR Science & Engineering

Get the next batch of curated stories in your inbox.

This archive is built from SMRTR newsletter stories. Subscribe for hand-picked stories without the extra noise.

More recent stories

Watch Unitree G1 humanoid robot kick baton mid-spin in 720° turn, master combat moves

The G1 humanoid robot by Unitree, trained in Nvidia's Isaac Simulator, showcases advanced agility by kicking a spinning baton during a 720-degree turn, enabling it to perform complex tasks in various real-world settings through...

Read summary Original

The Milky Way’s black hole is constantly bubbling

New James Webb Space Telescope observations show ongoing activity around Sagittarius A*, our galaxy's central supermassive black hole. Its plasma disk exhibits constant "bubbling" that changes rapidly, likely due to turbulence....

Read summary Original

US firm’s new rotating detonation engine for supersonic weapons passes key tests

Pratt & Whitney successfully tested a rotating detonation engine (RDE) for potential use in high-supersonic, long-range missiles. The RDE technology, with no moving parts and a unique design, offers greater efficiency, power...

Read summary Original

252 million years ago ancient frogs outsmarted Earth’s deadliest extinction: Study

Temnospondyls, ancient amphibian relatives, survived the end-Permian extinction by adapting to freshwater habitats and diverse diets, maintaining their size range and crossing tropical "dead zones," but later declined due to...

Read summary Original

After 9 months stranded in space, 2 NASA astronauts nearing their return to Earth

NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams will return to Earth in late March after a 9-month stay on the International Space Station, delayed by various issues but now set to follow their replacements' arrival on March 12.

Read summary Original

Jupiter’s Moon Io Keeps Leaking, and Scientists Are Watching

Jupiter's moon Io is the primary mass source for Jupiter's magnetosphere. Its volcanic activity creates neutral clouds and a plasma torus around Jupiter. Sodium and potassium form structures like the "banana cloud" and extended...

Read summary Original

Rising GPS interference risks planes and critical systems, can atomic clocks save us?

GPS interference has become a critical threat to aviation safety and global infrastructure, with incidents of jamming and spoofing on the rise. To combat this, researchers are developing portable atomic clocks and alternative...

Read summary Original

Citizen scientists make cosmic discoveries with a global telescope network

A global network of over 15,000 Wi-Fi-enabled telescopes, created by French company Unistellar, allows amateur astronomers to contribute to scientific discoveries across six continents. The network has aided in identifying...

Read summary Original

Scientists create woolly ma-mouse by looking at mean genes from the Pleistocene

Scientists engineered mice with seven mammoth-like cold-adaptation traits, including altered coat properties, by modifying genes from mammoths and elephants, marking progress toward potentially reviving extinct species.

Read summary Original

Chemistry: Triple bond formed between boron and carbon for the first time

Chemists at Julius-Maximilians-Universität in Germany have created the first molecule with a boron-carbon triple bond. This orange solid, called a boryne, fills a gap in chemical knowledge as such bonds were previously unknown....

Read summary Original

Breakthrough in clean energy: Palladium nanosheets pave way for affordable hydrogen

Researchers have developed a new hydrogen evolution catalyst using palladium-based nanosheets that offers efficiency similar to platinum at a much lower cost. The catalyst, called bis(diimino)palladium coordination nanosheets...

Read summary Original

NASA's Hubble finds Kuiper Belt duo may be trio

Researchers have discovered a likely stable trio of icy space rocks in the Kuiper Belt using data from NASA's Hubble Telescope and the W. M. Keck Observatory. This finding supports a theory that Kuiper Belt objects form directly...

Read summary Original

Vortion: New magnetic state can mimic biological synapses, improve data storage

Researchers have developed a new magnetic state called "vortion" for energy-efficient data storage. Using voltage instead of current, vortions can precisely control magnetic properties in nanodots, potentially mimicking...

Read summary Original

Student cracks 100-year-old math problem!

A Penn State graduate student has solved a 100-year-old math problem that could significantly improve wind turbine efficiency. Divya Tyagi's work expands on Hermann Glauert's equations by accounting for structural loads on...

Read summary Original

Butch Wilmore says Elon Musk is “absolutely factual” on Dragon’s delayed return

NASA astronauts Wilmore and Williams spent over 8 months on the International Space Station due to Starliner mission delays, leading to political controversy involving Elon Musk and Donald Trump regarding their return and the...

Read summary Original

Heat from the sun affects seismic activity on Earth

Solar heat and Earth's climate might influence seismic activity, with a study showing that including surface temperatures in forecasting models improved earthquake prediction accuracy, particularly for shallow quakes, by...

Read summary Original

Nasa astronauts stuck in space after spacecraft problems to return to Earth

Two NASA astronauts, stuck in space for nine months due to various delays, are finally set to return to Earth in late March. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will depart the International Space Station with two other crew members...

Read summary Original

UK nuclear fusion gun startup pivots to space tech after ditching reactor plans

First Light Fusion, a UK startup, has shifted focus from developing a nuclear fusion reactor to commercializing its "Big Friendly Gun" technology for defense and space applications. This pivot aims to generate revenue quickly,...

Read summary Original

Back to all archives Load more stories