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• Nov 19, 2025

New silicon anodes boost lithium batteries’ energy density by 250% for future EVs

German scientists developed new fiber-based silicon anodes that boost lithium-ion battery energy density by 250% compared to conventional graphite anodes. The breakthrough uses flexible, electrically conductive nonwoven fibers that accommodate silicon's expansion during charging, preventing the cracking and failure that has limited silicon's use in batteries. This technology could enable lighter electric vehicle...

Read summary Original source

Latest stories

mRNA flu vaccines are making their way through clinical trials

mRNA flu vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna show 35% and 27% better effectiveness than traditional shots. They enable faster production and better strain matching against late-emerging variants.

Read summary Original

NASA really wants you to know that 3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet

NASA recently held a press conference to discuss findings about 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar visitor and second interstellar comet detected by telescopes since July. The comet's highly eccentric orbit confirms its...

Read summary Original

China building new 7.2 GW nuclear plant to power energy needs of 5 million people

China General Nuclear Power Group started building the Zhaoyuan Nuclear Power Plant in Shandong Province with six reactors and 7.2 GW capacity. It will power 5 million households annually.

Read summary Original

Nuclear fusion reactor’s ‘first wall’ gets ‘sun-proof’ boost with ultra-resistant alloys

German researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology developed ultra-resistant alloys to protect fusion reactors' "first walls" - the innermost surfaces that directly face superheated plasma hotter than the sun. These...

Read summary Original

How Earth fights killer asteroids: Inside the man-made planetary defense system

A devastating 2013 asteroid explosion over Russia injured 1,500 people and damaged thousands of buildings, highlighting Earth's vulnerability to space rocks that could cause regional or global destruction. Scientists have built a...

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

Breakthrough method creates ultra-pure LEDs from previously useless nanoparticles

Cambridge researchers created a "molecular back door" technique that powers lanthanide-doped nanoparticles with 98% efficiency. This enables ultra-pure, low-voltage LEDs for medical imaging, optical communications, and chemical...

Read summary Original

Here’s How Rocks Heal Themselves in Deep Faults

Scientists recreated extreme underground conditions in labs to discover how crushed quartz grains weld together like "quick set fault glue," explaining how rocks heal themselves between earthquakes.

Read summary Original

Cosmic Paradox Reveals the Awful Consequence of an Observer-Free Universe

Theoretical physicists applying quantum theory and gravity to model universes discovered a startling paradox in 2019: a closed universe mathematically identical to ours appeared to have only one possible quantum state, lacking...

Read summary Original

Breakthrough cooling technique boosts antihydrogen production to record levels

CERN scientists achieved a breakthrough in antimatter production by developing a new cooling technique that generates over 15,000 antihydrogen atoms in just hours compared to previous methods requiring 10 weeks. The technique...

Read summary Original

New 'Transformer' humanoid robot can launch a shapeshifting drone off its back

Four wheels folded into propellers as a shape-shifting drone launched from the back of a humanoid robot, transforming mid-flight in a Caltech laboratory. The scene resembles science fiction, but it's the latest breakthrough in...

Read summary Original

Kale Isn’t the Superfood You Thought

University of Missouri researchers discovered that kale's nutrients are poorly absorbed by the human body because they are fat-soluble rather than water-soluble. The team developed an oil-based emulsified sauce that more than...

Read summary Original

New carbon dioxide capture plant designed for scalable deployment in Austria

Austria's new Direct Air Capture plant APU1 uses a two-zone process that moves filter material between hot and cold containers, achieving record-low energy consumption under 2,000 kWh per ton of CO2.

Read summary Original

NVIDIA powers two new Japanese supercomputers for AI and quantum breakthroughs

Japan's RIKEN research institute will deploy two new NVIDIA Blackwell-powered supercomputers in spring 2026, featuring 2,140 GPUs total to accelerate AI-driven scientific research and quantum computing development. These systems...

Read summary Original

Geothermal’s time has finally come

Geothermal energy is experiencing a technological breakthrough as startups use oil industry techniques like fracking and horizontal drilling to tap Earth's heat anywhere, not just in naturally hot spots. Companies like Fervo have...

Read summary Original

New AI Model Captures the Milky Way in Stunning Detail

Researchers used AI to create the first 100-billion-star Milky Way simulation, featuring 100 times more stars than previous models while running 100 times faster, potentially revolutionizing galaxy research.

Read summary Original

Power via light beam: Japanese system delivers a 16-foot range with infrared LEDs

Tokyo researchers developed a wireless power system using camera-guided infrared LED beams to charge small photovoltaic cells up to 16 feet away, even tracking moving targets in any lighting conditions. The technology aims to...

Read summary Original

This galaxy, located more than 13 billion light-years away, produces stars 180 times faster than the Milky Way

Astronomers found galaxy Y1, over 13 billion light-years away, that creates stars 180 times faster than the Milky Way due to warm dust at -356°F, revealing how early galaxies formed stars rapidly.

Read summary Original

The science of consciousness

Despite advances in brain research, scientists still don't understand how subjective conscious experience emerges from neural activity. MIT's new Consciousness Club, co-led by philosopher Matthias Michel and neuroscientist Earl...

Read summary Original

'From another world': 3I/ATLAS photobombs a galaxy and shows off its multiple tails in stunning new image

Astrophotographer Satoru Murata captured a stunning image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS appearing to photobomb the distant galaxy NGC 4691, located 70 million light-years away. The remarkable shot shows the comet's...

Read summary Original

Scientists pull off quantum teleportation between photons from different quantum dots

German researchers achieved the first quantum teleportation between photons from two different quantum dots, overcoming a major obstacle for building quantum repeaters needed in long-distance quantum networks. The University of...

Read summary Original

Wireless charging for rovers could unlock efficient cruising in alien worlds

Imperial College London spinoff Bumblebee Power has developed a wireless charging system that could revolutionize how Mars rovers are powered, offering an alternative to expensive plutonium-238 systems like NASA's $2 billion...

Read summary Original

Researchers achieve exaflop accuracy to map electron motion inside complex materials

Researchers achieved exascale computing speeds to simulate quantum materials with unprecedented accuracy, reducing error rates from 50% to just a few percent. Their breakthrough enables dynamic simulations of electron...

Read summary Original

New transneuron pushes robots toward human-like awareness by copying brain activity

Scientists created a revolutionary artificial neuron that mimics brain activity from multiple regions, switching between vision, planning, and movement functions by adjusting its electrical settings. The transneuron reproduced...

Read summary Original

Back to all archives Load more stories