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 29, 2026

New tech 3D prints rocket parts using multiple metals at once, cuts process time by weeks

German researchers developed 3D printing technology that combines multiple metals in a single print run to create rocket components, potentially cutting development time by weeks compared to traditional manufacturing that requires separate fabrication and assembly of individual parts. This breakthrough enables stronger, lighter engines by strategically placing different metals where needed most, helping European...

Read summary Original source

Latest stories

How ultraprecise ‘nuclear clocks’ could transform timekeeping

Scientists are developing ultra-precise "nuclear clocks" using thorium-229 that could surpass current atomic clocks. After discovering the required energy transition in 2024, working prototypes are expected by 2026.

Read summary Original

Scientists just found a way to store massive data using light in 3 dimensions

Scientists developed a revolutionary holographic data storage method that uses three properties of light—amplitude, phase, and polarization—to store massive amounts of information in three dimensions rather than on flat surfaces...

Read summary Original

This new carbon material could make carbon capture far more affordable

Japanese researchers created "viciazites," a carbon material with controlled nitrogen patterns that captures CO2 efficiently and releases it below 60°C, making carbon capture more affordable using waste heat.

Read summary Original

Scientists discover liquids can fracture like solids under extreme stress

Drexel researchers discovered that ordinary liquids can fracture like solids when stretched rapidly, reaching a critical stress point where they snap audibly like breaking glass.

Read summary Original

Solar cells just did the “impossible” with this 130% breakthrough

Scientists developed a molybdenum-based complex using singlet fission technology that achieves 130% energy conversion efficiency. This breakthrough allows one photon to generate multiple energy carriers, surpassing solar power's...

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

We thought we knew the shape of the universe. We were wrong

For decades, scientists believed the universe was flat like an infinite plane based on cosmic microwave background data that showed no circular patterns indicating the cosmos loops back on itself. However, new research from the...

Read summary Original

A rare star in a tiny galaxy preserves a record of the early universe

Astronomers discovered PicII-503, an extremely chemically primitive star in a tiny dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way that represents only the second generation of stars ever formed in the universe. The star's extreme lack of heavy...

Read summary Original

Scientists Observe Atoms Existing in Two Places at Once

Australian researchers successfully observed helium atoms existing in two locations simultaneously, marking the first time this quantum phenomenon has been directly seen in matter rather than light. Using ultra-cold helium atoms...

Read summary Original

A planet that tricks physics? Webb reveals the secret behind Saturn’s strange rotation

Saturn appeared to rotate at different speeds depending on measurement methods, baffling scientists for decades since planets shouldn't change rotation rates. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers discovered Saturn's...

Read summary Original

Static electricity has baffled scientists for centuries. Can new research solve the puzzle?

Scientists have long struggled to understand static electricity's fundamental mechanisms, with experiments producing inconsistent results for centuries. New research by physicist Scott Waitukaitis reveals that materials' charging...

Read summary Original

Magellan: AI agents for autonomous cross-disciplinary scientific discovery

Magellan is a multi-agent AI system that autonomously discovers real scientific connections across fields that humans haven't yet made. Users simply type "/discover" and wait. The system uses 15 specialized AI agents powered by...

Read summary Original

World’s first antimatter transport by truck could decode why matter survived Big Bang

Ninety-two antiprotons just took their first truck ride across Geneva, surviving a 6.2-mile journey that could revolutionize our understanding of why the universe exists at all. Scientists at CERN successfully transported...

Read summary Original

Can AI actually solve real math proofs? Researchers put it to the test

Researchers tested AI on unsolved math problems, finding that while advanced systems solved 5-6 out of 10 challenges, AI used brute-force methods rather than elegant proofs mathematicians prefer.

Read summary Original

Researchers build experimental drone that flies without moving parts

Rutgers University engineers have developed an experimental drone that flies without traditional moving parts like motors or gears, instead using electricity-driven materials that flex and twist like bird wings. The solid-state...

Read summary Original

This tiny implant, smaller than a grain of salt, can read your brain

Cornell University researchers have developed a neural implant smaller than a grain of salt that can wirelessly transmit brain activity data for over a year using red and infrared laser beams. The microscale device, called MOTE,...

Read summary Original

A private moon lander challenges ideas about lunar volcanism

Blue Ghost's lunar lander measured subsurface heat flow, finding the moon's interior is much cooler than expected. This discovery challenges existing theories about ancient volcanic activity and lunar geological history.

Read summary Original

Scientists just solved a major mystery about how your brain stores memories

University of Bonn researchers discovered that the human brain stores memories using two separate neuron groups - one for content and another for context - rather than mixing both types of information in the same cells like...

Read summary Original

Earth’s magnetic field may be more powerful than we thought

China's Chang'e 4 lunar lander discovered that Earth's magnetic field extends much farther into space than previously believed, creating a protective "cavity" that shields even the moon from dangerous galactic cosmic rays. This...

Read summary Original

Astronomers solve 50-year mystery of a naked-eye star’s extreme X-rays

The star γ Cassiopeiae has puzzled astronomers since 1976 when they discovered it emits X-rays forty times stronger than expected from typical massive stars. Using Japan's XRISM space telescope, researchers tracked the source of...

Read summary Original

24 new deep-sea species found including a rare new branch of life

Scientists discovered 24 new deep-sea amphipod species in the Pacific Ocean's Clarion-Clipperton Zone, including an entirely new superfamily called Mirabestioidea — a rare evolutionary branch that represents a major scientific...

Read summary Original

MIT engineers find battery dendrites grow faster under low stress, defying old theories

MIT engineers discovered that battery dendrites—tiny structures causing short circuits in solid-state batteries—actually grow faster under low stress conditions, contradicting decades-old theories that blamed mechanical stress....

Read summary Original

How magnetic is the moon? A new study cracks the long-standing mystery

Oxford researchers found that high-titanium Apollo rock samples created misleading impressions of the moon's early magnetic field. The moon actually had mostly weak magnetism with only brief strong episodes lasting thousands of...

Read summary Original

Clumps of mouse brain cells can learn to play a virtual game

Mouse brain organoids the size of peppercorns successfully learned to balance a virtual pole on a moving cart through electrical feedback training, demonstrating short-term learning abilities. The organoids achieved the 20-second...

Read summary Original

Back to all archives Load more stories