For The Better

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism of oil biosynthesis and found a way to genetically engineer a type of test plant to more efficiently produce different kinds of seed oil that it otherwise wouldn’t make. While the engineering is proof-of-conc…

3D microscopes are used in applications from the life sciences to semiconductor manufacturing. Now engineers are developing patented and patent-pending innovations making them work faster to capture even more 3D images and less expensive to manufacture.

A four-legged robot trained with machine learning has learned to avoid falls by spontaneously switching between walking, trotting, and pronking — a milestone for roboticists as well as biologists interested in animal locomotion.

Electric bicycle rebates have exploded in popularity in North America as transportation planners try to get people out of their cars and into healthier, more climate-friendly alternatives. However, questions remain: Are new cycling habits sustainable? …

How did North America’s saber-toothed cats hunt without breaking their unwieldy saber-like canines, which are vulnerable to sideways bending stresses? A paleontologist provides mechanical evidence that during adolescence, when young cats were learning …

Scientists have applied a data-driven approach to understanding firefly population dynamics on a continental scale. Key findings from this new study indicate that fireflies, part of the beetle order, are sensitive to various environmental factors, from…

The first study of the use of microarray patches to vaccinate children has shown that the method is safe and induces strong immune responses. The phase 1/2 randomized trial compared results from the measles and rubella vaccine delivered by a microarray…

The research explores how CRISPR can be used to edit RNA.