Invention Awards

  Ancient lead pollution in the Aegean Sea may have started 5,200 years ago — 1,200 years earlier than previously thought. Researchers analyzed sediment cores from land and sea, linking lead levels to historical human activity. The study reveals that lead contamination surged around 2,150 years ago, coinciding with the Roman Empire’s expansion into Greece. As mining for precious metals intensified, lead seeped into the environment, marking the first known instance of marine lead pollution . Ancient Lead Pollution: A New Timeline Lead pollution in the Aegean Sea may have started around 5,200 years ago, according to a study published today (January 30) in Communications Earth & Environment. This discovery suggests that human-caused l ead contamination began 1,200 years earlier than previously believed. The study also found that lead pollution increased significantly about 2,150 years ago, coinciding with the expansion of the Roman Empire in the region. To investigate this, Andr...

  A University at Buffalo study reveals that a strain isolated from contaminated soil can break down the strong carbon-fluorine bonds in PFAS, including some of the shorter-chain PFAS left behind. In the quest to take the “forever” out of “ forever chemicals ,” bacteria might be our ally. While most PFAS remediation methods focus on capturing and containing these chemicals, certain microbes can actually dismantle the exceptionally strong chemical bonds that make PFAS so persistent in the environment. A research team led by the University at Buffalo has discovered a strain of bacteria capable of breaking down and transforming at least three types of PFAS. Notably, this strain can also degrade some of the toxic byproducts produced during the breakdown process. Their findings, published in Science of the Total Environment, reveal that the bacterium Labrys portucalensis F11 (F11) metabolized more than 90% of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) over 100 days. PFOS, one of the most pre...

  Scientists have unveiled a groundbreaking method to test how thousands of active substances influence cellular metabolism simultaneously. By using high-throughput metabolomics and mass spectrometry, they identified unexpected effects of existing medications, paving the way for repurposing drugs and accelerating drug discovery. This approach could one day align patient-specific metabolic data with tailored treatments. Understanding Active Substances and Cell Metabolism How do active substances affect metabolic processes in cells? Answering this question could unlock valuable insights for developing new medications. However, investigating how a library of compounds interacts with cellular metabolism has historically been a resource-intensive task. Now, researchers from the Department of Biomedicine at the University of Basel have introduced a groundbreaking method for testing the metabolic effects of thousands of substances simultaneously. Their findings, based on a technique cal...

  Researchers at Northwestern have found a way to keep quantum networks functioning despite the inherent instability of quantum links. By strategically adding links, they demonstrated that networks can be maintained with far fewer new connections than expected, offering a more efficient model for quantum communications. Quantum Networks and Entangled Photons Entangled photons have immense potential for quantum computing and communications, but they come with a significant challenge — once used, they vanish. In a new study published on January 23 in Physical Review Letters, physicists at Northwestern University introduced a new approach to sustain communication in constantly changing and unpredictable quantum networks. Their research shows that by strategically rebuilding lost connections, the network can eventually reach a stable, though altered, state. Balancing Quantum Network Connections The key to maintaining a functioning quantum network lies in adding the right number of con...

  Researchers from the University of Amsterdam’s Institute of Physics, led by Jorik van de Groep, have developed a groundbreaking method to detect image edges with exceptional speed and minimal energy consumption. Their findings were recently published in ACS Photonics. Computing With Light As the demand for computing power continues to grow, energy consumption has become a major concern. Traditional hardware struggles to keep up with increasing software demands, making energy-efficient alternatives a pressing need. In response, researchers have been exploring new computing methods that offer high-speed performance with lower energy requirements. One promising approach is optical analog computing , a technique that uses light to perform mathematical operations before the image is even captured by a camera. Optical analog computing devices do not require electrical power, making them incredibly energy-efficient. Additionally, because these operations occur at the speed of light, th...

  Researchers have developed a revolutionary ultra-thin metasurface that can generate circularly polarized light with remarkable efficiency. By leveraging the unique properties of chirality and rotational symmetry, this breakthrough eliminates the need for bulky optical setups, enabling more compact and efficient optical devices. This innovation has far-reaching implications for fields such as medical imaging, communications, and quantum physics. Advancing Optical Technology with Metasurfaces Circularly polarized light , where electromagnetic waves spiral either clockwise or counterclockwise as they travel, is essential in many applications, including medical imaging and advanced communication technologies. However, producing this type of light typically requires large, complex optical systems that are difficult to integrate into compact devices. To overcome this limitation, a research team from Singapore, led by Associate Professor Wu Lin of the Singapore University of Technology ...

Researchers have developed a groundbreaking method to upcycle discarded plastics into new materials with enhanced properties. This innovation not only offers a potential solution to the global plastic waste crisis — where over 90% of discarded plastic ends up in landfills or pollutes natural environments — but also transforms waste into valuable, multifunctional plastics. Transforming Plastic Waste Into High-Value Materials Chemists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a method to modify the polymers in discarded plastics, creating new materials with improved properties compared to the original plastic. This process, known as upcycling, could help address the global plastic waste crisis. Currently, about 450 million tons of plastic are discarded each year, but only 9% is recycled. The majority ends up in landfills, oceans, or is incinerated. ORNL’s invention has the potential to reshape the future of plastic waste by rearranging the molecul...