New study analyzes FEMA-funded home buyout program
An analysis of FEMA's 30-year-old property buyout program offers new insight into the growing debate on managed retreat — moving people and assets out of flood-prone areas.
Read moreEngineering and Construction
New science on cracking leads to self-healing materials
Cracks in the desert floor appear random to the untrained eye, even beautifully so, but the mathematics governing patterns of dried clay turn out to be predictable — and useful in designing advanced materials.
Read moreNew production technique for high-performance polymer could make for better body armor
Using a new composite nanoparticle catalyst, researchers have shown they can make degradation-resistant PBO, a polymer used to make body armor and other high-performance fabrics.
Read moreGraphene substrate improves the conductivity of carbon nanotube network
Scientists have combined graphene and single-walled carbon nanotubes into a transparent hybrid material with conductivity higher than either component exhibits separately.
Read moreAtomic-level imaging could offer roadmap to metals with new properties
A team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a new process that could help gain new insights into high-entropy alloys and help characterize their properties.
Read moreHow to make biocatalysts immortal
Oxygen threatens sustainable catalysts that use hydrogen to produce electricity in fuel cells. Researchers have now developed a way to combat this.
Read morePredicting the impact of climate change on bridge safety
Climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of natural hazards like flooding. In turn, floodwaters erode a bridge's foundation, creating scour holes that compromise the integrity of the structure. But to date, it's been possible to quantify that scour risk. A new model developed by civil engineering researchers takes a holistic approach combining climatology, hydrology, structural engineering, and risk assessment to determine the effects of climate change on bridges.
Read moreNew capsule can orally deliver drugs that usually have to be injected
MIT engineers designed a drug capsule that can carry insulin or other protein drugs and protect them from the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract. When the capsule reaches the small intestine, it breaks down to reveal dissolvable microneedles that attach to the intestinal wall and release drug for uptake into the bloodstream.
Read moreStabilizing multilayer flows may improve transportation of heavy oils
During the past 20 years, the oil industry has begun to transition away from light oils toward heavier oils. But transporting heavy oils cost-effectively is a challenge because heavy oils are viscous — essentially a thick, sticky and semifluid mess. One way to outmaneuver this problem is a viscoplastic lubrication technique. It can complement existing methods to stabilize interfaces within multilayer flows.
Read moreBelieving in climate change doesn't mean you are preparing for climate change
Researchers found that although coastal homeowners may perceive a worsening of climate change-related hazards, these attitudes are largely unrelated to a homeowner's expectations of actual home damage.
Read more