News
Why Twist Bioscience's complex genes offering is a bet on AI-driven protein design
9+ hour, 13+ min ago (252+ words) Research & Development World By Brian Buntz | May 17, 2026 That is roughly the strategic logic behind the latest product launch from the DNA synthesis firm Twist Bioscience, which is expanding its clonal genes line to cover longer and more structurally difficult sequences....
Sandia turns to lightweight AI to speed up ceramic inspections for nuclear weapons components
1+ day, 9+ hour ago (466+ words) Research & Development World By Brian Buntz | May 16, 2026 At Sandia National Laboratories, inspecting ceramic components destined for nuclear deterrence applications traditionally meant lots of manual work. Inspectors would sit at a microscope for up to an hour per part where they…...
How academia is dealing with federal cuts to scientific research
2+ day, 15+ hour ago (509+ words) Research & Development World By Julia Rock-Torcivia | May 15, 2026 Federal funding cuts are affecting scientists across the country. In academia, cuts are causing budget reductions, termination of ongoing research and disruption to the talent pipeline." Universities are facing a 15% cap on facilities…...
NSF bets $1. 5 B on X-Labs initiative to fund "generational breakthrough" as core budget faces proposed 55% cut
2+ day, 10+ hour ago (267+ words) R&D World The NSF X-Labs initiative, announced May 14, will fund full-time teams of researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs through milestone-based awards issued as Other Transactions Agreements. The contracting mechanism bypasses traditional grant infrastructure. . The NSF X-Labs push comes as NSF…...
Hi Fi Consortium identifies genetic causes in 1 in 10 infertile couples
2+ day, 12+ hour ago (481+ words) Research & Development World By Julia Rock-Torcivia | May 15, 2026 Pac Bio's Hi Fi Solves Sub-fertility Consortium published a preprint of its first major study. The study focused on couples with unexplained subfertility or recurrent pregnancy loss after standard clinical evaluation had ruled…...
Researchers validate first clinical test for Andes virus
3+ day, 15+ hour ago (407+ words) Research & Development World By Julia Rock-Torcivia | May 14, 2026 An outbreak of Andes virus (ANDV), a strain of hantavirus, on a cruise ship has made a diagnostic test more urgent than ever. The incubation period for ANDV ranges from four to 42 days,…...
Medtronic launches five-year post-approval study for Altaviva, a 44 mm neurostimulator implanted without sedation or imaging
3+ day, 11+ hour ago (550+ words) R&D World Altaviva image courtesy of Medtronic The medical device giant Medtronic won approval for its Altaviva implant, a tibial neurostimulator, in September. The device, roughly half the length of a stick of chewing gum (43. 7 " 15. 7 " 4. 5 mm, 7. 5 g), recently won a…...
Analyses find thousands of papers with AI-generated errors
3+ day, 12+ hour ago (558+ words) Research & Development World By Julia Rock-Torcivia | May 14, 2026 A recent study that examined 2. 5 million papers suggests that nearly 3, 000 biomedical science papers contain fake references. One of the co-authors, Maxim Topaz, told Nature that the findings are "conservative underestimates" of the true…...
This week in AI research: Fields medalist says GPT-5. 5 Pro did Ph D-level math in an hour, Anthropic teaches Claude to 'dream"
4+ day, 13+ hour ago (913+ words) This week in AI research: Fields medalist says GPT-5. 5 Pro did Ph D-level math in an hour, Anthropic teaches Claude to 'dream' R&D World The past week or so, Anthropic's gated Mythos model remains a news fixture, drawing White…...
Microplastics may contribute to global warming
4+ day, 16+ hour ago (369+ words) Research & Development World By Julia Rock-Torcivia | May 13, 2026 A new study published in Nature Climate Change concluded that atmospheric microplastics may significantly contribute to global warming. The study showed that microplastics" warming effect equates to about 16. 2% of that of black carbon,…...