Rice University

Purifying polluted soil can be a difficult process, often requiring the soil to be dug up and transported to an offsite remediation facility. Now, however, scientists have developed an eco-friendly method of treating it where it lays – by zapping it.

For people such as Gary Lynn, cerebral palsy makes it nearly impossible to perform tasks like getting a sip of water without human assistance. He can now get those sips on his own, however, thanks to a student-designed device known as the RoboCup.

In a move that echoes a sci-fi series, researchers have developed a material that was able to not only stimulate nerves in rodents, but reconnect them as well. The finding could lead to injectable particles that take the place of larger implants.

Splitting the gene editor used in traditional CRISPR technology creates a more precise tool with significantly less chance of causing unintended mutations, a new study has found. The novel tool could correct half of the mutations that cause disease.

Researchers have harvested hydrogen from waste plastics using a low-emissions method. They say it not only solves environmental problems, but the value of the graphene by-product could offset the costs of producing hydrogen.

Although we're moving away from being a throw-away society, single-use nitrile gloves are still widely utilized in healthcare settings. That may not always be the case, however, thanks to the development of reusable gloves that cook viruses.

Haptic feedback systems, in which users receive tactile signals, definitely show a lot of promise … but they can be electronically complex. An experimental new setup makes things simpler, by incorporating pneumatic pouches into wearable sleeves.

It goes without saying that the cameras on self-driving cars can't see around the corners of buildings. The ORCa computer vision system, however, could one day allow them to do so … with a little help from shiny objects that they can see.

Scientists have discovered that the feces of coral-biting fish is brimming with beneficial symbionts. If scientists could get stressed-out coral to take them on board, essentially a 'poop transplant,' it may help reverse some forms of coral bleaching.

Missing medications or not taking them as required can have costly results. Bioengineers at Rice University may have the solution to missed medications, using advanced technology to create a system that delivers time-released drugs.

The production of the cement is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, which is why some people have tried replacing it with fly ash. A new technique makes that fly ash more eco-friendly, resulting in concrete which is greener and stronger.

For studies on insect-borne diseases, many a human has sacrificed an arm in a tank full of mosquitos. Now, a new artificial skin filled with real blood might spare humans the itchy bites, while providing a greater insight into mosquito behavior.