NSF News
Saving an endangered species: New AI method counts manatee clusters in real time
Manatees are an endangered species with voracious appetites and often spend up to eight hours a day grazing for food in shallow waters, making them vulnerable to environmental changes and other risks.Accurately counting manatee clusters in a region…
Giant sea salt aerosols play major role in Hawaii's coastal clouds, rain
Despite their tiny sizes, aerosols — such as sea salt, dust and ash — play a significant role in shaping weather and climate. These particles scatter light, act as the starting point for cloud formation and can even initiate or limit rainfall.Now, a…
Democratizing the future of AI R&D: NSF to launch National AI Research Resource pilot
Alexandria, Virginia: Today, the U.S. National Science Foundation and collaborating agencies launched the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot, a first step towards realizing the vision for a shared research infrastructure…
Drones capture new clues about how water shapes mountain ranges
Drones flying along miles of rivers in the steep, mountainous terrain of central Taiwan and mapping the rock properties have revealed new clues about how water helps shape mountains over geological time, according to a team led by Penn State…
Researchers invent new way to stretch diamond for better quantum bits
A future quantum network may become less of a stretch, thanks to researchers at the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory and Cambridge University.A U.S. National Science Foundation-supported team has announced a breakthrough in quantum…
This week with NSF Director Panchanathan
U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan battled winter weather this week to deliver a keynote address at the IIT2024 Global Conference, pay a visit to India House and join a panel discussion at the U.S. Conference of Mayors…
Microplastics' shape determines how far they travel in the atmosphere
Just like the land and the ocean, the atmosphere is marred by a variety of pollutants. In recent years, a new form has been identified: micron-size microplastic debris that can be carried by the jet stream across oceans and continents.The debris'…
Combining cell types may lead to improved cardiac cell therapy following heart attack
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and other institutions have harnessed a combination of lab-grown cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle.The study, published in Circulation, addresses major challenges of using heart muscle cells…
'Plug-and-play' nanoparticles could make it easier to tackle various biological targets
Researchers at UC San Diego have developed modular nanoparticles that can be customized to target biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins. The surfaces of the nanoparticles are engineered to host biological molecules, making it possible…
Forming ice: There's a fungal protein for that
The way ice forms is much more interesting than expected. This basic physical process, among the most common in nature, remains somewhat mysterious despite decades of scientific scrutiny.Now, U.S. National Science Foundation-supported research by…
This week with NSF Director Panchanathan
This week, U.S. National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan welcomed Gintaras Valinčius, chairman of the Research Council of Lithuania and Audra Plepytė, Lithuanian ambassador to the U.S., to NSF headquarters. Discussions centered…
Atomic dance gives rise to a magnet
Quantum materials hold the key to a future of lightning-fast, energy-efficient information systems. However, the problem with tapping their transformative potential is that, in solids, the vast number of atoms often drowns out the exotic quantum…
Damaging thunderstorm winds increasing in central U.S.
Destructive winds that flow out of thunderstorms in the central United States are becoming more widespread with warming temperatures, according to new research by the U.S. National Science Foundation-supported National Center for Atmospheric Research…
Autonomous lab discovers best-in-class quantum dot in hours
It can take years of focused laboratory work to determine how to make the highest quality materials for use in electronic and photonic devices, which are designed to create, manipulate or detect light. Researchers have now developed an autonomous…
New model adds human reactions to flood risk assessment
Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a land-change model that simulates interactions between urban growth, increased flooding and human response. The new model could offer a more realistic assessment of risk for urban planners…
NSF and philanthropic partners announce $16 million in funding to prioritize ethical and social considerations in emerging technologies
The U.S. National Science Foundation today launched a new $16 million program in collaboration with five philanthropic partners that seeks to ensure ethical, legal, community and societal considerations are embedded in the lifecycle of technology’s…
North Atlantic's marine productivity may not be declining, according to new study of older ice cores
To paraphrase author Mark Twain, reports of declining phytoplankton in the North Atlantic may have been greatly exaggerated. An earlier study used ice cores in Antarctica to suggest that marine productivity in the North Atlantic had declined by 10%…
People are disrupting natural 'salt cycle' on a global scale, new study shows
The demand for salt comes at a cost to the environment and human health, according to a scientific review led by University of Maryland geologist Sujay Kaushal. Published in the journal Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, the U.S. National Science…
Ammonia fuel offers great benefits but demands careful action
Ammonia, a main component of many fertilizers, could play a key role in a carbon-free fuel system as a convenient way to transport and store clean hydrogen. The chemical, made of hydrogen and nitrogen, can also be burned as a zero-carbon fuel…
NSF announces IT revitalization through consolidation in support of the 'CHIPS and Science Act of 2022'
The U.S. National Science Foundation today announced a comprehensive reorganization of its information technology functions, marked by the establishment of a new independent and consolidated Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). This…