Swapping water for CO2 could make fracking greener and more effective

Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and China University of Petroleum (Beijing) have demonstrated that CO2 may make a better hydraulic fracturing (fracking) fluid than water. Their research, published May 30 in the journal Joule, could help pave the way for a more eco-friendly form of fracking that would double as a mechanism for storing captured atmospheric CO2.

* This article was originally published here

A prosthetic foot that tackles tough terrain

Taking on a hiking trail or a cobblestone street with a prosthetic leg is a risky proposition—it's possible, but even in relatively easy terrain, people who use prostheses to walk are more likely to fall than others. Now, Stanford University mechanical engineers have developed a more stable prosthetic leg—and a better way of designing them—that could make challenging terrain more manageable for people who have lost a lower leg.

* This article was originally published here

Church, couch, couple: Social psychological connections between people and physical space

Societies and people have reshaped the world many times over. From building cities and communities that live within them, to the smaller changes in a person's home or place of worship, people influence their space. Benjamin Meagher, a social psychologist at Hope College, argues that the space people shape, also shapes the individual, and that social psychology must take an "ecological" view of people in their environment.

* This article was originally published here

James Webb Space Telescope emerges successfully from final thermal vacuum test

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has successfully cleared another critical testing milestone, taking this ambitious observatory one step closer to its 2021 launch. The spacecraft has gone through its final thermal vacuum test meant to ensure that its hardware will function electronically in the vacuum of space, and withstand the extreme temperature variations it will encounter on its mission.

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Cancer-fighting combination targets glioblastoma

Researchers have paired a specialized diet and a tumor-fighting drug and found the non-toxic combination helps to destroy the two major cells found in an aggressive form of brain cancer, the team reports in the online edition of the Nature group journal Communications Biology.

* This article was originally published here

Sensor-packed glove learns signatures of the human grasp

Wearing a sensor-packed glove while handling a variety of objects, MIT researchers have compiled a massive dataset that enables an AI system to recognize objects through touch alone. The information could be leveraged to help robots identify and manipulate objects, and may aid in prosthetics design.

* This article was originally published here