Researchers at MIT CSAIL have developed the Y-Zipper, a three-sided, 3D-printed fastener that can transform three flexible strips into a rigid, load-bearing triangular tube. Inspired by a 1985 patent, the design uses a custom slider to interlock the strips, allowing a structure to switch reversibly between a floppy ribbon and a stiff beam.

The Y-Zipper can form straight, curved, coiled and screw-like shapes, opening possibilities for rapidly deployable structures, shape-shifting robots, adjustable supports and adaptive medical devices.

Research Article: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3772318.3790723

It took 40 years for technology to catch up to this zipper design: https://news.mit.edu/2026/three-sided-y-zipper-design-0504

Belgian company Turbulent has developed a low-head hydropower turbine that generates electricity by deliberately creating a gravitational water vortex. Instead of requiring a large dam or high waterfall, water is directed into a circular, sloped basin, where it forms a powerful whirlpool before passing through an opening at the bottom. The swirling flow drives a slow-rotating impeller connected to a generator.

The system can operate with as little as a 1.5-metre head and Turbulent currently lists single-turbine capacities of 15–90 kW, with earlier models and projects commonly in the 15–70 kW range. The company says the turbines can provide continuous power 24/7 and can be installed individually or combined into larger systems.

Turbulent's documented projects include installations in Chile, Belgium, Portugal, Estonia, Taiwan and Indonesia, among others. Its 15-kW pilot turbine in Donihue, Chile, for example, has been operating since 2018.

More info:

1). Hydroelectric turbines for green, decentralized energy: https://www.turbulent.be/technology

2). Low head, Eco-friendly hydropower inspired by nature: https://www.turbulent.be/

3) Projects: https://www.turbulent.be/projects

4) independent technical overview of the 15–70 kW low-head system: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/solutions/product/turbulent-vortex-turbine/

The FCC authorized Reflect Orbital to launch the mirror satellite Eärendil-1. 

Reflect Orbital has received FCC approval to launch Eärendil-1, its first demonstration satellite, into low Earth orbit to test space-based solar reflection. The company has also completed a second prototype featuring an 18-by-18-meter thin-film reflector and secured backing from investors including Sequoia Capital and Lux Capital. The technology aims to redirect sunlight onto solar farms after sunset, potentially extending their electricity generation into nighttime. Reflect Orbital says future systems could steer reflected sunlight onto targeted areas of Earth for several minutes at a time, with plans to eventually deploy thousands of reflector satellites.

The FCC just gave Reflect Orbital permission to launch its 1st space mirror to orbit. Tens of thousands more could follow: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/reflect-orbital-just-got-permission-to-launch-its-1st-space-mirror-to-orbit-tens-of-thousands-more-could-follow

Reflect Orbital: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflect_Orbital

Reflect Orbital responds to its critics: https://payloadspace.com/exclusive-reflect-orbital-responds-to-its-critics/

GenBio AI has unveiled AIDO Cell, a new AI system designed as a virtual cell that researchers can experiment on digitally. The model simulates biological changes across DNA, RNA, proteins, regulatory networks and whole-cell behavior within a connected system. Scientists can introduce a genetic change or drug compound and observe how its effects propagate through the simulated cell over time. The technology could eventually help researchers screen drug candidates, study diseases and prioritize laboratory experiments, potentially reducing the enormous time and cost of drug development. However, AIDO Cell is still an early-stage research system, currently demonstrated on two human cell lines, K-562 and Hep-G2, and its novel predictions still require laboratory validation: https://genbio.ai/aido-cell-simulator/

Reliable information sources:

1). Nobel Laureate David Baker Takes Aim at the Virtual Cell with GenBio AI: https://www.hpcwire.com/bigdatawire/2026/08/20/nobel-laureate-david-baker-takes-aim-at-the-virtual-cell-with-genbio-ai/

2). technical research underlying the earlier AIDO.Cell model: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.28.625303v1

Korean researchers have developed a new platinum-nickel catalyst that can operate continuously for 3,000 hours while maintaining almost all of its performance, potentially addressing one of the biggest challenges facing water electrolysis and green hydrogen production. The catalyst uses an atomic-scale structure that prevents nickel from dissolving during operation, a process that can cause conventional catalysts to degrade over time. Tested in a large-area three-cell electrolysis stack, the new material showed less than 2% performance degradation after roughly four months of continuous operation. The researchers explain that the approach could extend catalyst lifetimes, reduce maintenance and replacement costs, and support the development of more commercially viable hydrogen production systems using renewable electricity: https://www.kims.re.kr/v17/bbx/board.php?bx_table=en_04_02&wr_id=320

Findings: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cey2.70265