New research shows that so-called biodegradable products are likely doing more harm than good in landfills, because they are releasing a powerful greenhouse gas as they break down.

It might not seem like scraping the top of a cold stick of butter with a knife could be a scientific test, but engineers say the process is very similar to the "scratch test," which is perhaps the oldest known way to assess a material's hardness and strength. Using butter as a launching point, they found that the scratch test is actually measuring a material's toughness rather than its strength.

A new biomaterial designed for repairing damaged human tissue doesn't wrinkle up when it is stretched. The invention from nanoengineers marks a significant breakthrough in tissue engineering because it more closely mimics the properties of native human tissue.

Scientists are reporting development and successful testing of a promising new way of using a troublesome byproduct of the global steel industry as raw materials for bricks that can be used in construction projects.

In a step toward engineering ever-smaller electronic devices, scientists have assembled nanoscale pairings of particles that show promise as miniaturized power sources. Composed of light-absorbing, colloidal quantum dots linked to carbon-based fullerene nanoparticles, these tiny two-particle systems can convert light to electricity in a precisely controlled way.

Stone masonry arches form part of numerous historic buildings -- religious edifices, bridges, walkways and aqueducts. Although solid structures are involved, the environmental and historical conditions of the bearing load, use and accidental factors can cause their collapse. An industrial engineer in Spain studied an innovative system for the rehabilitation of these masonry arches.