Stents can be lifesavers, propping open blood vessels to allow for healthy blood flow. But the longer a stent is in the body, the greater the risk of side effects such as inflammation and clotting. Designing a stent that will dissolve harmlessly after the artery has healed has been a challenge. Now scientistsare experimenting with a novel material that may lead to a new generation of bioabsorbable stents: zinc.

Researchers have proposed a new technology that could divert vibrations away from load-bearing elements of bridges to avoid catastrophic collapses. The “wave bypass” technique has many similarities to those being used by researchers looking to create Harry Potter-style invisibility cloaks, which exploit human-made materials known as metamaterials to bend light around objects.

Saudi Arabia is encouraged by the dramatically improved US crude oil production outlook because it could help stabilize global markets, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali I. al-Naimi said.

Noble Energy Inc. reorganized its executive structure to support the company’s anticipated growth over the next several years.

Lukoil plans to begin drilling production wells in September 2014 an early-oil project on its Imilorsko-Istochnoye license in West Siberia (OGJ Online, Feb. 25, 2013).

US Deputy Interior Secretary David J. Hayes announced he will leave his post June 30 to become a senior fellow at the Hewlett Foundation and teach at Stanford University’s law school.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. selected Shell as its partner to develop sour gas reservoirs in giant Bab gas-condensate field 150 km southwest of the city of Abu Dhabi to supply the local market.

The front-month crude price was up 1.4% Apr. 29 on the New York futures market, pulled along by an equity market that anticipated the European Central Bank will reduce interest rates at its May 2 meeting while the Federal Reserve Bank won’t raise its rates.