Galileo revisited: How ribbons roll
In a twist on a classic experiment, MIT researchers discover how flexible cylinders behave when rolling down a slope.
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Solar cell, heal thyself
New self-assembling photovoltaic technology can keep repairing itself to avoid any loss in performance.
All charged up
Ability to recharge rapidly could make electric cars more acceptable to consumers, says MIT student team
Financial impacts of ‘cap and trade’
Analysis shows that, contrary to some claims, proposed legislation to limit carbon emissions would not disadvantage those with lower incomes.
Silicon can be made to melt in reverse
Material that shows melting while cooling might someday lead to applications in solar cells and other devices
Explained: Bandgap
Understanding how electrons get excited is crucial to creating solar cells and light-emitting diodes
In the World: Breath of life
Low-cost portable ventilator could be a lifesaver for people in remote locations and for hospitals in the developing world.
Explained: Phonons
When trying to control the way heat moves through solids, it is often useful to think of it as a flow of particles.
Thin films show surprising reactivity
MIT findings of high oxygen activity in thin-film materials might someday lead to greatly increased power production from future fuel cells
In the World: Easy on the eyes
Simple, low-cost device that affixes to a cell phone could provide quick eye tests throughout the developing world.
Enhancing the power of batteries
MIT team finds that using carbon nanotubes in a lithium battery can dramatically improve its energy capacity.
'You can’t play it safe and win’
Speaker Ray Stata urges graduates to find solutions to humanity’s greatest problems — and to risk failure along the way — at MIT Commencement.
‘Efficiency Forward'
Ambitious collaboration between MIT and NSTAR aims to cut campus electricity use by 15 percent over 3 years.
A good many years before Goodyear
Mesoamerican people perfected details of rubber processing more than 3,000 years ago, new MIT study suggests.
Explained: The Carnot Limit
Long before the nature of heat was understood, the fundamental limit of efficiency of heat-based engines was determined