MIT engineers grow “perfect” atom-thin materials on industrial silicon wafers
Their technique could allow chip manufacturers to produce next-generation transistors based on materials other than silicon.
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Can you trust your quantum simulator?
A new technique helps verify the accuracy of experiments that probe the strange behavior of atomic-scale systems.
Moving water and earth
A new understanding of how particle shape controls grain flow could help engineers manage river restoration and coastal erosion.
2.009 makes its “Move!” onstage
Students pitched prototypes for a sea turtle incubator, a wheelchair speed control, a self-cleaning firehose system, and more.
MIT engineers design a soft, implantable ventilator
The new design works with the diaphragm to improve breathing.
Study: Without more data, a black hole’s origins can be “spun” in any direction
Current measurements of black holes are not enough to nail down how the invisible giants form in the universe, researchers say.
A healthy wind
Health benefits of using wind energy instead of fossil fuels could quadruple if the most polluting power plants are selected for dialing down, new study finds.
Mysteriously bright flash is a black hole jet pointing straight toward Earth, astronomers say
The observations could illuminate how supermassive black holes feed and grow.
Earth can regulate its own temperature over millennia, new study finds
Scientists have confirmed that a “stabilizing feedback” on 100,000-year timescales keeps global temperatures in check.
Keeping indoor humidity levels at a “sweet spot” may reduce spread of Covid-19
A new study links very dry and very humid indoor environments with worse Covid-19 outcomes.
With new heat treatment, 3D-printed metals can withstand extreme conditions
A technique that transforms the metals’ microscopic structure may enable energy-efficient 3D printing of blades for gas turbines or jet engines.
Ocean microbes get their diet through a surprising mix of sources, study finds
Up to one-third of the carbon consumed by Prochlorococcus may come from sources other than photosynthesis.
In nanotube science, is boron nitride the new carbon?
A technique for synthesizing many “white graphene” nanotubes at a time paves the way for stronger, heat-resistant composites, and membranes for renewable energy.
Method for decoding asteroid interiors could help aim asteroid-deflecting missions
Astronomers have found a way to determine an asteroid’s interior structure based on how its spin changes during a close encounter with Earth.
Astronomers find a “cataclysmic” pair of stars with the shortest orbit yet
The stars circle each other every 51 minutes, confirming a decades-old prediction.