Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact
Rapid development and deployment of powerful generative AI models comes with environmental consequences, including increased electricity demand and water consumption.
Minimizing the carbon footprint of bridges and other structures
MAD Design Fellow Zane Schemmer writes algorithms that optimize overall function, minimize carbon footprint, and produce a manufacturable design.
An abundant phytoplankton feeds a global network of marine microbes
New findings illuminate how Prochlorococcus’ nightly “cross-feeding” plays a role in regulating the ocean’s capacity to cycle and store carbon.
A nonflammable battery to power a safer, decarbonized future
The startup Alsym Energy, co-founded by Professor Kripa Varanasi, is hoping its batteries can link renewables with the industrial sector and beyond.
MIT engineers make converting CO2 into useful products more practical
A new electrode design boosts the efficiency of electrochemical reactions that turn carbon dioxide into ethylene and other products.
How climate change will impact outdoor activities in the US
Using the concept of “outdoor days,” a study shows how global warming will affect people’s ability to work or enjoy recreation outdoors.
Study evaluates impacts of summer heat in U.S. prison environments
MIT researchers identify facility-level factors that could worsen heat impacts for incarcerated people.
3 Questions: The past, present, and future of sustainability science
Professor Ronald Prinn reflects on how far sustainability has come as a discipline, and where it all began at MIT.
Study: Rocks from Mars’ Jezero Crater, which likely predate life on Earth, contain signs of water
The presence of organic matter is inconclusive, but the rocks could be scientists’ best chance at finding remnants of ancient Martian life.
Scientists find a human “fingerprint” in the upper troposphere’s increasing ozone
Knowing where to look for this signal will help researchers identify specific sources of the potent greenhouse gas.
Making climate models relevant for local decision-makers
A new downscaling method leverages machine learning to speed up climate model simulations at finer resolutions, making them usable on local levels.
Microscopic defects in ice influence how massive glaciers flow, study shows
The findings should help scientists refine predictions of future sea-level rise.
Study: Heavy snowfall and rain may contribute to some earthquakes
The results suggest that climate may influence seismic activity.
How light can vaporize water without the need for heat
Surprising “photomolecular effect” discovered by MIT researchers could affect calculations of climate change and may lead to improved desalination and drying processes.
MIT-derived algorithm helps forecast the frequency of extreme weather
The new approach “nudges” existing climate simulations closer to future reality.