Firebricks offer low-cost storage for carbon-free energy
Ancient technology could be used to level electricity prices for renewables.
How retractions hurt scientists’ credibility
Study finds faulty research creates a significant drop in use of prior published work.
Gregory Falco: Protecting urban infrastructure against cyberterrorism
PhD student works at the intersection of urban planning and computer science.
Team gathers unprecedented data on atmosphere’s organic chemistry
Colorado forest study provides clearest-ever picture of gases released into the atmosphere and how they change.
Study suggests simple way to predict preterm births
Test of cervical mucus may reveal pregnant women’s risk of going into labor too early.
Glassy carbon, now with less heat
Carbon nanotubes lower the transformation temperature of glassy carbon, possibly aiding manufacturers, MIT researchers report.
Measuring depths, scaling heights
When not climbing mountains, nuclear science and engineering PhD candidate Leigh Ann Kesler tracks erosion inside fusion reactor containment chambers.
New way to test antibiotics could lead to better drugs
Study finds bacterial response to drugs varies in different environments.
Neighboring exoplanets may hold water, study finds
Observations and modeling suggest TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets may have held onto water, billions of years after their formation.
Making data centers more energy efficient
Flash-memory system could reduce power consumption of data center “caches” by 90 percent.
Robotic system monitors specific neurons
Success rate is comparable to that of highly trained scientists performing the process manually.
Robot learns to follow orders like Alexa
ComText, from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, allows robots to understand contextual commands.
New robot rolls with the rules of pedestrian conduct
Approach may enable robots to move around hospitals, malls, and other areas with heavy foot traffic.
Strength of global stratospheric circulation measured for first time
Estimate will help gauge hang time of greenhouse gases, water vapor, and ozone in upper atmosphere.
Bradley Olsen: Designing polymers with novel features
Chemical engineer seeks to develop and understand materials that behave in radically new ways.