Pandemic pollution drop found to boost solar panel output

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world in many ways, some obvious and some less so. Now, scientists have quantified an effect that lies a few links down the chain, finding that solar panels in certain cities have seen a boost in output, du… Continue reading Pandemic pollution drop found to boost solar panel output→

MIT nanoparticles tag proteins to reveal disease via the breath

Using the breath to gauge the health of our lungs and reveal diseases related to them is emerging as a diagnostic tool with huge potential, with a number of promising technologies on the horizon. Joining them is a new type of nanoparticle developed at … Continue reading MIT nanoparticles tag proteins to reveal disease via the breath→

Puzzled astronomers watch a black hole vanish and reappear in a year

Despite the name, black holes often shine very bright in the sky. That’s due to a hot, glowing ring of dust and gas that surrounds them, called the corona. Now, astronomers have been puzzled to witness a black hole’s corona suddenly vanish – and as if … Continue reading Puzzled astronomers watch a black hole vanish and reappear in a year→

Radiation appears to help some metal alloys self-heal

Radiation is famously damaging, both to living tissue and materials. But now, engineers at MIT have been surprised to discover that radiation may actually help certain alloys to self-heal, extending their useful lifetime. This could obviously help info… Continue reading Radiation appears to help some metal alloys self-heal→

DIY Baby MIT Cheetah Robot

3D printers have become a staple in most makerspaces these days, enabling hackers to rapidly produce simple mechanical prototypes without the need for a dedicated machine shop. We’ve seen many creative 3D designs here on Hackaday and [jegatheesan.soundarapandian’s] Baby MIT Cheetah Robot is no exception. You’ve undoubtedly seen MIT’s cheetah …read more

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Tiny quantum fluctuations observed moving 40-kg mirror

Physics is mostly divided into two areas – classical physics describes how large objects and systems work on a scale that we see every day, while quantum physics describes the “spooky” subatomic world. Now, scientists have observed a rare crossover, wh… Continue reading Tiny quantum fluctuations observed moving 40-kg mirror→

Shrimp shells offer a green ingredient for large-scale flow batteries

Lithium-ion batteries power much of the modern world, but when it comes to renewable energy, scientists see great potential in an emerging alternative known as redox flow batteries. Researchers have developed a new electrode component for these storage… Continue reading Shrimp shells offer a green ingredient for large-scale flow batteries→

Shrimp shells offer a green ingredient for large-scale flow batteries

Lithium-ion batteries power much of the modern world, but when it comes to renewable energy, scientists see great potential in an emerging alternative known as redox flow batteries. Researchers have developed a new electrode component for these storage… Continue reading Shrimp shells offer a green ingredient for large-scale flow batteries→

Experts Denounce Racial Bias of Crime-Predictive Facial-Recognition AI

An open letter signed by experts in the field from MIT, Microsoft and Google aim to stop the ‘tech to prison’ pipeline. Continue reading Experts Denounce Racial Bias of Crime-Predictive Facial-Recognition AI→