Consumer electronics have changed a lot in 20 years – systems for managing e-waste aren't keeping up
Technical advances are reducing the volume of e-waste generated in the US as lighter, more compact products enter the market. But those goods can be harder to reuse and recycle.
Jan. 11, 2021 • ~9 min
electronics recycling lead mercury smartphones computers gold tablets e-waste electronic-waste laptops silver 5g mercury-pollution recyclables lead-pollution lithium-ion-batteries
People who vape are more likely to report mental fog
People who vape are more likely to say they experience mental fog. Does vaping cause the cognitive problem, or are they self-medicating?
Dec. 29, 2020 • ~5 min
smoking cognition electronic-cigarettes health-and-medicine
Ultracold atoms reveal a new type of quantum magnetic behavior
The findings may help researchers design “spintronic” devices and novel magnetic materials.
Dec. 16, 2020 • ~8 min
physics photonics quantum-computing light research school-of-science research-laboratory-of-electronics national-science-foundation-nsf materials-research-laboratory
New type of atomic clock keeps time even more precisely
The design, which uses entangled atoms, could help scientists detect dark matter and study gravity’s effect on time.
Dec. 16, 2020 • ~7 min
physics photonics quantum-mechanics light research school-of-science research-laboratory-of-electronics national-science-foundation-nsf defense-advanced-research-projects-agency-darpa
An LED that can be integrated directly into computer chips
The advance could cut production costs and reduce the size of microelectronics for sensing and communication.
Dec. 14, 2020 • ~7 min
semiconductors electronics photonics research school-of-engineering electrical-engineering-computer-science-eecs research-laboratory-of-electronics mobile-devices mit-schwarzman-college-of-computing
A cool advance in thermoelectric conversion
A quantum effect in topological semimetals demonstrated by MIT researchers could allow for the utilization of an untapped energy source.
Dec. 11, 2020 • ~7 min
physics semiconductors electronics quantum-mechanics research school-of-engineering school-of-science materials-science-and-engineering nuclear-science-and-engineering department-of-energy-doe thermoelectricity
Physicists capture the sound of a “perfect” fluid
The results should help scientists study the viscosity in neutron stars, the plasma of the early universe, and other strongly interacting fluids.
Dec. 3, 2020 • ~8 min
physics photonics light research school-of-science research-laboratory-of-electronics national-science-foundation-nsf
Vaping may up your risk of lung disease by over 40%
People who used e-cigarettes in the past were 21% more likely to develop respiratory disease, and current users had a 43% higher risk, a new study finds.
Nov. 30, 2020 • ~6 min
electronic-cigarettes lungs health-and-medicine respiratory-infections
3 Questions: Using fabric to “listen” to space dust
Fabric samples are headed to the International Space Station for resiliency testing; possible applications include cosmic dust detectors or spacesuit smart skins.
Nov. 25, 2020 • ~11 min
chemistry electronics nasa research graduate-postdoctoral media-lab school-of-architecture-and-planning school-of-engineering school-of-science 3-questions research-laboratory-of-electronics materials-science-and-engineering dmse space-astronomy-and-planetary-science
Cracking the secrets of an emerging branch of physics
In a new realm of materials, PhD student Thanh Nguyen uses neutrons to hunt for exotic properties that could power real-world applications.
Nov. 20, 2020 • ~8 min
physics computing climate-change semiconductors electronics quantum-computing quantum-mechanics profile energy-efficiency superconductors research students graduate-postdoctoral school-of-engineering global materials-science-and-engineering nuclear-science-and-engineering
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