Science
Scientific discoveries and research
UN calculates nation-sized environmental footprints for AI and data centers
The environmental footprint of data centers already rivals some of the world's largest countries, according to a United Nations University report, which also pr...
'BBQ sauce' phase may link little red dots to quasars
Everyone knows that finding the right sauce recipe can make or break a barbecue, but now astronomers are using BBQSORS (pronounced "barbecue sauce") as part of...
Q&A: Experts discuss rise of profanity from politicians
In American politics, cursing and "four-letter words" are no longer confined to hot mics or hidden behind closed doors. Politicians and pundits are increasingly...
Deep-Earth seismic anomalies may be explained by newly discovered manganese compound
Scientists know that manganese, in its various oxide forms, plays a significant role in Earth's geochemical cycles. However, the exact forms of manganese, their...
Climate change may shift hailstorms toward Earth's poles—new study
Everyone has a storm story—whether it's that time you just escaped a downpour, or the hailstorm that wrote off your car. Even though hailstorms are relatively r...
The push to standardize ESG scores could make corporate greenwashing easier, not harder
Three-quarters of S&P 500 companies now tie a portion of their CEO's pay to environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. They typically include carbon em...
Hail conditions on the move as winter crops face rising risk
A hailstorm can undo a season's work in minutes. It can strike quickly and unevenly, shredding wheat, bruising fruit, flattening crops—while also leaving neighb...
A lot of 'recycled' plastic is being burned overseas—and causing widespread pollution linked to health problems
Picture a pile of trash the size of Manhattan and taller than one and a half Empire State Buildings. That's how much plastic waste the world is predicted to be...
Whiskey chemistry propels microscopic machines through liquid
Whisky-inspired chemicals could help power a new generation of microscopic machines, according to researchers who have discovered a way to make tiny particles "...
Ultrafast laser shrinks to chip scale, potentially lowering costs for diagnostics and atomic clocks
Ultrafast lasers emit pulses lasting only a few hundred femtoseconds (quadrillionths of a second). These flashes of light power applications from precision micr...
Cells have a built-in 'seatbelt' against sudden stress
When cells experience sudden physical stress, like stretching or pressure, they can activate a fast, protective mechanism that shields their nuclei from destruc...
Common plastics soak up ballistic impacts thanks to a cross-linking molecule
With help from a novel cross-linking molecule, MIT chemists have shown they can substantially improve the ballistic impact resistance of common polymers, includ...