Browsing Tag

Materials

Graphene Gets Scalability

Graphene’s unique properties include ultra-high electrical conductivity and tensile strength. The downside is that it’s dirty. Researchers at Columbia University, the University of Montreal, and NIST are cleaning up graphene using an…

MIT Makes Steel with Electricity

Boston Metal, an MIT spinout, is ready to commercialize a new steelmaking method that can potentially clean up steel’s dirty processes. Typically, making steel involves mining iron ore, reducing it in a blast furnace with the addition of…

What Fire Ants Can Teach Us

A few years ago I stood on an amazingly picturesque hill in Costa Rica overlooking Lake Arenal. I closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of the sun. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain. I looked down to see a virtual onslaught of red fire ants…