333 articles from WEDNESDAY 28.4.2021

Touched by light: Photoexcited stannyl anions are great for producing organotin compounds

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology developed a new strategy for producing a wide range of organotin compounds, which are the building blocks of many organic synthesis methods. Their approach is based on the photoexcitation of stannyl anions, which alters their electronic state and increases their selectivity and reactivity to form useful compounds. This protocol will be helpful for the...

Treating neurological symptoms of CHARGE syndrome

CHARGE syndrome is a rare genetic disorder affecting about 1 in 10,000 newborns. It can lead to neurological and behavioural disorders for which no treatment is currently available. Dr. Kessen Patten and his team, from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) have just discovered a compound that could alleviate these symptoms. The results of their research were published in the...

Two compounds can make chocolate smell musty and moldy

Chocolate is a beloved treat, but sometimes the cocoa beans that go into bars and other sweets have unpleasant flavors or scents, making the final products taste bad. Surprisingly, only a few compounds associated with these stinky odors are known. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have identified the two compounds that cause musty, moldy scents in cocoa...

UC San Diego engineering professor solves deep earthquake mystery

A University of California San Diego engineering professor has solved one of the biggest mysteries in geophysics: What causes deep-focus earthquakes? These mysterious earthquakes originate between 400 and 700 kilometers below the surface of the Earth and have been recorded with magnitudes up to 8.3 on the Richter scale.

UChicago scientists harness molecules into single quantum state

Being able to build and control systems of quantum particles, which are among the smallest objects in the universe, is the key to developing quantum technology. That goal is now a step closer thanks to University of Chicago scientist Cheng Chin, who just figured out how to bring multiple molecules at once into a single quantum state--one of the most important goals in quantum physics.

Uncertainty of future Southern Ocean CO2 uptake cut in half

The Southern Ocean dominates the oceanic uptake of human-made CO2. But how much carbon dioxide can it actually absorb in the future? This long-standing question remained unresolved as projections of different generation of climate models repeatedly showed a wide range of future Southern Ocean CO2 sink estimates. Climate scientists from Bern have now been able to reduce this large uncertainty by...

Coronavirus live news: rich nations must help India, says Fauci; Delhi’s crematorium crisis

Study in England says single treatment can have dramatic impact on curbing spread; Fiji fears ‘Covid tsunami’ after India variant outbreak; New Zealand donates $1m; Mutations, politics, vaccines: the factors behind India’s Covid crisisHarry and Meghan to join Biden at concert to boost global vaccinationGlobal faith leaders call for drug firms to vaccinate worldSee all our coronavirus...

D-Lab project leads to solar career in Africa

When she started her junior year after a corporate internship that left her feeling unfulfilled, Jodie Wu ’09 was questioning her path as an engineer. Participating in a D-Lab class project in Tanzania revealed a way to use her passion for engineering to help serve emerging markets in Africa while also having an impact.  Wu recalls being naïve the first time she traveled to Africa:...

Knocking on the door of innovation in Chile

Growing up in Chile, where her family owned a minimarket, Rocio Fonseca, SM ’14, was taught to expect a life limited by her family’s social class. In her early professional years, as the first in her family to have gone to college, she often ran into the cultural barriers of her country’s traditional business environment. Potential bosses wanted to know who her parents were, or expected her...

Emerson Yearwood ’80

Emerson Yearwood, who has spent most of his career as an attorney in the communications sector, is dedicated to supporting students of color at MIT through his giving and volunteerism. His current focus is the Black Alumni of MIT Community Advancement Program and Fund (BCAP), which supports student proposals for public service projects that address the needs of underserved communities of color on...

Better amputations

Most amputations sever the muscle pairs that control joints such as the elbow or ankle, disrupting the sensory feedback about the limb’s position in space that would help patients control a prosthesis. But a surgical technique developed by MIT researchers appears to leave amputees with both greater control and less pain than people who have had conventional amputations. In agonist-antagonist...

Newest address on campus

New Vassar, MIT’s new undergrad dorm, opened in January across the street from the Henry Steinbrenner Stadium and Track with the goal of promoting a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. The 450-bed residence emphasizes four core values chosen by its founders’ group: well-being, inclusiveness, adventure, and kindness. Dining options will eventually include a cooking pod program that will let...

The next normal

One morning at the start of the spring semester, I was surprised by a most welcome sound outside: the voices of students! I could not resist going to the window. Even bundled up against the cold, the students were obviously excited to be back on campus—or in the case of first-years, to be on campus for the first time. It gave me a tremendous lift. And it also led me to contemplate what MIT...

Wood without trees

Like meat production, logging and agriculture can exact a heavy environmental toll. Now an MIT team has proposed a way to circumvent that by growing certain plant tissues in the lab—an idea somewhat akin to cultured meat. The researchers, in Luis Fernando Velásquez-García’s group at the Micro­systems Technology Laboratories, grew wood-like plant tissue indoors, without soil or sunlight....

The outer bounds of big questions

Christopher Rose ’79, SM ’81, PhD ’85, earned three MIT degrees in electrical engineering but has always been drawn to many disciplines. As a professor of engineering at Brown University, he’s working at the frontiers of communications theory, while as an administrator, he’s striving to enhance student and faculty diversity across STEM disciplines.  And he’s most famous—at least...

Protecting the world’s vanishing coral reefs

As soon as he could walk, Tom Goreau ’70 was swimming in the warm waters off Jamaica, where he grew up. He recalls water so consistently clear and blue he could see all the way down to the corals and marine life blanketing the bottom. His dad would dive below, releasing streams of bubbles that Goreau would follow. This was the 1950s, before scuba gear was commercially available. So Goreau’s...

Building 7 dome restoration

The Building 7 dome, designed by William Welles Bosworth to give MIT a suitably grand entrance on Mass Ave, was completed in 1939. In 2019, an 80-year checkup seemed warranted, and a study initiated by the Facilities Department found deterioration of the building exterior and waterproofing. Restoration of the Little Dome began in July 2020; it includes masonry, metal flashing, and skylight repairs...

Fears of Covid ‘tsunami’ in Fiji after outbreak found to be Indian variant

Covid-19 outbreak in Pacific nation has forced lockdowns across the country, after the island nation avoided transmission for a year Fijian health officials are bracing for a “tsunami” of Covid-19 cases, after the Indian variant was detected in the Pacific nation this week, with lockdowns announced in an attempt to stem the outbreak.The Pacific country had largely managed to avoid community...