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“A strategy for preventing boron-containing compounds from breaking down could help medicinal chemists design new drugs. Boron, a metalloid element that sits next to carbon in the periodic table, has many traits that make it potentially useful as a drug …

“Cutting-edge microscope helps reveal ways to control the electronic properties of atomically thin materials. In recent years, engineers have found ways to modify the properties of some “two- dimensional” materials, which are just one or a few atoms thick, by …

“The technology could boost aerial robots’ repertoire, allowing them to operate in cramped spaces and withstand collisions. If you’ve ever swatted a mosquito away from your face, only to have it return again (and again and again), you know …

“National Academies study says fusion can help decarbonize US energy, calls for public-private approach to pilot plant operation by 2035-40. Electricity generated by fusion power plants could play an important role in decarbonizing the U.S. energy sector by mid-century …

“The advance could improve energy efficiency of data centers and lighten the load for electronics-rich vehicles. Researchers have developed a data transfer system that can transmit information 10 times faster than a USB. The new link pairs high-frequency silicon chips …

“The design may enable miniature zoom lenses for drones, cellphones, or night-vision goggles. Polished glass has been at the center of imaging systems for centuries. Their precise curvature enables lenses to focus light and produce sharp images, whether the object …

“Reducing internal losses could pave the way to low-cost perovskite-based photovoltaics that match silicon cells’ output. Perovskites are a leading candidate for eventually replacing silicon as the material of choice for solar panels. They offer the potential for low-cost, low-temperature …

“Inspired by decades-old MIT research, the new technology could boost quantum computers and other superconducting electronics. Superconductors — materials that conduct electricity without resistance — are remarkable. They provide a macroscopic glimpse into quantum phenomena, which are usually observable only at the …

“MIT researchers’ new hardware and software system streamlines state-of-the-art sentence analysis. Human language can be inefficient. Some words are vital. Others, expendable. Reread the first sentence of this story. Just two words, “language” and “inefficient,” convey almost the entire meaning …

“CSAIL’s “LaserFactory” system automates the full process for making functional devices in one system. From Star Trek’s replicators to Richie Rich’s wishing machine, popular culture has a long history of parading flashy machines that can instantly output …