Author archives: Mapping Ignorance

Why do materials get stronger when they are deformed?

Why do materials get stronger when they are deformed?

Condensed matterMaterials

By Mapping Ignorance

Author: Leah Burrows, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences The earliest blacksmiths in the Bronze and Iron Ages figured out that when they deformed metal through bending or hammering, it became stronger. This process, known as work or strain hardening, is still used widely in metallurgy and manufacturing today to increase […]

A cheaper way to make green hydrogen, using AI

A cheaper way to make green hydrogen, using AI

Chemical engineeringChemistryComputer science

By Mapping Ignorance

Researchers at the University of Toronto are using artificial intelligence to accelerate scientific breakthroughs in the search for sustainable energy. They have used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to confirm that an AI-generated “recipe” for a new catalyst offered a more efficient way to make hydrogen fuel . To […]

A passive, efficient way to extract water from air

A passive, efficient way to extract water from air

Chemical engineeringChemistry

By Mapping Ignorance

Freshwater scarcity affects over two billion people in the world, primarily in arid and remote regions, as well as islands and coastal areas without freshwater sources. Climate change and population growth are only making the problem worse, and existing methods require an energy input, usually electrical. Renewable energy can fix this and is required for […]