Researchers from MIT have found that wildfire smoke can activate chlorine-containing molecules that destroy the ozone layer, writes Donna Lu for The Guardian. “The question in my mind is: is the man-made chlorine going to get … diluted and destroyed out of the atmosphere faster than global climate change is going to increase the frequency and intensity of this kind of fire?” says Prof. Susan Solomon. “I think it’s going to be a race.”
Axios reporter Jacob Knutson highlights a new study by MIT researchers that finds the smoke released by major wildfires likely reactive chlorine-containing molecules in the atmosphere, delaying the recovery of the hole in the ozone layer. The researchers developed a model that found smoke released by Australian wildfires “chemically depleted between 3% to 5% of the total ozone column in the Southern Hemisphere mid-latitudes in June and July of 2020.”
New Scientist reporter James Dinneen writes that a new study by MIT researchers finds the smoke from Australian wildfires “may have enabled hydrochloric acid to dissolve at higher temperatures, generating more of the reactive chlorine molecules that destroy ozone.” Research scientist Kane Stone explains that “satellite observations showed chemistry that has never been seen before.”
MIT scientists have found that the Australian wildfires in 2019 and 2020 unleashed remnants of chlorine-containing molecules in the stratosphere, expanding the ozone hole and suggesting that more frequent wildfires could threaten the ozone hole’s recovery, reports Dyani Lewis for Nature. “It’s like a race,” says Prof. Susan Solomon. “Does the chlorine decay out of the stratosphere fast enough in the next, say, 40–50 years that the likely increase in intense and frequent wildfires doesn’t end up prolonging the ozone hole?”
Former U.S. Representative John Olver PhD '61, has died at age 86, reports Steve LeBlanc for the Associated Press. “[Olver’s] quiet demeanor and wry sense of humor concealed a razor-sharp understanding of the issues facing the American people and a deep faith in our ability to solve them together,” says Democratic U.S. Representative James McGovern.
MIT scientists have developed a new way of colliding ultracold molecules while controlling the rate at which they react, reports Martijn Boerkamp for Physics World. “Our work is a step to achieve quantum control over molecular collisions and reactions and to map out more broadly the collisional properties of these molecules with the goal of finding a deeper understanding,” explains Prof. Wolfgang Ketterle.
MIT researchers have found that in the U.S., “fires started by people account for a majority of premature deaths related to inhalation of tiny smoke particles,” writes Cara Murez for U.S. News & World Report. “Fires not only threaten human lives, infrastructure and ecosystems, but they are also a major cause for concern in terms of air quality,” says Therese Carter PhD ’22.
Prof. Robert Langer and his colleagues write for Physics Today about how physics could help contribute to predicting tissue behaviors and accelerate the regeneration of human tissues and organs. “The physics of tissue engineering in general and of bioprinting in particular is a relatively new field that could provide numerous opportunities for tissue and organ fabrication and regeneration,” they write.
Prof. Danna Freedman speaks with Callie Crossley of GBH about the inspiration for her research and being named a 2022 MacArthur grant fellow. “What was really an under designed idea was taking molecules and using them for quantum information science,” says Freedman. “There is a lot of data, but less intention and realizing this wide open space and this possibility was really tremendous to me because having a new opportunity to design inorganic molecules is very exciting.”
Boston.com reporter Clara McCourt spotlights how three MIT students - Jack Cook ‘22, Matthew Kearney and Jupneet K. Singh - have been selected as Rhodes Scholars. “The selected students — 32 in total — will go to Oxford University in England next October to pursue wide-ranging graduate degrees," writes McCourt, "with two or three years of study free of charge.”
Matthew Kearney, John “Jack” B. Cook ’22, and Jupneet K. Singh have been named 2023 U.S. Rhodes Scholars, reports NBC Boston 10.
Matthew Kearney , John "Jack” B. Cook ’22, and Jupneet K. Singh are amongst the 2023 Rhodes Scholars, reports Michael T. Nietzel for Forbes. This year’s Rhodes Scholars "will go to Oxford University in England next October to pursue graduate degrees across the breadth of the social sciences, humanities, and biological and physical sciences,” says Elliot Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust. “They inspire us already with their accomplishments, but even more by their values-based leadership and selfless ambitions to improve their communities and the world.”
Researchers in Prof. Alison Wendtland’s group have found a way to change tertiary carbon stereochemistries using a photochemical decatungstate-catalyzed radical reaction, reports Derek Lowe for Science. This is “a neat opportunity to generate new isomers of known compounds (natural products, of course but many more as well, including med-chem SAR compounds), giving you some instant and relatively painless chemical diversity,” writes Lowe.
Prof. Danna Freedman has been named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow for “creating novel molecular materials with unique properties directly relevant to quantum information technologies,” reports Susan H. Greenberg for Inside Higher Ed.
Prof. Danna Freedman, a synthetic inorganic chemist, has been honored as one of this year’s MacArthur Fellows, reports Travis Anderson for The Boston Globe. “The unmatched control inherent in synthetic chemistry opens doors to other fields and discoveries beyond chemistry,” said Freedman of her research. “By designing and creating chemical systems, we can uncover new science in areas ranging from quantum information science to magnetism.”