{"id":111478,"date":"2024-09-23T15:50:32","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T19:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T09:07:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:07:12","slug":"the-material-world","status":"publish","type":"ftm_section","link":"https:\/\/www.freethink.com\/the-material-world","title":{"rendered":"The Material World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Materials<\/span><\/h1> <\/div>\n\n
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Though we live in a digital age, material science has shaped history\u2014and it’s far from over. From quantum computers to fusion reactors, breakthroughs in materials will drive the next technological frontier.<\/span><\/div> <\/div>\n \n \n<\/div> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\tFeatured\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n
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\n \n \"Workers <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Books <\/a>\n<\/div> \n How Ford built “an efficiency engine” around the Model T <\/a>\n
\n An excerpt from author and structural engineer Brian Potter’s forthcoming book, “The Origins of Efficiency.” <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n
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\n \n \"Two <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Engineering <\/a>\n<\/div> \n The left\u2013right twist that could rewrite tech <\/a>\n
\n Scientists are harnessing chirality \u2014 the left- and right-handedness of molecules \u2014 to build better batteries, sharper displays, and more. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n
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\n \n Opinion <\/a>\n<\/div> \n America\u2019s path to maritime leadership is clear \u2014 but it demands urgency <\/a>\n
\n America leads the world in aerospace, software, and clean energy. Here’s how it can lead in maritime, too. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\tMore\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n \n<\/a>\n
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\n \n \"Black <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Engineering <\/a>\n<\/div> \n The Eiffel Tower was considered techno-dystopian <\/a>\n
\n Before completion for the 1889 World\u2019s Fair, the Eiffel Tower project was treated by some as an industrialist “Tower of Babel.” <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Construction <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Fire-resilient prefabs are helping LA build back better <\/a>\n
\n Victims of LA’s wildfires are opting for tech company Cover’s prefab homes over traditional new builds. Here’s why. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Urban Living <\/a>\n<\/div> \n The US needs another 4 million houses. Here\u2019s how it could get them. <\/a>\n
\n Restrictive zoning policies helped create America’s housing shortage. Zoning reform could help end it. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Transportation <\/a>\n<\/div> \n How Boom is resurrecting supersonic flight <\/a>\n
\n If Boom gets its way, the future of supersonic passenger travel will be quieter, cleaner, and more affordable than its past. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Batteries <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Solid-state batteries are finally making their way out of the lab <\/a>\n
\n Solid-state batteries could soon challenge lithium-ion as the dominant tech for powering smartphones, EVs, and more. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Engineering <\/a>\n<\/div> \n 9 dumbphones to help curb your screen addiction <\/a>\n
\n While smartphones keep getting more powerful, the growing dumbphone phenomenon is subverting expectations. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Agriculture <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Boosted Breeding and beyond: 3 tech trends that could end world hunger <\/a>\n
\n A world without hunger is possible, and the development and deployment of new farming technologies could be one key to manifesting it. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Automation <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Tesla’s new self-driving software throws out its old code entirely <\/a>\n
\n Tesla made a bold move ahead of its robotaxi launch, completely overhauling the code for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Transportation <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Flying cars are almost here \u2014 but who will actually fly them? <\/a>\n
\n Air taxi services could launch soon, but only if regulators and developers can make operating eVTOLs appealing to prospective pilots. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Clean Energy <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Which technologies will enable a cleaner steel industry? <\/a>\n
\n Technologies like hydrogen-based direct reduction of ore, electrolysis, and advanced furnace technologies could reduce steel emissions. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n \"Starliner <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Aerospace <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Boeing\u2019s Starliner spacecraft was set to launch on May 6 \u2014 but was delayed again <\/a>\n
\n Boeing\u2019s Starliner launch \u2013 delayed again \u2013 will be an important milestone for commercial spaceflight if it can manage to launch. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Engineering <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Synthetic diamonds may have just gotten way easier to make <\/a>\n
\n Scientists in South Korea have developed a new technique for creating synthetic diamonds that works under ambient pressure. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n \"Top-down <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Engineering <\/a>\n<\/div> \n MIT engineers design flexible \u201cskeletons\u201d for soft, muscle-powered robots <\/a>\n
\n New modular, spring-like devices maximize the work of live muscle fibers so they can be harnessed to power biohybrid bots. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Clean Energy <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Six innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines <\/a>\n
\n While most offshore wind farms are firmly rooted in the seabed, engineers are developing new ways to float enormous wind turbines. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Food <\/a>\n<\/div> \n This startup is trying to solve lab-grown meat\u2019s biggest problem <\/a>\n
\n A biotech startup has developed a new kind of bioreactor that could help increase cultivated meat production. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n \"Heavy <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Urban Living <\/a>\n<\/div> \n New York City greenlights congestion pricing <\/a>\n
\n Here\u2019s how New York City’s congestion pricing is expected to improve traffic, air quality, and public transit. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Batteries <\/a>\n<\/div> \n World\u2019s biggest battery maker unveils grid-scale storage system <\/a>\n
\n CATL, the world\u2019s biggest battery manufacturer, just unveiled TENER, a new energy storage system for utility companies. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n \"Gloved <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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\n \n Clean Energy <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Future nuclear power reactors could rely on molten salts \u2014 but what about corrosion? <\/a>\n
\n Proton irradiation decreases the rate of corrosion in certain metal alloys \u2014 potentially good news for promising nuclear power reactors . <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Cars <\/a>\n<\/div> \n Why aren\u2019t there solar-powered cars? <\/a>\n
\n There are a number of reasons why solar-powered cars aren\u2019t an option for everyday travel, at least not yet. <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div>
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\n \n Engineering <\/a>\n<\/div> \n 3D-printed \u201cmetamaterial\u201d is stronger than anything in nature <\/a>\n
\n Australian scientists used an advanced 3D printing technique to create a super strong, super lightweight new \u201cmetamaterial.\u201d <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n