CuriousMinds

Scientists forge “superalloy” that refuses to melt

Scientists have developed a chromium-molybdenum-silicon alloy that withstands extreme heat while remaining ductile and oxidation-resistant. It could replace nickel-based superalloys, which are limited to about 1,100°C. The new material might make turbines and engines significantly more efficient, marking a major step toward cleaner, more powerful energy systems.

High-temperature metals are essential for powering aircraft engines, gas turbines, X-ray systems, and other advanced technologies. Among the most heat-resistant are refractory metals like tungsten, molybdenum, and chromium, all of which have melting points around or above 2,000 degrees Celsius (~3600 degrees Fahrenheit). Despite their exceptional heat tolerance, these metals pose major challenges: they are brittle at normal temperatures and quickly oxidize when exposed to oxygen, leading to failure even at 600 to 700 degrees Celsius (~1100 to 1300 degrees Fahrenheit). Because of this, they can only be used in specialized vacuum environments, such as in…

You might look healthy, but hidden fat could be silently damaging your heart

McMaster researchers found that deep abdominal and liver fat can quietly damage arteries, even in people who appear fit. Their MRI-based study of over 33,000 adults shows these fats are closely linked to artery thickening and stroke risk, regardless of cholesterol or blood pressure. The findings challenge BMI as a reliable indicator of health and suggest new imaging-based approaches to assessing cardiovascular risk.

A large study led by scientists at McMaster University has found that fat stored deep inside the abdomen and liver can quietly injure arteries, even in people who seem healthy on the outside.

The research, published on October 17, 2025, in Communications Medicine, questions the long-standing use of body-mass index (BMI) as a reliable indicator of obesity and heart risk. It offers new evidence that the fat people cannot see may be just as…

How the brain splits up vision without you even noticing

As an object moves across your field of view, the brain seamlessly hands off visual processing from one hemisphere to the other like cell phone towers or relay racers do, a new MIT study shows.

The brain divides vision between its two hemispheres — what’s on your left is processed by your right hemisphere, and vice versa — but your experience with every bike or bird that you see zipping by is seamless. A new study by neuroscientists at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT reveals how the brain handles the transition.

“It’s surprising to some people to hear that there’s some independence between the hemispheres, because that doesn’t really correspond to how we perceive reality,” says Earl K. Miller, Picower Professor in the Picower Institute and MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. “In our consciousness,…

Math Breakthroughs from Behind Bars

People in prisons and jails have contributed to some of the greatest ideas in mathematics

In 2014 Mura Yakerson, a college student at the time, decided to practice driving in a quiet area in the countryside near Saint Petersburg, Russia. Then something went wrong. While she was pulling out of a parking space, Yakerson accidentally damaged another car. This incident turned out to be the beginning of a nightmare.

Because she drove away from the scene, unaware that she had hit another vehicle, a judge later charged Yakerson with leaving the place of an accident and then gave her the choice between a one-year driving ban or three days in jail. Yakerson chose incarceration. She thought that, away from distractions, she could devote herself to understanding a challenging paper by mathematician Marc Levine of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.

But those three days were…