Experimental evidence of altermagnetism in a layered material opens a promising path toward future spintronics

Quantum Technology

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Phys.org, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

Phys.org • September 28, 2026

Scientists led by UCF physics professor Madhab Neupane have found experimental evidence of altermagnetism in a layered material called Co₁/₄TaSe₂. Altermagnetism is an emerging magnetic state that combines useful traits of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. Unlike conventional magnets, altermagnets avoid producing stray magnetic fields that can interfere with nearby components. However, unlike standard antiferromagnets, they can generate and detect spin currents, which researchers hope to use for future electronics.

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Quantum systems never quite forget where they came from

Quantum Technology

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Phys.org • October 5, 2026

Researchers from Tampere University, Harvard University, and TU Dresden discovered that chaotic quantum systems retain a permanent record of their origins, which they call a "quantum birthmark." This finding challenges the classical understanding of chaos, where mixing processes like stirring milk into tea erase all memory of the initial state. In contrast, even when quantum ripples appear random at any single moment, they remain at least twice as likely to be found in their original configuration over long periods.

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Moment Energy and its shipping containers packed with old EV batteries

Artificial Intelligence

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from MIT Technology Review, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

MIT Technology Review • Emma Foehringer Merchant • October 6, 2026

Demand for energy storage is surging, with capacity expected to grow eightfold in the next decade. To meet this need, Moment Energy aims to shorten supply chains by repurposing old electric vehicle (EV) batteries into new grid-connected systems instead of relying on manufacturing largely based in China. The company’s four founders met while studying mechatronics engineering and later worked at companies like Tesla and Apple before reuniting after tornadoes caused major power outages in Ottawa in 2018.

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BasiGo and its fleet of electric buses

Artificial Intelligence

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MIT Technology Review • Geoffrey Kamadi • October 6, 2026

BasiGo aims to replace tens of thousands of diesel-powered buses in sub-Saharan Africa with electric ones that generate far fewer emissions. The company’s pay-as-you-drive business model is making electric vehicles more attainable and changing how public transport operates. In 2020, the Kenyan government temporarily suspended public transportation for three days during the covid-19 pandemic. This suspension led to a dramatic improvement in air quality, with Mt. Kenya becoming visible in Nairobi from roughly 175 kilometers away. Some observers even spotted Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance.

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WaveSave and its portable rubber dam

Artificial Intelligence

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MIT Technology Review • Amy Nordrum • October 6, 2026

WaveSave has developed SlamDam, a portable rubber dam designed to protect property from rising floodwaters. The device is easy to install; users unfurl it on the ground along a riverbank or shoreline and pump it full of water until it swells into place, reaching heights of up to 1.3 meters. Developed in the Netherlands in 2013, SlamDam has been tested by regional water authorities there and is now deployed in at least a dozen countries across Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The company recently demonstrated the product on Governors Island in New York City as part of a competition for urban climate adaptations.

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Brimstone and its one-stop process for making cleaner cement and critical minerals

Artificial Intelligence

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MIT Technology Review • James Temple • October 6, 2026

Brimstone is an Oakland-based startup developing a process to make cement using silicate rocks instead of standard limestone. This change reduces greenhouse-gas emissions by about 60% compared to conventional methods, which currently contribute roughly 8% of global carbon dioxide pollution. The company achieved third-party certification for this cement production in 2023, allowing its product to be used in standard construction projects.

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Energy Dome and its carbon dioxide batteries

Artificial Intelligence

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MIT Technology Review • Casey Crownhart • October 6, 2026

Energy Dome addresses the need for long-duration energy storage by using compressed carbon dioxide gas in massive grid batteries that can deliver power for up to 24 hours. While solar and wind are becoming cheaper sources of electricity, their supply varies with weather patterns. Energy Dome stores about 2,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide inside a white dome the size of seven soccer fields. When energy is available, compressors turn the gas into a liquid stored in carbon-steel tanks, generating heat kept in proprietary thermal storage material. To generate power, the system releases the gas, warms it with stored heat to turn it back into a gas, and runs it through a turbine.

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X-energy and its helium-cooled nuclear reactors

Artificial Intelligence

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from MIT Technology Review, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

MIT Technology Review • Mark Ellis Harris • October 6, 2026

X-energy is developing small modular reactors designed to provide high-temperature heat for industrial manufacturing. Traditional nuclear reactors cannot reach the necessary temperatures because their water-based cooling systems require pressure that limits operating heat. In contrast, X-energy’s proposed Xe-100 reactor uses helium gas as a coolant, allowing it to operate at much higher temperatures and lower pressures. This helium heats water to create super-heated steam, which can generate 80 megawatts of electricity or provide direct industrial heat.

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Form Energy and its iron batteries

Artificial Intelligence

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MIT Technology Review • Jonathan W. Rosen • October 6, 2026

Form Energy is developing iron-based batteries designed to store energy for up to 100 hours, addressing the need for long-duration storage that lithium-ion systems currently lack. While lithium-ion batteries are popular due to their light weight and high energy density, they rely on expensive metals and typically cannot store power longer than four to six hours. Form’s technology uses a process it calls "reversible rusting," where iron metal converts to rust during discharge to release electrons, and returns to its metallic state when charged.

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WeLion New Energy and its semi-solid-state batteries

Artificial Intelligence

AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from MIT Technology Review, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

MIT Technology Review • You Xiaoying • October 6, 2026

WeLion New Energy is developing semi-solid-state batteries designed to offer greater safety and energy density than standard lithium-ion cells for electric cars, boats, and drones. While lithium-ion batteries use a flammable liquid electrolyte that poses fire risks, WeLion’s approach uses a part-liquid, part-solid electrolyte to improve performance. The company currently focuses on semi-solid-state technology because fully solid-state cells are extremely difficult to manufacture.

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