Source: WSIL News 3, 1/29/26
'A team of Southern Illinois University Carbondale physics researchers has received a $523,000 federal grant to explore new ways to make refrigeration and air conditioning more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly...Researchers will investigate whether certain solid materials — such as metals exposed to magnetic fields or pressure — can be used to cool spaces more efficiently than traditional systems, which rely on vapor-compression technology. In conventional refrigeration, a circulating liquid absorbs heat from an area and releases it elsewhere, a process that requires significant amounts of electricity.'