MIT engineers have devised a way to measure the mass of particles with a resolution better than an attogram—one millionth of a trillionth of a gram.

Have you ever worn a shoe that doesn’t fit just right? Sometimes, when you first try it on, it appears to fit just fine. As more time goes on though, you notice that it is pinching here and there, creating calluses as you walk, and just doesn’t feel right.

Twenty years ago, I was introduced to a graphical method for, as it was put to me, “sharing what you see” with others. It was referred to as a material and information flow diagram, or M&I for short.