MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Researchers at MIT have found that “tropical forests populated with a diversity of seed-dispersing animals can accumulate carbon up to four times as fast as fragmented forests where these animals are absent or their movement is restricted,” reports James Dinneen for New Scientist. “This shows a linkage between animal biodiversity loss and a process that exacerbates climate change,” says research scientist Evan Fricke. “We’re losing the regrowth potential of tropical forests.”

Leah Ellis, a former MIT postdoc and co-founder of MIT startup Sublime Systems, speaks with Nature reporter Emma Ulker about the company’s mission to reduce carbon emissions from cement production, how her work with co-founder Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang helped inspire her entrepreneurial journey, and her philosophy as a science entrepreneur. “At Sublime, we are tackling a hard problem — pun intended — because the cement industry is one of the most difficult to approach, owing to its sheer scale,” explains Ellis. “The motivation for our work is that change in cement-making technology has a significant impact — it’s really only once in a millennium that you get to rethink such a foundational and monumental building material.”

Prof. David Autor speaks with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria about how China moving into sectors like robotics, AI, quantum computing, fusion power, telecommunications, aviation and more could significantly impact the U.S. economy. Autor notes that by focusing on the last trade war with China, “the U.S. is distracting itself from the really formidable challenge we find ourselves facing now from China’s incredible innovative capacity and very, very intensive investment.” 

Writing for Forbes, Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, explores the role of technology in the lives of retirees. “The AgeTech revolution is real. The technology that is coming is astonishing. But it risks stalling not because the tech isn’t good, but because no one is there to plug it in, literally and figuratively,” writes Coughlin. “Because in retirement living, the real innovation isn’t a gadget or form of artificial intelligence. The next big thing is trusted, human-centered service.” 

Prof. Andrew Lo speaks with Bloomberg reporter Lu Wang about how AI tools could be applied to the financial services industry, working alongside humans to help manage money, balance risk, tailor strategies and possibly even act in a client’s best interest. “I believe that within the next five years we’re going to see a revolution in how humans interact with AI,” says Lo. He adds that “the financial services industry has extra layers of protection that needs to be built before these tools can be useful.”

Prof. Hugh Herr and his colleagues have developed a new prosthetic that could increase mobility for above-the-knee amputees. “We're witnessing the future of prosthetics unfold. The bionic knee developed by MIT doesn't just restore function, it redefines it,” writes Kurt Knutsson for Fox News. “By merging advanced robotics with the human nervous system, it offers amputees something priceless: the feeling that their body is whole again.” 

Writing for Financial Times, Prof. Kristin Forbes explains how to approach to tariff trade-offs. “If even a fraction of the tariffs that have recently been announced are implemented, inflation will pick up and domestic activity will slow — at least over the next year or so,” explains Forbes. “The Fed will need to trade off mitigating the impact of another round of inflation with supporting employment.” 

Researchers at MIT have uncovered a variety of obstacles of AI in software development, reports Rob Wile for NBC News. They have found “the main obstacles come when AI programs are asked to develop code at scale, or with more complex logic,” writes Wile. 

Writing for Financial Times, visiting scientist Ariel Ekblaw SM '17, PhD '20 makes the case that “we need to see space as an emerging market — one that requires strategic attention.” “As a factory floor, space offers a set of unique properties. Microgravity assists new assembling habitats that may enable breakthroughs. Pharmaceutical companies have studied protein crystallization on the International Space Station,” Ekblaw writes. “The infrastructure that we build in orbit can directly benefit Earth.” 

Writing for GBH, graduate students and alumni Jessica Chomik-Morales, Sarah Akaaboune, Mackenzie White '25, Celina Zhao '24, SM '25, spotlight the Dana-Farber mobile Mammogram Van. “The unit meets women where they live and work, offering care in the languages they speak,” they write. “By bringing screenings to neighborhoods with large Asian and other minority populations, the van shows how community-based, culturally responsive care can reduce disparities and improve access to critical health resources.” 

Prof. Haoxiang Zhu speaks with Bloomberg reporters Jayna Rohslau and Katherine Doherty about a proposal by U.S. regulators "to rework the pattern day trading rule.” “Today, trading is often commission-free, although not in all securities, and there’s less concern about excessive commission cost,” explains Zhu. “For this reason, I think a moderate reduction in the minimum margin for pattern day trading is fine, in particular if the reduction applies to securities for which trading is now commission-free.” 

Prof. Emeritus Donald Sadoway speaks with Forbes reporter Neil Winton about the development of solid-state batteries and the future of electric vehicles. “Yes, in 2035 the U.S. the automobile market will be roughly the same as today, but by then the massive demand for electricity from computers, AI and EVs will combine to demand more electricity than the grid can supply,” says Sadoway.

Prof. Noelle Selin speaks with Fast Company reporter Kristin Toussaint about the importance of air quality monitoring. “It’s really important to encourage people to understand their environment and to democratize access to measurements and science,” says Selin. 

Graduate student Isabella Macias speaks with CBS News about her experience studying astronomy and planetary formation at the Vatican Observatory. “The Vatican has such a deep, rich history of working with astronomers,” says Macias. “It shows that science is not only for global superpowers around the world, but it's for students, it's for humanity.” Br. Guy Consolmagno '74, SM '75, director of the Vatican Observatory, shares how he feels astronomy can help unite people around the world. 

Prof. Xuanhe Zhao and his colleagues have developed an atmospheric water harvester to produce safe drinking water, reports Robert F. Service for Science. “The team sandwiched the hydrogel, which contains lithium-chloride salt, between two glass sheets,” explains Service. “At night, water vapor enters the gel and is trapped by the salts. During the day, sunlight heats the gel, evaporating the water. The vapor condenses on the glass panels, forming droplets that trickle down and are captured.” 

Undergraduate student Mason Estrada was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 MLB Draft, reports Jesse Borek for MLB News. “Pro baseball was never really on Estrada’s radar until his freshman year at MIT when he reared back, fired and got a radar gun reading of 95 mph,” writes Borek. “There aren’t many humans walking the earth capable of that, let alone ones that willingly enlist in a thermodynamics course.”