Biology

MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield spoke at the Iconic Voices from MIT public lecture series on March 21, at the Singapore University of Technology Design. She was joined for a Q&A by SUTD President and MIT Institute Professor Thomas Magnanti.

In 30 years, can we sustainably meet the needs of 9.5 billion people?

President Emerita Susan Hockfield speaks at the Iconic Voices from MIT lecture organized by the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

March 28, 2017

The many genetic variations of the tiny bacteria called Prochlorococcus are distributed in a layered structure, with each variant adapted to the particular mix of sunlight and nutrients found in that layer of seawater.

Tiny bacterium provides window into whole ecosystems

Ubiquitous marine organism has co-evolved with other microbes, promoting more complex ecosystems.

March 27, 2017

Engineers have designed a microfluidic device they call a “tree-on-a-chip,” which mimics the pumping mechanism of trees and other plants.

Engineers design “tree-on-a-chip”

Microfluidic device generates passive hydraulic power, may be used to make small robots move.

March 20, 2017

MIT earth scientists have found evidence that eukaryotes — the domain of life comprising animals, plants, and protists — were present on Earth as early as 2.33 billion years ago, right around the time when oxygen became a permanent fixture in the atmosphere.

Study suggests complex life was present on Earth 2.33 billion years ago

New estimate predates earliest fossil evidence by 800 million years.

March 6, 2017

Clockwise from top left: Andrew Babbin, Eliezer Calo, Max Metlitski, Matěj Peč, Salvatore Vitale

School of Science welcomes five new professors this spring

March 3, 2017

Mild heating of graphene oxide sheets makes it possible to bond particular compounds to the sheets’ surface, a new study shows. These compounds in turn select and bond with specific molecules of interest, including DNA and proteins, or even whole cells. In this image the treated graphene oxide on the right is nearly twice as efficient at capturing cells as the untreated material on the left.

Graphene sheets capture cells efficiently

New method could enable pinpoint diagnostics on individual blood cells.

March 3, 2017

Jessica Rosenkrantz collaborated with New Balance to develop a customized, 3-D-printed midsole.

Printing data-driven wearables that mimic nature

MIT lecturer Jessica Rosenkrantz writes programs mimicking processes in nature to "grow" objects that can be digitally fabricated.

March 2, 2017

“[W]hen I came here for CPW [Campus Preview Weekend], I realized that these people were really passionate about what they were doing, and that they were doing really cool things. It’s nerdy, but it’s my kind of nerdy,” senior Hermoon Worku says.

Future physician-advocate

Senior Hermoon Worku is pursuing a career dedicated to surgery, advocacy, and teaching.

February 20, 2017

Left to right: MIT Professor Angelika Amon, Glenn Foundation President and Director Mark Collins, University of Rochester Professor Vera Gorbunova, and MIT Professor Leonard Guerente.

Vera Gorbunova delivers eighth Paul F. Glenn Lecture

Expert on long-lived rodents provides insights into research on longevity and cancer resistance.

February 16, 2017

Eric Lander, an MIT professor of biology, is the 2016-2017 recipient of the James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award.

Chronicling the rapid pace of genomics

Professor Eric Lander, pioneer of human genomics, delivers annual Killian Lecture.

February 15, 2017

Among the awards presented at a recent MIT linQ event was the IMES Award, given to SmartClot, a student team designing an affordable device for low-resource settings that leverages a cellphone camera to determine coagulation status, helping to avoid potentially fatal blood clots.

MIT linQ names first IDEA^2 Global awardees

Twelve finalist teams pitched diverse new health care technologies at MIT.

February 14, 2017

Left to right: Gabriela Schlau-Cohen, Rafael Jaramillo, David Hsu, Nuno Loureiro

New faculty strengthen, broaden MIT’s energy expertise

MIT's newest faculty bring a wide array of energy interests and developments to the Institute.

February 7, 2017

MIT Institute Professor Sallie (Penny) Chisholm poses with the first two books in the “Sunlight Series,” a collection of children's books that teach Earth's natural processes from the point of view of the sun.

How the smallest, most abundant bacteria inspired a children's book series

Institute Professor Penny Chisholm teams up with author and illustrator Molly Bang to write environmental children’s book series.

January 31, 2017

Barbara Imperiali, Class of 1922 Professor of Biology and professor of chemistry

Probing the function of key proteins

Professor Barbara Imperiali creates better biochemical tools for basic biology and drug development.

January 12, 2017

Decision points for the first player in an “envelope game” are graphed like the branches of a tree. In a game with two players, each has a potential payoff, but the first one’s actions determine the second one’s payoff in each round. Choices whether to gather more information by looking in an envelope that contains either a high or a low temptation and whether to cooperate or defect from t...

Using evolutionary dynamics and game theory to understand personal relations

MIT biophysicists apply mathematics from evolutionary biology to describe a surprising aspect of human behavior.

January 5, 2017

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