Q&A: How AI came to model the “messy” human mind
Assistant Professor Benjamin Lindquist studies how engineers deliberately injected randomness into early AI, giving rise to deep-learning models that sometimes hallucinate.
This design software reimagines everyday objects as self-aware devices
“X-Hinges” helps design and 3D print items like lamps and gloves with an interactive twist: automatically embedded sensors that perceive and adaptively respond to human contact.
The ocean’s most abundant “loner” microbe has a sticky second life
Researchers in the Chisholm lab find Prochlorococcus can switch between drifting alone and living in attached communities, a discovery that could reshape estimates of how much carbon the ocean moves to the deep sea.
Symposium highlights MIT’s wide range of innovations for aging brain health
In six talks, researchers from across MIT described projects aimed at advancing the understanding of and interventions against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
Why teaching AI about symmetry could make prenatal diagnosis more reliable
A model developed by researchers at MIT and Boston Children's Hospital adjusts scans on the fly to track fetal movement, potentially sparing families repeat hospital visits.
Giving AI a “crystal clear” view of the materials world
New research can help AI models understand crystalline materials in 3D and reason about their properties.
State of Supply Chain Sustainability Report finds corporate commitment at record high, but governance lags behind
MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics finds sustainability commitments are strong, but governance gaps and external disruptions prevent execution.
AI model decodes the language cells use to communicate
A new computational approach reveals how cells communicate to assemble into tissues. This could accelerate stem cell engineering, improve disease models, and inform therapies.
Satellite data reveal how Antarctica’s ice cliffs behave over time
The cliffs don’t always collapse in the runaway process that scientists had expected.
Building trust in governments through digital platforms
Governments and private companies often work together to provide public services online. A new study asks: How do these partnerships affect people’s trust in government?
Q&A: The “collision” between AI, your brain, and society
In a new book, Professor Eric So explores how the technology affects our thinking skills.
Researchers improve weather forecasts looking two to six weeks out
A new machine-learning approach broke records for weather forecasting for an important time frame in emergency planning.
How artificial neural networks build their own learning machinery
Machine-learning networks can learn without detailed instructions from a designer. Those that do may offer insight into how the brain reorganizes itself during learning.
Reprogrammed NK immune cells target cancer and autoimmune disorders
A new approach can program these cells inside the body and shows promise against diseases caused by dysfunctional T cells, including lymphoma and autoimmune hepatitis.
Shape-sensing sheet digitally tracks its movement as it bends and twists
Developed by MIT engineers, this flexible material could be used as a wearable, motion-monitoring “skin” in physical therapy, virtual reality, and gaming.