Regulating the regulators
Tiny microRNAs help destroy unwanted messenger RNAs in cells. New research finds how the body keeps them in check.
Department
Biology
Six MIT faculty elected 2020 AAAS Fellows
Choucri, Drennan, Fisher, Gershenfeld, Li, and Rus are recognized for their efforts to advance science.
Researchers decipher structure of promising battery materials
Family of compounds could someday be useful for fuel cells, supercapacitors, catalysts, and sensors.
Vibrations of coronavirus proteins may play a role in infection
Study suggests mechanical properties of spike proteins can predict infectivity and lethality of different coronaviruses.
SMART researchers develop gelatin microcarrier for cell production
Gelatin-based microcarriers offer higher yield and scalability compared to existing commercial microcarriers.
Aspiring physician explores the many levels of human health
During her time at MIT, senior Ayesha Ng’s interests have expanded from cellular biology to the social systems that shape public health.
Scientists identify specific brain region and circuits controlling attention
Norepinephrine-producing neurons in the locus coeruleus produce attention focus, impulse control via two distinct connections to prefrontal cortex.
Angelika Amon, cell biologist who pioneered research on chromosome imbalance, dies at 53
Professor and mentor for more than 20 years at MIT redefined scientists’ understanding of the biology of cell division and proliferation.
“The Age of Living Machines” honored by the American Institute of Physics
Author Susan Hockfield, MIT president emerita and professor of neuroscience, receives 2020 Science Communication Award.
Tyler Jacks, founding director of MIT’s Koch Institute, to step down
A search committee chaired by Institute Professor Phillip Sharp will work to identify a new director for MIT’s pioneering cancer research center.
Silencing gene expression to cure complex diseases
Immuneering uses bioinformatics to develop new medicines while also helping large pharmaceutical companies improve their treatments.
Learning by doing, remotely
Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, MIT students have carved out meaningful hands-on experiences.
To make mini-organs grow faster, give them a squeeze
Study finds that compressing cells, and crowding their contents, can coax them to grow and divide.
Alzheimer’s risk gene disrupts endocytosis, but another disease-linked gene could help
Astrocytes with the APOE4 gene variant show deficits of a key cellular function, but overexpressing the gene PICALM overcame the defect.