A new way to see the activity inside a living cell
Using fluorescent labels that switch on and off, MIT engineers can study how molecules in a cell interact to control the cell’s behavior.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Search algorithm reveals nearly 200 new kinds of CRISPR systems
By analyzing bacterial data, researchers have discovered thousands of rare new CRISPR systems that have a range of functions and could enable gene editing, diagnostics, and more.
Three MIT affiliates receive Schmidt awards
Jörn Dunkel and Surya Ganguli ’98, MNG ’98 receive Science Polymath awards; Josh Tenenbaum is named AI2050 Senior Fellow.
Mark Bear wins Society for Neuroscience Julius Axelrod Prize
Award recognizes professor's synaptic plasticity research, its translation to potential amblyopia and autism treatments, and his career of mentorship.
Rewarding excellence in open data
MIT researchers who share their data recognized at second annual awards celebration.
Aging Brain Initiative symposium showcases “cutting-edge” research across MIT
Seed projects, posters represent a wide range of labs working on technologies, therapeutic strategies, and fundamental research to advance understanding of age-related neurodegenerative disease.
A new wave of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
Professor Li-Huei Tsai studies how brain waves can be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Anesthesia technology precisely controls unconsciousness in animal tests
An advanced closed-loop anesthesia delivery system that monitors brain state to tailor propofol dose and achieve exactly the desired level of unconsciousness could reduce post-op side effects.
How “blue” and “green” appeared in a language that didn’t have words for them
People of a remote Amazonian society who learned Spanish as a second language began to interpret colors in a new way, an MIT study has found.
MIT scientists receive NIH BRAIN Initiative grants
BRAIN CONNECTS supports McGovern Institute and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences research aimed at mapping the brain’s connections.
The brain may learn about the world the same way some computational models do
Two studies find “self-supervised” models, which learn about their environment from unlabeled data, can show activity patterns similar to those of the mammalian brain.
How adults understand what kids are saying
It’s not easy to parse young children’s words, but adults’ beliefs about what children want to communicate helps make it possible, a new study finds.
New technique helps robots pack objects into a tight space
Researchers coaxed a family of generative AI models to work together to solve multistep robot manipulation problems.
Ariel Furst and Fan Wang receive 2023 National Institutes of Health awards
The awards support creative, innovative research with a broad impact.
Thousands of programmable DNA-cutters found in algae, snails, and other organisms
New research finds RNA-guided enzymes called Fanzors are widespread among eukaryotic organisms.