Emery Brown, Daniel Hastings, and Douglas Lauffenburger named Institute Professors
Longtime professors and experts in the fields of anesthesiology, aerospace engineering, and biological engineering, respectively, receive MIT’s highest faculty honor.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
MIT Professor Susumu Tonegawa, renowned molecular biologist and Nobel laureate, dies at 86
Tonegawa made landmark discoveries about how the immune system generates antibody diversity and how the brain forms memories.
Electric fields help guide neural activity, even from moment to moment
A new study adds evidence that electric fields in the brain help to organize and shape underlying neural activity via “ephaptic coupling.”
How visual learning happens in the brain
Scientists find that learning to identify a new object subtly reshapes visual processing in the brain.
Separating logic and language
Neuroscientists find logical reasoning does not involve language-processing parts of the brain.
The brain’s internal ruler
A simple brain circuit measures objects’ distance from the body using touch signals from a rodent’s whiskers, MIT scientists find.
The brain’s language network is more extensive than previously thought
A new study reveals that parts of the brain located far from the canonical language-processing centers are also involved in language comprehension.
MIT in the media: Exploring how curiosity-driven science is an essential ingredient in America’s success
“Scientific American” showcases the history and future of America’s scientific engine, highlighting promising young scientists and icons at MIT and beyond.
Would you return a favor? Scientists say it depends on the relationship
A new study shows people expect reciprocal generosity only in interactions with friends or others of equal social status.
Myriam Heiman named director of The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
Heiman, who studies neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s, will lead the institute beginning July 1.
Brighter MRI signals
New MRI sensors developed at MIT sensitively detect target molecules in the brain and body.
The rules neurons follow to make sense of what we see
Brain cells take in many signals through thousands of circuit connections. A new study discerns the rules that turn inputs into a functional arrangement for neurons that process vision.
MIT affiliates elected to National Academy of Sciences for 2026
Six MIT faculty, along with 10 additional alumni, are recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions to research in the natural and social sciences.
Four from MIT named 2026 Searle Scholars
Computational neuroscientist Sven Dorkenwald and cell biologist Whitney Henry, along with two MIT alumni, are recognized for their exceptional early-career research contributions.
Language development in the brain
The brain’s language network is still evolving in adolescence. But by age 4, language processing is already handled by the left side of the brain, new research finds.