Answering “Why?”
MLK Visiting Scholar Benjamin McDonald uses synthetic organic chemistry in the Swager lab to answer questions with more questions.
Department
Chemistry
A chemist investigates how proteins assume their shape
Matt Shoulders hopes to shed light on diseases linked to flawed protein folding.
Michael Sipser to step down as School of Science dean
Mathematician to return to the faculty after six years leading MIT’s second-largest school.
Chemists unveil the structure of an influenza B protein
Findings could help researchers design drugs to treat influenza B infections.
Putting a finger on the switch of a chronic parasite infection
Researchers find master regulator needed for Toxoplasma gondii parasite to chronically infect host; promising step toward infection treatment, prevention.
Chemistry bonds “quirky” researchers in hard-working Surendranath lab
Mangoes, coconuts, and imaginary lizards make using electricity to rearrange chemical bonds fun and exciting.
Building a platform to image membrane proteins
Biologists devise an efficient method to prepare fluorescently tagged proteins and simulate their native environment.
A sign that aliens could stink
A molecule that’s known for its smelly and poisonous nature on Earth may be a sure-fire sign of extraterrestrial life.
Chemists glimpse the fleeting “transition state” of a reaction
New technique for observing reaction products offers insights into the chemical mechanisms that formed them.
Lamborghini and MIT pave the way for the electric supercar of the future
MIT-Italy helps build supercharged partnerships on campus and across the globe.
Technique identifies T cells primed for certain allergies or infections
Researchers develop a method to isolate and sequence the RNA of T cells that react to a specific target.
Chemists observe “spooky” quantum tunneling
Extremely large electric fields can prevent umbrella-shaped ammonia molecules from inverting.
School of Science appoints 14 faculty members to named professorships
Those selected for these positions receive additional support to pursue their research and develop their careers.
New synthesis method yields degradable polymers
Materials could be useful for delivering drugs or imaging agents in the body; may offer alternative to some industrial plastics.
New process could make hydrogen peroxide available in remote places
MIT-developed method may lead to portable devices for making the disinfectant on-site where it’s needed.