Scientists find ozone depletion began decades before discovery of ozone hole
Using modern tools, they also determined that carbon tetrachloride, used as a dry-cleaning and degreasing agent as early as the 1930s, was at the root of early ozone loss.
Harriet having it all
From Boston to Moscow and across the U.S., Harriet Latham Robinson SM ’61, PhD ’65 has balanced an exciting career at the forefront of molecular biology with family, friends, and adventure.
The long history of vaccine hesitancy
Thomas Levenson’s new book shows how arguments against vaccination reach back to the beginning of the technology itself.
The tech revolution that wasn’t
Associate Professor Dwai Banerjee’s new book examines the visionaries who wanted to turn India into a world power at making computers.
“We the People” depicts inventors, dreamers, and innovators in all 50 states
For the 250th anniversary of the US, Joshua Bennett’s epic poem set celebrates unexpected lives forged across the nation.
Celebrating worm science
Time and again, an unassuming roundworm has illuminated aspects of biology with major consequences for human health.
Professor Ioannis Yannas, pioneer of regenerative medicine who invented artificial skin for the treatment of severe burns, dies at 90
A beloved member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for nearly 60 years, Yannas helped save the lives of thousands of burn victims through his research and innovation.
A better understanding of debilitating head pain
Tom Zeller’s new book, “The Headache,” sheds light on one of the world’s most confounding and agonizing ailments.
Remembering David Baltimore, influential biologist and founding director of the Whitehead Institute
The longtime MIT professor and Nobel laureate was a globally respected researcher, academic leader, and science policy visionary who guided the careers of generations of scientists.
Professor Emeritus Rainer Weiss, influential physicist who forged new paths to understanding the universe, dies at 92
The longtime MIT professor shared a Nobel Prize for his role in developing the LIGO observatory and detecting gravitational waves.
Professor John Joannopoulos, photonics pioneer and Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies director, dies at 78
Over 50 years at MIT, the condensed-matter physicist led the development of photonic crystals, translating discoveries into wide-ranging applications in energy, medicine, and defense.
Famous double-slit experiment holds up when stripped to its quantum essentials
MIT physicists confirm that, like Superman, light has two identities that are impossible to see at once.
Professor Emeritus Daniel Kleppner, highly influential atomic physicist, dies at 92
The “godfather of Bose-Einstein condensation” and MIT faculty member for 37 years led research into atomic, molecular, and optical physics that led to GPS and quantum computing.
Tiny organisms, huge implications for people
A new book by Thomas Levenson examines how germ theory arose, launched modern medicine, and helped us limit fatal infectious diseases.
MIT’s McGovern Institute is shaping brain science and improving human lives on a global scale
A quarter century after its founding, the McGovern Institute reflects on its discoveries in the areas of neuroscience, neurotechnology, artificial intelligence, brain-body connections, and therapeutics.