Engineers develop multimaterial fiber “ink” for 3-D-printed devices
Filaments with embedded circuitry can be used to print complex shapes for biomedical and robotic devices.
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics awarded to Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration for black hole observation
Nearly 30 MIT-affiliated researchers will share in the prize, while David Jay Julius ’77 wins Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences; assistant professor of physics Max Metlitski shares New Horizons prize with Xie Chen PhD ’12 and Michael Levin PhD ’06.
New science blooms after star researchers die, study finds
Deaths of prominent life scientists tend to be followed by a surge in highly cited research by newcomers.
Robotic thread is designed to slip through the brain’s blood vessels
Magnetically controlled device could deliver clot-reducing therapies in response to stroke or other brain blockages.
MIT engineers build advanced microprocessor out of carbon nanotubes
New approach harnesses the same fabrication processes used for silicon chips, offers key advance toward next-generation computers.
High-precision technique stores cellular “memory” in DNA
Engineers program human and bacterial cells to keep a record of complex molecular events.
Study furthers radically new view of gene control
Along the genome, proteins form liquid-like droplets that appear to boost the expression of particular genes.
Using recent gene flow to define microbe populations
New method identifies ecologically and medically relevant bacteria groups.
Hydration sensor could improve dialysis
Noninvasive device could benefit patients with kidney disease, congestive heart failure, or dehydration.
Uncovering the riches of traditional global medicine
Researchers solve how the kava plant produces its pain-relieving and anti-anxiety molecules, demonstrate an extensible method to scale and optimize production.
Artificial “muscles” achieve powerful pulling force
New MIT system of contracting fibers could be a boon for biomedical devices and robotics.
Breaching a “carbon threshold” could lead to mass extinction
Carbon dioxide emissions may trigger a reflex in the carbon cycle, with devastating consequences, study finds.
Experiments show dramatic increase in solar cell output
Method for collecting two electrons from each photon could break through theoretical solar-cell efficiency limit.
Approaching the magnetic singularity
MIT researchers discover a material that changes electrical resistance only when a magnetic field is applied at a narrowly confined angle.
Engineers 3-D print flexible mesh for ankle and knee braces
Techniques could lead to personalized wearable and implantable devices.