The secret love life of the longfin squid
MIT Sea Grant resident artist and acclaimed underwater photographer Keith Ellenbogen captures an intimate look at courtship and communication in a hidden spawning spectacle off Cape Cod.
Brain circuit keeps tabs on what just happened to aid judgment of what’s happening now
To keep track of what’s going on in front of it, the brain relies not only on what it sees, but also a comparison with what it just saw. A new study pinpoints the circuit that provides that service.
Meteorite dust holds records of magnetism that may have helped form the sun
The discovery likely represents the earliest known evidence of a magnetic field in the infant solar system.
Generating scenarios for extreme events, without extreme data
A new algorithm learns to anticipate the unprecedented scenarios that critical infrastructure and global supply chains are least prepared for.
Language skills stay strong in older adults, even while other cognitive abilities decline
MIT researchers find that activity in the brain’s language network is nearly identical in young and old people.
The importance of indoor airflow patterns in spreading airborne disease
Researchers explore how a key factor can mitigate or promote tuberculosis transmission.
Paving the way for greener ammonia production
New MIT research could lead to better materials for a fossil-fuel-free process for making the chemical that's essential to fertilizer and other products.
MIT engineers design a better controller for operating construction diggers
The new, more intuitive system could speed up the training process for excavator operators.
How the Toxoplasma parasite adapts to crowded conditions in host cells
A new study by Whitehead Institute researchers identifies how the widespread parasite Toxoplasma gondii survives in crowded environments in infected cells, which helps it persist in long-lasting brain cysts.
Securing wireless communication in next-generation devices
A new, scalable technique could enable powerful radars and sensors based on quantum technology that works at room temperature.
Cell-preservation technique could make CAR-T cell therapy more accessible
MIT researchers’ approach, which uses naturally occurring sugars as antifreeze, could make it easier for hospitals to deploy this type of cancer treatment.
When AI art has no author: Study finds generated images often can’t be traced to training data
A new method for surgically removing training examples from a model reveals that as datasets grow, the link between what a model learns and what it produces dissolves.
How 35 percent of US employees are left on the margins
In a new book, Paul Osterman details his research finding more than one-third of the country’s workers are “disposable,” with little security or chance of job advancement.
DNA shaper steers nervous system development
A study of worms finds a protein that helps shape the structure of the genome is critical for establishing the identity of some neurons.
Mathematical framework connects biological principles to manufacturable, adaptive materials
The new framework could streamline the design process of robotic grippers or aerospace components that exhibit complex behaviors found in nature.