Perfect communication with imperfect chips
Error-correcting codes discovered at MIT can still guarantee reliable communication, even in cellphones with failure-prone low-power chips.
Satellites in the developing world
An MIT researcher looks at a growing trend in a number of developing countries: national satellite programs.
The too-smart-for-its-own-good grid
New technologies intended to boost reliance on renewable energy could destabilize the power grid if they’re not matched with careful pricing policies.
Defibrillator for stalled software
A new tool interrupts the ‘infinite loops’ that cause computer hang-ups, letting users save data and finish tasks before restarting a stalled program.
Disease-causing tangle could spawn new materials
Amyloids, associated with Alzheimer’s and other diseases, could be inspiration for tough synthetic polymers.
Revealing water’s secrets
Experiments support controversial theory about how water behaves in confined spaces, providing insights for biology and manufacturing.
How to make solar power 24/7
MIT team designs concentrated solar thermal system that could store heat in vats of molten salts, supplying constant power.
Recognizing voices depends on language ability
Study finds that for people with dyslexia, it’s much harder to identify who is speaking.
Sun-free photovoltaics
Materials engineered to give off precisely tuned wavelengths of light when heated are key to new high-efficiency generating system.
To an asteroid, and back
MIT students to build imaging instrument to fly aboard mission to an asteroid.
3Q: The next Mars rover’s destination
Mission is big step toward human exploration of Mars, according to MIT’s Maria Zuber.
Research update: Improving batteries’ energy storage
New method allows a dramatic boost in capacity for a given weight.
Tumor cells go against the flow
Microfluidic model helps explain how fluid’s flow in bodily tissue influences tumor cell migration.