The quantum singularity
A new experiment would use quantum effects to perform otherwise intractable calculations, but conducting it should be easier than building a quantum computer.
Language barrier
To take advantage of multicore chips, programmers will need software development systems that let them express themselves in fundamentally new ways.
No backtalk
One key to making parallel algorithms efficient is to minimize the amount of communication between cores.
Retooling algorithms
Charles Leiserson and his team are experts at designing parallel algorithms — including one for a chess-playing program that outperformed IBM’s Deep Blue.
Alum-astronaut Robert Satcher: ‘We need to get everybody on board’
Delivers keynote address at the annual Laureates and Leaders induction ceremony
The next operating system
Operating systems for multicore chips will need more information about their own performance — and more resources for addressing whatever problems arise.
In the World: Turning old oil into new mileage
Brazilian waste pickers gain an inexpensive way to fuel their vehicles using leftover cooking oil.
CEHS poster session highlights graduate, postdoctoral work
More than 60 posters featured at annual Center for Environmental Health Sciences event.
Designing the hardware
Improving communication between distributed processors and managing shared data are two of the central challenges in creating tomorrow’s chips.
Nano-sized vaccines
New MIT nanoparticles could lead to powerful vaccines for HIV and other diseases.
Research update: Continuous medical monitoring
Tiny 'microworms' could be implanted under the skin to give readout of blood sugar levels or other biomedical information.
A difference maker
Vannevar Bush PhD ’16, a unique figure in American history, transformed his country’s scientific establishment during its wartime hour of need.
Rivest unlocks cryptography's past, looks toward future
Public-key system has worked and made Internet commerce feasible, but new systems are ready in case flaws are found.
Detecting whether a heart attack has occurred
New implantable sensor finds telltale signs; technology could also be adapted to monitor cancer and other diseases.