Shape-shifting robots
Self-folding sheets of a plastic-like material point the way to robots that can assume any conceivable 3-D structure.
Silicon can be made to melt in reverse
Material that shows melting while cooling might someday lead to applications in solar cells and other devices
Unraveling the Matrix
A new way of analyzing grids of numbers known as matrices could improve signal-processing applications and data-compression schemes.
Technology and Policy Program student named Switzer Environmental Fellow
Among 21 granted fellowships this year
The science of baseball
MIT outreach program uses America’s pastime to hook boys on math and physics
MIT graduate transportation researchers reflect on work with Portugal
City planning, civil engineering graduates supported by MIT-Portugal Program talk about long-term connections to Portuguese students, faculty, stakeholders in transport
RNA offers a safer way to reprogram cells
New technique holds promise to revert cells to an immature state that can develop into any cell type.
Explained: Bandgap
Understanding how electrons get excited is crucial to creating solar cells and light-emitting diodes
3 Questions: Nicholas Roy on deploying drones in U.S. skies
MIT robotics expert discusses the logistical hurdles of regulating unmanned aircraft for civilian use.
A plane that lands like a bird
An innovative control system allows a foam glider to touch down on a perch or a wire like a pet parakeet.
Imaging fish on the fly
New MIT technology allows high-speed study of zebrafish larvae, often used to model human diseases.
Broadband picture may not be so bleak
A new study disputes the claim that Internet data rates in the U.S. are only half as high as advertised; study’s authors call for better data.
In the World: Breath of life
Low-cost portable ventilator could be a lifesaver for people in remote locations and for hospitals in the developing world.