School of Science welcomed new faculty in 2024
Eleven new professors join the departments of Biology; Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Mathematics; and Physics.
MIT study shows how vision can be rebooted in adults with amblyopia
Temporarily anesthetizing the retina briefly reverts the activity of the visual system to that observed in early development and enables growth of responses to the amblyopic (“lazy”) eye.
When it comes to language, context matters
MIT researchers identified three cognitive skills that we use to infer what someone really means.
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed
MIT researchers discover how an immune system molecule triggers neurons to shut down social behavior in mice modeling infection.
Astrocyte diversity across space and time
A new atlas charts the diversity of an influential cell type in the brains of mice and marmosets.
When companies “go green,” air quality impacts can vary dramatically
Cutting air travel and purchasing renewable energy can lead to different effects on overall air quality, even while achieving the same CO2 reduction, new research shows.
Alternate proteins from the same gene contribute differently to health and rare disease
New findings may help researchers identify genetic mutations that contribute to rare diseases, by studying when and how single genes produce multiple versions of proteins.
Staying stable
Whether they walk on two, four, or six legs, animals maintain stability by monitoring their body position and correcting errors with every step.
MIT chemists synthesize a fungal compound that holds promise for treating brain cancer
Preliminary studies find derivatives of the compound, known as verticillin A, can kill some types of glioma cells.
Inaugural UROP mixer draws hundreds of students eager to gain research experience
The Institute will commit up to $1 million in new funding to increase supply of UROPs.
Scientists get a first look at the innermost region of a white dwarf system
X-ray observations reveal surprising features of the dying star’s most energetic environment.
The cost of thinking
MIT neuroscientists find a surprising parallel in the ways humans and new AI models solve complex problems.
Symposium examines the neural circuits that keep us alive and well
Seven speakers from around the country convened at MIT to describe some of the latest research on the neural mechanisms that we need to survive.
Quantum modeling for breakthroughs in materials science and sustainable energy
Quantum chemist and School of Science Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellow Ernest Opoku is working on computational methods to study how electrons behave.
The science of consciousness
Through the MIT Consciousness Club, professors Matthias Michel and Earl Miller are exploring how neurological activity gives rise to human experience.