3 Questions: Ibrahim Cissé on using physics to decipher biology
A physicist employs super-resolution microscopy to peer inside living cells and witness never-before-seen phenomena.
Chemists make tough plastics recyclable
New method for producing thermoset plastics allows them to be broken down more easily after use.
Mapping the brain’s sensory gatekeeper
New analysis could help uncover potential drug targets for attention deficits and sensory hypersensitivity.
How to grow a cosmic magnetic field
Graduate student Muni Zhou shows how tiny magnetic seed fields can expand to cosmic proportions.
Neural vulnerability in Huntington’s disease tied to release of mitochondrial RNA
Unique survey of gene expression by cell type in humans and mice reveals several deficits affecting the most vulnerable neurons.
In his element in the chem lab and the kickboxing ring
PhD student Levi Knippel is dedicated to making the Department of Chemistry “a community that everyone wants to be a part of.”
Seemingly similar, two neurons show distinct styles as they interact with the same muscle partner
Diversity in how cells talk to the muscle they innervate reveal distinct propensities for change, or “plasticity.”
A mechanical way to stimulate neurons
Magnetic nanodiscs can be activated by an external magnetic field, providing a research tool for studying neural responses.
In a first, astronomers watch a black hole’s corona disappear, then reappear
A colliding star may have triggered the drastic transformation.
Four MIT faculty members receive U.S. Department of Energy early career awards
Faculty from the departments of physics, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering were selected for the 2020 Early Career Research Program.
Findings weaken notion that size equals strength for neural connections
Among study’s many surprises may be a new way to address Fragile X syndrome — by finding a “protein X.”
LEAH Knox Scholars Program kicks off fourth summer
The science program for local high school students is remote this year, as MIT instructors create at-home lab experiences.
Communicating the “beauty and complexity” of science
With a newly minted PhD, Fernanda de Araújo Ferreira now explores the scientific enterprise through journalism.
Letting robots manipulate cables
Robotic gripper with soft sensitive fingers developed at MIT can handle cables with unprecedented dexterity.
COMMANDing drug delivery
A new computational method fine-tunes delivery of therapeutics to specific brain regions.