School of Science

Thirty-one MIT community members were named to this year’s list, including 25 alumni.

More than 30 from MIT named to Forbes 30 Under 30 lists

Forbes calls its 2019 30 Under 30 honorees “a collection of bold risk-takers who are putting a new twist on the old tools of the trade.”

December 7, 2018

Atoms are like small magnets, so applying a magnetic force pushes them around, here, to the left (top left). Since these atoms repel each other, they cannot move if there are no empty sites (top middle). But the atomic “magnetic needles” are still free to move, with stronger magnets (red) diffusing to the left in the image, and weaker magnets (blue) having to make room and move to the right (b...

Atoms stand in for electrons in system for probing high-temperature superconductors

Using new “quantum emulator,” physicists can observe individual atoms moving through these materials, and measure their speed.

December 6, 2018

Professor Gabriela S. Schlau-Cohen (center) and graduate students Raymundo Moya (left) and Wei Jia Chen worked with collaborators at the University of Verona, Italy, to develop a new understanding of the mechanisms by which plants reject excess energy they absorb from sunlight so it doesn’t harm key proteins. The insights gained could one day lead to critically needed increases in yields of biom...

Understanding how plants use sunlight

Studies of how photoprotection works at the molecular level may provide a pathway to more biomass and crops.

December 4, 2018

The twin detectors of LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, are located in Louisiana and Washington. The Livingston detector site, located near Livingston, Louisiana, is pictured here.

LIGO and Virgo announce four new gravitational-wave detections

The observatories are also releasing their first catalog of gravitational-wave events.

December 3, 2018

MIT researchers are developing ribonucleases as potential drugs to treat cancer. In a new study, they found that the drugs work better when given with already-approved drugs known as kinase inhibitors.

New drug combination could be more effective against melanoma

Chemists discover an unexpected synergy between two types of cancer drugs.

December 3, 2018

Clockwise from top left: Crystal Winston, Katie O’Nell, Kyle Swanson, Anna Sappington, and Radha Mastandrea

Five MIT students named 2019 Marshall Scholars

Radha Mastandrea, Katie O’Nell, Anna Sappington, Kyle Swanson, and Crystal Winston will begin graduate studies in the UK next fall.

December 2, 2018

An enzyme encircles the double helix to repair a broken strand of DNA.

The long and short of CDK12

A new study linking RNA processing to DNA repair may open new avenues to cancer therapy.

November 30, 2018

MIT engineers have designed a system that can repeatedly measure cancer cells as they flow through an array of mass sensors. Once the cells reach the end, they are collected for RNA-sequencing.

Measuring cancer cell “fitness” reveals drug susceptibility

Together, cell growth rate and gene expression shed light on why some tumor cells survive treatment.

November 29, 2018

MIT Kavli Institute director Jacqueline Hewitt stands with a prototype of one of the four cameras aboard the Transiting Exoplanet Satellite Survey (TESS) instrument. Hewitt, who has overseen the TESS mission from NASA proposal to satellite launch in April, will step down as Kavli Institute director in January.

Jacqueline Hewitt to step down as director of the MIT Kavli Institute

Physics professor brought leadership, resources, and an intellectual focus to the MIT astrophysics faculty and research staff during 15 years at the helm.

November 29, 2018

On ancient Mars, water carved channels and transported sediments to form fans and deltas within lake basins. Examination of spectral data acquired from orbit show that some of these sediments have minerals that indicate chemical alteration by water. In the Jezero Crater delta, sediments contain clays and carbonates. (This image combines information from two instruments on NASA's Mars Reconnaissanc...

Mars 2020 landing site offers unique opportunities

EAPS professors Summons, Bosak, and Weiss provide insight on how the Jezero Crater can advance the study of Martian history and the search for ancient life.

November 28, 2018