School of Science

Jeffrey Steinfeld named ACS Fellow

MIT chemist is one of 96 recognized for outstanding accomplishments in the field.

August 29, 2012

Biologists found that boosting the activity of pyruvate kinase, the enzyme seen here, can prevent tumors from growing.

Turning on key enzyme blocks tumor formation

Drug-like molecule restores normal cell metabolism, preventing cancer cells from growing.

August 27, 2012

Two MIT chemists win ACS awards

Buchwald, Swager honored by the American Chemical Society

August 22, 2012

Micrograph shows a group of <i>Ralstonia eutropha</i> bacteria in culture. In their natural form, as seen here, the microbes convert carbon in their surrounding into a kind of bioplastic — seen as the light-colored dots inside their membranes. But a biologically engineered version developed at MIT instead produces isobutanol fuel, which is then expelled from the cells into the surrounding medium...

Teaching a microbe to make fuel

Genetically modified organism could turn carbon dioxide or waste products into a gasoline-compatible transportation fuel.

August 21, 2012

This graphic shows the brain, with the motor cortex highlighted in yellow.

Stroke disrupts how brain controls muscle synergies

Distinctive patterns could allow doctors to develop better rehab programs for stroke patients.

August 20, 2012

Images of nanopatterned films of nano crystalline material produced by the MIT research team. Each row shows a different pattern produced on films of either cadmium selenide (top and bottom) or a combination of zinc cadmium selenide and zinc cadmium sulfur (middle row). The three images in each row are made using different kinds of microscopes: left to right, scanning electron microscope, optical ...

Patterning defect-free nanocrystal films with nanometer resolution

New process developed at MIT could enable better LED displays, solar cells and biosensors — and foster basic physics research.

August 20, 2012

Title slide from the new ChemLab Boot Camp video series.

ChemLab Boot Camp: MIT OpenCourseWare launches reality series

A new series of videos to be published this fall follows 14 MIT freshmen through their introduction to hands-on science.

August 14, 2012

An image of Golgi stained neurons in the dentate gyrus of an epilepsy patient.

Simple mathematical computations underlie brain circuits

Discovery of how some neurons inhibit others could shed light on autism, other neurological disorders.

August 9, 2012

New MIT research shows what happens inside the brains of young children as they learn to think about the thoughts and emotions of other people.

Thinking about others is not child’s play

MIT study reveals changes in brain activity as children learn to read other people’s behavior.

August 9, 2012

Leonard Guarente, the Novartis Professor of Biology at MIT

Protein that boosts longevity may protect against diabetes

Sirtuins help fight off disorders linked to obesity, new MIT study shows.

August 7, 2012

To prevent microwaves passing through it from reflecting backward, a new 'metamaterial' uses antennas of alternating orientations (top) that are connected by amplifier circuits (bottom).

Riding herd on photons

A new ‘metamaterial’ prevents electromagnetic waves from reflecting backward, pointing the way toward computer chips that move data with light.

August 3, 2012

Professor John Gabrieli's neuroscience lab uses tools such as this fMRI scanner to study how the brain makes the mind.

Introduction to Psychology now available in MIT OpenCourseWare’s innovative OCW Scholar format

Course is the sixth of seven courses MIT OCW will publish this year specifically to meet the needs of independent learners.

July 31, 2012

Alan Guth ’68, SM ’69, PhD ’72, the Victor F. Weisskopf Professor of Physics at MIT

Alan Guth wins $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize

MIT physicist among nine inaugural winners of prize awarded by Russia’s Milner Foundation.

July 31, 2012

Simons Center for the Social Brain offering seed grants, postdoc fellowships

Deadline for application is August 31.

July 26, 2012

A newly discovered gene in bacteria may help microbes survive in low-oxygen environments. A bacterial cell with the gene, left, exhibits protective membranes. A cell without the gene, right, produces no membranes.

Newfound gene may help bacteria survive in extreme environments

Resulting microbial lipids may also signify oxygen dips in Earth’s history.