MIT.nano’s Immersion Lab opens for researchers and students
Facility within MIT.nano offers equipment and capabilities for visualizing data, creating immersive environments.
Neuroscientists identify brain circuit that encodes timing of events
Findings suggest this hippocampal circuit helps us to maintain our timeline of memories.
Scientists discover slimy microbes that may help keep coral reefs healthy
The bacteria scrub out nitrogen, potentially defending against certain nutrient overloads.
Rock magnetism uncrumples the Himalayas’ complex collision zone
MIT EAPS researchers find the impressive mountain range formed over a series of impacts, not a single event, as previously thought.
RNA molecules are masters of their own destiny
Research suggests the products of transcription — RNA molecules — regulate their own production through a feedback loop.
Cortex over reflex: Study traces circuits where executive control overcomes instinct
Frontal brain region overrides reflexive inclination of a deeper, older region when rules require.
Aerosols from pollution, desert storms, and forest fires may intensify thunderstorms
Researchers identify a mechanism by which small particles in the atmosphere can generate more frequent thunderstorms.
Professor and astrophysicist Sara Seager appointed officer to the Order of Canada
Pioneer in exoplanet research helped transform the burgeoning field into one of the fastest-growing and most exciting in space science.
MIT in the media: 2020 in review
In a particularly newsworthy year, news and views from the MIT community made headlines.
3 Questions: Rona Oran and Benjamin Weiss on the ancient moon’s missing magnetism
Simulations rule out plasmas caused by meteoroid impacts as the source of lunar magnetism, supporting the proposal that the ancient moon generated a core dynamo.
MIT community in 2020: A year in review
In a year full of challenges, top Institute stories dealt with resilience, innovation, and MIT’s drive to embody its longstanding values in a changing world.
Top MIT research stories of 2020
The year’s popular research stories include astronomical firsts, scientific breakthroughs, and engineering milestones addressing Covid-19 and other global problems.
Controlling drug activity with light
Miniaturized device activates drugs in a small region deep within the brain.
New type of atomic clock keeps time even more precisely
The design, which uses entangled atoms, could help scientists detect dark matter and study gravity’s effect on time.
Ultracold atoms reveal a new type of quantum magnetic behavior
The findings may help researchers design “spintronic” devices and novel magnetic materials.