Did our early ancestors boil their food in hot springs?
Scientists have found evidence of hot springs near sites where ancient hominids settled, long before the control of fire.
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Astronomers may have found a signature of life on Venus
Evidence indicates phosphine, a gas associated with living organisms, is present in the habitable region of Venus’ atmosphere.
Four from MIT awarded 2021 New Horizons in Physics and New Frontiers in Mathematics prizes
Physicists Tracy Slatyer and Netta Engelhardt and mathematicians Lisa Piccirillo and Nina Holden PhD ’18 are honored by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation.
Velcro-like food sensor detects spoilage and contamination
Color-changing array of silk microneedles could help stem outbreaks and avoid food waste.
A “bang” in LIGO and Virgo detectors signals most massive gravitational-wave source yet
A binary black hole merger likely produced gravitational waves equal to the energy of eight suns.
An unexpected origin story for a lopsided black hole merger
Researchers suggest a novel process to explain the collision of a large black hole and a much smaller one.
A fall semester welcome to undergraduates
“We will find great meaning and satisfaction in having endured this historic test together,” President Reif told new and returning students.
Cosmic rays may soon stymie quantum computing
Building quantum computers underground or designing radiation-proof qubits may be needed, researchers find.
Nergis Mavalvala named School of Science dean
Astrophysicist and associate head of the physics department will succeed Michael Sipser.
How MIT built its own Covid-19 testing trailer
Designed and assembled by experts from across the Institute, the facility should enable testing of up to 1,500 people a day.
How airplanes counteract St. Elmo’s fire during thunderstorms
On the ground, windy conditions strengthen these electrical flashes, but new experiments tell a different story for flying objects.
3 Questions: Asegun Henry on five “grand thermal challenges” to stem the tide of global warming
“Our mission here is to save humanity from extinction due to climate change,” says MIT professor.
Why shaving dulls even the sharpest of razors
Human hair is 50 times softer than steel, yet it can chip away a razor’s edge, a new study shows.
Lava oceans may not explain the brightness of some hot super-Earths
By making their own lava and cooled glass, scientists find these materials likely aren’t responsible for the unexpected glow of some exoplanets.
Can a quantum strategy help bring down the house?
Study finds quantum entanglement could, in principle, give a slight advantage in the game of blackjack.