AI-assisted learning platform helps robots reason beyond literal commands
The new approach, known as FLEX, could lead to more intuitive, interactive household and assistive robots.
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Pinning down the structure of quark-gluon plasma, the universe’s first fluid
A new method picks up where Einstein left off, to predict how particles move through fluid under extreme conditions.
Watch the universe emerge from the dark ages, with Lumina
The new simulation tracks dark matter, galaxies, stars, and cosmic structures over the universe’s first 2 billion years, in greater detail and volume than ever before.
Satellite data reveal how Antarctica’s ice cliffs behave over time
The cliffs don’t always collapse in the runaway process that scientists had expected.
Shape-sensing sheet digitally tracks its movement as it bends and twists
Developed by MIT engineers, this flexible material could be used as a wearable, motion-monitoring “skin” in physical therapy, virtual reality, and gaming.
Astronomers catch a star slowly snacking on a brown dwarf, 300 light years away
The discovery reveals a new way that stars and planetary companions can interact.
Powered by muscle cells, a paper-thin robot swims through watery maze
MIT engineers’ new aquabot offers a way to design small, efficient “biohybrid” robots.
Robotic lab sets up and runs optics experiments on demand
The autonomous system could speed up testing of high-tech materials for applications such as solar cells, sensors, video displays, and quantum technologies.
New research shows a neutrino laser is impossible
Due to physical and fundamental limitations, an earlier proposal for producing laserlike beams of neutrinos cannot be achieved, scientists report.
Meteorite dust holds records of magnetism that may have helped form the sun
The discovery likely represents the earliest known evidence of a magnetic field in the infant solar system.
Generating scenarios for extreme events, without extreme data
A new algorithm learns to anticipate the unprecedented scenarios that critical infrastructure and global supply chains are least prepared for.
MIT engineers design a better controller for operating construction diggers
The new, more intuitive system could speed up the training process for excavator operators.
Cells pulse together as they grow — and malignant cells pulse the longest
MIT researchers discovered a cellular dance that may offer clues to the development of cancer, asthma, and other diseases.
Astronomers discover a brand-new type of astrophysical object: A black hole star
The mashup of a black hole and an enormous star has never been seen before and could explain the mysterious little red dots often found in deep-space images.
How to design a space habitat that supports its residents’ mental health
A new online platform helps engineers look beyond survival mode when designing habitats for extreme living conditions.