Porosity of the moon’s crust reveals bombardment history
The moon sustained twice as many impacts as can be seen on its surface, scientists find.
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Physicists see electron whirlpools for the first time
Long predicted but never observed, this fluid-like electron behavior could be leveraged for low-power next-generation electronics.
3 Questions: Marking the 10th anniversary of the Higgs boson discovery
Christoph Paus, the MIT physicist who co-led the effort to detect the particle, looks ahead to the next 10 years.
MIT engineers devise a recipe for improving any autonomous robotic system
A new general-purpose optimizer can speed up the design of walking robots, self-driving vehicles, and other autonomous systems.
New maps of asteroid Psyche reveal an ancient world of metal and rock
The varied surface suggests a dynamic history, which could include metallic eruptions, asteroid-shaking impacts, and a lost rocky mantle.
Astronomers discover a multiplanet system nearby
Just 33 light-years from Earth, the system appears to host two rocky, Earth-sized planets.
Engineers build LEGO-like artificial intelligence chip
The new design is stackable and reconfigurable, for swapping out and building on existing sensors and neural network processors.
Magma beneath tectonic collision zones is wetter than previously thought
New findings may help explain how Earth’s crust forms, the location of ore deposits, and why some volcanoes are more explosive than others.
Is it topological? A new materials database has the answer
Searchable tool reveals more than 90,000 known materials with electronic properties that remain unperturbed in the face of disruption.
Astronomers snap first-ever image of supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*
The image reveals a glowing, donut-shaped ring at the Milky Way’s heart.
Ultrathin fuel cell uses the body’s own sugar to generate electricity
Engineers have developed a glucose power source that could fuel miniature implants and sensors.
Peter Shor receives 2022-2023 Killian Award
The MIT professor is honored for extraordinary accomplishments in mathematics, computer science, and quantum physics.
3 Questions: Ariel Ekblaw on building beautiful architecture in space
The TESSERAE project, a design for self-assembling space structures and habitats, has sent prototypes to the International Space Station.
Astronomers discover a rare “black widow” binary, with the shortest orbit yet
The system is orbited by third stellar companion and may have originated near the center of the Milky Way.
Search reveals eight new sources of black hole echoes
The findings will help scientists trace a black hole’s evolution as it feeds on stellar material.