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On Maui (shown here) and Hawaii’s other islands, MIT researchers find that the rate of coastal erosion depends on the size of the average wave.

Scientists quantify how wave power drives coastal erosion

The average power of waves hitting a coastline can predict how fast that coast will erode.

March 16, 2020

This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient, emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab.

Covid-19 diagnostic based on MIT technology might be tested on patient samples soon

A variety of MIT research projects could aid efforts to detect and prevent the spread of coronavirus.

March 12, 2020

Hand lotion, yogurt, and toothpaste are some examples of colloidal gels, which MIT researchers have now characterized in detail by studying movies of their microstructure.

Probing microscopic wiggles in squishy materials

Technique could help improve design of soft materials to withstand jostling during transport or settling due to gravity.

March 3, 2020

MIT researchers have used a neural network to identify low-frequency seismic waves hidden in earthquake data. The technique may help scientists more accurately map the Earth’s interior.

Machine learning picks out hidden vibrations from earthquake data

Technique may help scientists more accurately map vast underground geologic structures.

February 28, 2020

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have compared “snapshots” of pairs of nucleons separated by various distances, and for the first time observed a key transition in the behavior of the strong nuclear force — the glue that binds the building blocks of matter.

The force is strong in neutron stars

Study identifies a transition in the strong nuclear force that illuminates the structure of a neutron star’s core.

February 26, 2020

MIT graduate student Emily Hanhauser demonstrates a new device that may simplify the logistics of water monitoring for trace metal contaminants, particularly in resource-constrained regions.

Instrument may enable mail-in testing to detect heavy metals in water

Whisk-shaped device absorbs trace contaminants, preserves them in dry state that can be shipped to labs for analysis.

February 25, 2020

Mirrored chip could enable handheld dark-field microscopes

Simple chip powered by quantum dots allows standard microscopes to visualize difficult-to-image biological organisms.

February 24, 2020

MIT researchers have devised a framework for deciding which type of mission would be most successful in deflecting an incoming asteroid, taking into account an asteroid’s mass and momentum, its proximity to a gravitational keyhole, and the amount of warning time that scientists have of an impending collision.

How to deflect an asteroid

MIT engineers devise a decision map to identify the best mission type to deflect an incoming asteroid.

February 18, 2020

Iron is an essential nutrient for phytoplankton growth, but a new study finds that artificially pumping vast amounts of iron into the oceans won’t bump up the microbes’ populations, or their capacity to sequester carbon dioxide.

Seeding oceans with iron may not impact climate change

Study finds Earth’s oceans contain just the right amount of iron; adding more may not improve their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.

February 17, 2020

A new disposable, affordable “smart” diaper embedded with an RFID tag is designed by MIT researchers to sense and communicate wetness to a nearby RFID reader, which in turn can wirelessly send a notification to a caregiver that it’s time for a change.

Low-cost “smart” diaper can notify caregiver when it’s wet

Design combines a common diaper material with RFID technology.

February 13, 2020

New MIT study finds more than half of all air-quality-related early deaths in the United States are a result of cross-state pollution, or emissions originating outside of the state in which those deaths occur.

Half of U.S. deaths related to air pollution are linked to out-of-state emissions

Study tracks pollution from state to state in the 48 contiguous United States.

February 12, 2020

Two views of the asteroid Pallas, which researchers have determined to be the most heavily cratered object in the asteroid belt.

Study reveals details of “golf ball asteroid”

A tilted orbit may explain the asteroid Pallas’ highly cratered surface.

February 10, 2020

With a new technique, MIT researchers can peel and stack thin films of metal oxides — chemical compounds that can be designed to have unique magnetic and electronic properties. The films can be mixed and matched to create multi-functional, flexible electronic devices, such as solar-powered skins and electronic fabrics.

Engineers mix and match materials to make new stretchy electronics

Next-generation devices made with new “peel and stack” method may include electronic chips worn on the skin.

February 5, 2020

A preserved heart muscle (1) is removed and replaced with a soft synthetic matrix (2). The two structures (inner cardiac tissue and synthetic matrix) (3) are bonded using a newly developed adhesive, TissueSil (4). The resulting piece is the biohybrid heart containing the preserved intracardiac structures and synthetic heart muscle (5).

Engineers design bionic “heart” for testing prosthetic valves, other cardiac devices

Device made of heart tissue and a robotic pumping system beats like the real thing.

January 29, 2020

K. Renee Horton, NASA scientist and past president of the National Society of Black Physicists, speaks with students at a recent physics conference. Due to a climate that has consistently excluded African-Americans from succeeding in physics and astronomy, a new task force report urges significant cultural changes in these fields.

Making physics and astronomy more welcoming to African-American students

Report co-chaired by MIT professor cites need for “sweeping changes” in academic culture.

January 13, 2020

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