A new approach to making airplane parts, minus the massive infrastructure
Carbon nanotube film produces aerospace-grade composites with no need for huge ovens or autoclaves.
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How strong is your knot?
With help from spaghetti and color-changing fibers, a new mathematical model predicts a knot’s stability.
How long will a volcanic island live?
Plate tectonics and mantle plumes set the lifespan of volcanic islands like Hawaii and the Galapagos.
Scientists pin down timing of lunar dynamo’s demise
Findings suggest the moon’s magnetic field was produced by the fallout of a crystallizing iron core.
Researchers produce first laser ultrasound images of humans
Technique may help remotely image and assess health of infants, burn victims, and accident survivors in hard-to-reach places.
A sign that aliens could stink
A molecule that’s known for its smelly and poisonous nature on Earth may be a sure-fire sign of extraterrestrial life.
2.009 lights up the stage
Student projects presented at the annual MIT event range from beekeeping safety to custom cosmetics.
Is there dark matter at the center of the Milky Way?
A new analysis puts dark matter back in the game as a possible source of energy excess at the galactic center.
New instrument extends LIGO’s reach
Technology “squeezes” out quantum noise so more gravitational wave signals can be detected.
Researchers generate terahertz laser with laughing gas
Device may enable “T-ray vision” and better wireless communication.
Flexible yet sturdy robot is designed to “grow” like a plant
Its extendable appendage can meander through tight spaces and then lift heavy loads.
Technique helps robots find the front door
Navigation method may speed up autonomous last-mile delivery.
Two-legged robot mimics human balance while running and jumping
New control system may enable humanoid robots to do heavy lifting and other physically demanding tasks.
Putting the “bang” in the Big Bang
Physicists simulate critical “reheating” period that kickstarted the Big Bang in the universe’s first fractions of a second.
Cell stiffness may indicate whether tumors will invade
Study shows tumors with softer, larger cells at their periphery are more likely to spread; may suggest new route for cancer therapy.