“Nanofiber yarn” makes for stretchy, protective artificial tissue
Twisted fibers coated with living cells could assist healing of injured muscles and tendons.
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TESS discovers its first Earth-sized planet
Orbiting a nearby star, the new planet is the smallest identified so far by the TESS mission.
Earliest life may have arisen in ponds, not oceans
Study finds shallow bodies of water were probably more suitable for Earth’s first life forms.
Working together as a “virtual telescope,” observatories around the world produce first direct images of a black hole
Images reveal supermassive black hole at the heart of the Messier 87 galaxy.
Researchers tune material’s color and thermal properties separately
Polymers could be designed to reflect or trap heat, regardless of hue.
3 Questions: Lisa Barsotti on the new and improved LIGO
“If we are very lucky, we might observe something new … or maybe even something totally unexpected.”
Dark matter experiment finds no evidence of axions
In its first run, ABRACADABRA detects no signal of the hypothetical dark matter particle within a specific mass range.
MIT receives $30 million to help address energy challenges in Egypt
Award from USAID will support research collaborations through new Center of Excellence in Energy at Ain Shams University in Cairo.
Ken Kamrin seeks fundamental behaviors in sand
Mechanical engineering professor’s models of granular flow shed light on agriculture, soils, and geology.
MIT celebrates 50th anniversary of historic moon landing
Symposium featuring former astronauts and other Apollo mission luminaries examines the program’s legacy.
Exotic “second sound” phenomenon observed in pencil lead
At relatively balmy temperatures, heat behaves like sound when moving through graphite, study reports.
Tectonics in the tropics trigger Earth’s ice ages, study finds
Major tectonic collisions near the equator have caused three ice ages in the last 540 million years.
Microgravity research after the International Space Station
Researchers say new facilities in space should be available to scientists from any country.
Mini cheetah is the first four-legged robot to do a backflip
Robot’s lightweight, high-power design is the perfect platform to share and play, developers say.
Engineers make clear droplets produce iridescent colors
Optical effect could be harnessed for light displays, litmus tests, and makeup products.