MIT robot combines vision and touch to learn the game of Jenga
Machine-learning approach could help robots assemble cellphones and other small parts in a manufacturing line.
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Ingestible, expanding pill monitors the stomach for up to a month
Soft, squishy device could potentially track ulcers, cancers, and other GI conditions over the long term.
Engineers program marine robots to take calculated risks
Algorithm could help autonomous underwater vehicles explore risky but scientifically-rewarding environments.
Technique identifies electricity-producing bacteria
Microbes screened with a new microfluidic process might be used in power generation or environmental cleanup.
X-ray pulse detected near event horizon as black hole devours star
Pulse pattern suggests distant black hole must be spinning at least at 50 percent the speed of light.
Astronomers observe evolution of a black hole as it wolfs down stellar material
Halo of highly energized electrons around the black hole contracts dramatically during feeding frenzy.
TESS discovers its third new planet, with longest orbit yet
Measurements indicate a dense, gaseous, “sub-Neptune” world, three times the size of Earth.
Tiny satellites could be “guide stars” for huge next-generation telescopes
Researchers design CubeSats with lasers to provide steady reference light for telescopes investigating distant planets.
A “pacemaker” for North African climate
Study shows the Sahara swung between lush and desert conditions every 20,000 years, in sync with monsoon activity.
Anna Frebel is searching the stars for clues to the universe’s origins
MIT astronomer and writer investigates ancient starlight and shares her excitement about the cosmos.
New threat to ozone recovery
Study finds chloroform emissions, on the rise in East Asia, could delay ozone recovery by up to eight years.
Laser-pointing system could help tiny satellites transmit data to Earth
Platform offers the precision that shoebox-sized CubeSats need to beam down hefty data packets.
Deep-learning technique reveals “invisible” objects in the dark
Method could illuminate features of biological tissues in low-exposure images.
Sun-soaking device turns water into superheated steam
High-temperature steam might be used in remote regions to cook, clean, or sterilize medical equipment.
Technique inspired by dolphin chirps could improve tests of soft materials
Method can be used to quickly characterize any soft, rapidly changing substance, such as clotting blood or drying cement.