Study determines the original orientations of rocks drilled on Mars The “oriented” samples, the first of their kind from any planet, could shed light on Mars’ ancient magnetic field. March 4, 2024 Read full story →
Electrons become fractions of themselves in graphene, study finds An exotic electronic state observed by MIT physicists could enable more robust forms of quantum computing. February 21, 2024 Read full story →
MIT researchers remotely map crops, field by field The team used machine learning to analyze satellite and roadside images of areas where small farms predominate and agricultural data are sparse. February 15, 2024 Read full story →
This ultrasound sticker senses changing stiffness of deep internal organs The sticky, wearable sensor could help identify early signs of acute liver failure. February 9, 2024 Read full story →
MIT physicists capture the first sounds of heat “sloshing” in a superfluid The results will expand scientists’ understanding of heat flow in superconductors and neutron stars. February 8, 2024 Read full story →
Benchtop test quickly identifies extremely impact-resistant materials High-speed experiments can help identify lightweight, protective “metamaterials” for spacecraft, vehicles, helmets, or other objects. January 29, 2024 Read full story →
Astronomers spot 18 black holes gobbling up nearby stars The detections more than double the number of known tidal disruption events in the nearby universe. January 29, 2024 Read full story →
Study: Stars travel more slowly at Milky Way’s edge The findings suggest our galaxy’s core may contain less dark matter than previously estimated. January 26, 2024 Read full story →
New tool predicts flood risk from hurricanes in a warming climate Using New York as a test case, the model predicts flooding at the level experienced during Hurricane Sandy will occur roughly every 30 years by the end of this century. January 24, 2024 Read full story →
New model predicts how shoe properties affect a runner’s performance Developed by MIT engineers, the model could be a tool for designers looking to innovate in sneaker design. January 24, 2024 Read full story →
Stripes in a flowing liquid crystal suggest a route to “chiral” fluids Study finds chiral structures, with mirror-image configurations, can emerge from nonchiral systems, suggesting new ways to engineer these materials. January 8, 2024 Read full story →
A carbon-lite atmosphere could be a sign of water and life on other terrestrial planets, MIT study finds A low carbon abundance in planetary atmospheres, which the James Webb Space Telescope can detect, could be a signature of habitability. December 28, 2023 Read full story →
MIT researchers observe a hallmark quantum behavior in bouncing droplets In a study that could help fill some holes in quantum theory, the team recreated a “quantum bomb tester” in a classical droplet test. December 12, 2023 Read full story →
MIT engineers design a robotic replica of the heart’s right chamber The realistic model could aid the development of better heart implants and shed light on understudied heart disorders. December 8, 2023 Read full story →
A mineral produced by plate tectonics has a global cooling effect, study finds An accordion-textured clay called smectite efficiently traps organic carbon and could help buffer global warming over millions of years. November 30, 2023 Read full story →