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Josh Tenenbaum receives 2019 MacArthur Fellowship

Brain and cognitive sciences professor studies how the human mind is able to learn so rapidly.

September 25, 2019

A new experiment conducted by MIT researchers in Kenya shows that a digital program used on mobile phones helps patients successfully finish their TB treatments.

A tech intervention to tame tuberculosis

An interactive program using mobile phones helps more patients conclude treatment successfully.

September 4, 2019

A new study by an MIT linguist shows that the speech calls of some monkeys may be more sophisticated than realized, but are still far removed from the complexity of human language.

Comparing primate vocalizations

Study shows Old World monkeys combine items in speech — but only two and never more, unlike humans.

September 3, 2019

An MIT study suggests that mindfulness can improve mental health and academic performance in middle school students.

Two studies reveal benefits of mindfulness for middle school students

Focusing awareness on the present moment can enhance academic performance and lower stress levels.

August 26, 2019

Researchers are examining how quickly drivers can detect and correctly respond to road hazards, to improve safety of “semiautonomous” cars.

Study measures how fast humans react to road hazards

In “semiautonomous” cars, older drivers may need more time to take the wheel when responding to the unexpected.

August 7, 2019

New faculty of the MIT School of Science: (clockwise from top left) Netta Engelhardt, Evelina Fedorenko, Erin Kara, Pulin Li, Morgan Sheng, Seychelle Vos, and Xiao Wang.

New faces in the School of Science faculty

Departments of Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics welcome new faculty members.

July 23, 2019

Shawn Robinson, senior research associate at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, helped kick off the first-ever MIT Science of Reading event dressed in full superhero attire as Doctor Dyslexia Dude — the star of a graphic novel series he co-created to engage and encourage young readers, rooted in his own experiences as a student with dyslexia.

Bridging the gap between research and the classroom

MIT’s first-ever Science of Reading event brings together researchers and educators to discuss how to use research to improve literacy outcomes.

June 27, 2019

A new study by researchers from MIT, Boston Children’s Hospital, and elsewhere shows that a “social robot,” named Huggable (pictured), can be used in support sessions to boost positive emotions in hospitalized children.

Study: Social robots can benefit hospitalized children

Interacting with a robotic teddy bear invented at MIT boosted young patients’ positive emotions, engagement, and activity level.

June 26, 2019

Rickshaw drivers at work in India. A study by MIT economist Frank Schilbach explores the effects of sobriety programs among rickshaw drivers in the country.

Among India’s working poor, sobriety may boost savings

Economist’s study of rickshaw drivers shows effects of alcohol consumption on financial decision-making.

June 21, 2019

Structure of the Shank3 protein, a gene with a strong association to autism spectrum disorder.

Using gene editing, neuroscientists develop a new model for autism

By introducing a gene variant associated with autism into monkeys, researchers hope to study treatment options for severe neurodevelopmental disorders.

June 12, 2019

A behavioral economist explores poverty and development

Doctoral student Pierre-Luc Vautrey investigates how incorrect beliefs shape economic decision-making.

May 30, 2019

In a pair of studies, researchers show that grammar-enriched deep learning models understand some key rules about language use. Peng Qian (left) and Ethan Wilcox, graduate students at MIT and Harvard University respectively, presented the work at a recent MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab poster session.

Teaching language models grammar really does make them smarter

Researchers submit deep learning models to a set of psychology tests to see which ones grasp key linguistic rules.

May 29, 2019

Students participating in Quest for Intelligence-funded UROP projects this spring include: (clockwise from top left) Amanda Li, Maya Nigrin, Yuria Utsumi, Kika Arias, Marco Fleming, and Shreya Pandit.

Developing artificial intelligence tools for all

MIT Quest for Intelligence-sponsored undergraduate research projects demystify AI.

May 23, 2019

MIT team that designed BEAVER (Biosphere Engineered Architecture for Viable Extraterrestrial Residence), a proposed Martian greenhouse that could provide 100 percent of the food required by four astronauts for up to two years

MIT team places second in 2019 NASA BIG Idea Challenge

Multilevel Mars greenhouse could provide food to sustain astronauts for several years.

May 20, 2019

MIT neuroscientists are exploring how the brain handles hierarchical decision-making processes that involve breaking down a larger decision into smaller ones that each carry a degree of uncertainty.

How we make complex decisions

Neuroscientists identify a brain circuit that helps break decisions down into smaller pieces.

May 16, 2019

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