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MIT researchers have developed a way to isolate genetic circuits within individual synthetic “cells,” preventing the circuits from disrupting each other.

Researchers create synthetic cells to isolate genetic circuits

Encapsulating molecular components in artificial membranes offers more flexibility in designing circuits.

November 14, 2016

Four nucleotides, abbreviated A, C, G, and T, spell out DNA sequences that code for all of the proteins cells need. MIT researchers have now discovered another layer of control, mediated by transfer RNA, that helps cells to rapidly divert resources in emergency situations.

Cracking the code for dormant bacteria

Newly discovered genetic code controls bacterial survival during infections.

November 11, 2016

MIT chemists have determined the structure of a bacterial enzyme that can produce biodegradable plastics, an advance that could help chemical engineers tweak the enzyme to make it even more industrially useful.

A step toward biodegradable plastics

Chemists discover structure of bacterial enzyme that generates useful polymers.

November 11, 2016

A system developed by researchers at MIT and Stony Brook University should make it easier for researchers to solve complex computational problems using dynamic programming optimized for multicore chips — without the expertise that such programming typically requires.

Faster programs, easier programming

New system lets nonexperts optimize programs that run on multiprocessor chips.

November 7, 2016

The term “wild,” is receiving renewed attention from academics and popular authors alike. MIT historian Harriet Ritvo notes that even those who are critical of the term employ it frequently, and that most of us remain uncertain of the word's conceptual parameters.

3Q: Historian Harriet Ritvo on what it means to be "wild"

Scientists, social scientists, and humanists heed the call of the wild at MIT workshop.

November 4, 2016

Joern Callies and Jill McDermott win Carl-Gustaf Rossby Awards for PhD theses

Awards to recent alumni honor the memory of Carl-Gustaf Rossby, a pioneer in earth and atmospheric sciences.

November 4, 2016

“…[I]f a fluorescence microscope’s resolution is set at 2 micrometers, our technique can have 300 nanometer resolution — about a sixfold improvement over regular microscopes,” says MIT graduate student Frederick Sangyeon Cho. “The idea is very simple but very powerful and can be useful in many different imaging applications.”

Laser particles could provide sharper images of tissues

New imaging technique stimulates particles to emit laser light, could create higher-resolution images.

November 3, 2016

William Bonvillian, Director of the MIT Washington Office.

3Q: William Bonvillian on connecting Cambridge and Capitol Hill

Through its Washington Office, MIT continues its long history of engagement on national science and technology policy.

November 3, 2016

A team of researchers at MIT, the University of Brasilia, and the University of British Columbia has now engineered an antimicrobial peptide that can destroy many types of bacteria, including some that are resistant to most antibiotics.

Engineers design a new weapon against bacteria

Antimicrobial peptides can kill strains resistant to existing antibiotics.

November 2, 2016

When cells suffer DNA damage, there are several different pathways that can kick in to help repair it, depending on the type of damage. Cells from different people and different tumors vary greatly in their ability to repair DNA damage, and scientists have been pursuing measurements of this ability as a way to predict how patients will respond to DNA-damaging chemotherapy.

Predicting cancer cells’ response to chemotherapy

Measuring DNA repair capability can reveal tumors’ sensitivity to drugs.

November 2, 2016

Michale Fee and Elizabeth Nolan win Teaching Prizes for Graduate and Undergraduate Education

School of Science faculty members honored for excellence in teaching.

November 1, 2016

David H. Koch Institute Professor Robert Langer speaks with MIT students as part of the "Failures in Graduate School" seminar series.

Robert Langer reflects on failure, resilience, and making an impact

Institute Professor and world-renowned engineer shares his experiences as an MIT grad student as part of the “Failures in Graduate School” series.

October 31, 2016

First row: (l-r) Azra Akšamija, Phillip Clay, Dennis Frenchman, Skylar Tibbits. Second row: (l-r) James Wescoat, Sheila Kennedy, Alan Berger, Kristel Smentek. Third row: (l-r) Brandon Clifford, Brent Ryan, Kevin Esvelt.

New faculty, promotions, and leadership roles in the School of Architecture and Planning

Four join the SA+P faculty, while seven are recognized for work in art, architecture, and urbanism.

October 28, 2016

Susan Lindquist, pioneering biologist and former director of Whitehead Institute, dies at 67

Biology professor and mentor to many investigated protein folding and its role in disease.

October 28, 2016

First row (left to right): Matteo Bucci, Tal Cohen, and Ali Jadbabaie. Second row (left to right): Zachary P. Smith, Stefanie Mueller, Adam Belay, David Sontag, and Virginia Vassilevska Williams. Third row (left to right): Max Shulaker, Jennifer Rupp, Ryan Williams, Carmen Guerra-Garcia, and Zachary Hartwig

New engineering faculty for 2016-2017

The School of Engineering welcomes 13 new professors.

October 27, 2016

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