Three from MIT named 2026 Goldwater Scholars
Rising seniors Deeksha Kumaresh, Anna Liu, and Charlotte Myers are honored for their academic achievements.
Search Stories
MIT affiliates elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2026
The prestigious honor society honors four MIT faculty and 13 additional MIT alumni among more than 250 new members.
Plants can sense the sound of rain, a new study finds
Experiments by MIT engineers show rice seeds sprout faster to the sound of rain.
Two MIT alumnae named 2026 Gates Cambridge Scholars
Mitali Chowdhury ’24 and Christina Kim ’24 will pursue graduate studies at Cambridge University in the UK.
Professor Michael Laub and MIT alumni named 2025 AAAS Fellows
The American Association for the Advancement of Science recognized Laub and 21 alumni for their efforts to advance science and related fields.
Bringing AI-driven protein-design tools to biologists everywhere
Founded by Tristan Bepler PhD ’20 and former MIT professor Tim Lu PhD ’07, OpenProtein.AI offers researchers open-source models and other tools for protein engineering.
Light-activated gel could impact wearables, soft robotics, and more
New MIT work advances the growing field of ionotronics, in which data are transferred through ions, potentially providing a bridge between electronics and biological tissue.
Youth may increase vulnerability to a carcinogen found in contaminated water and some drugs
A new study suggests that the chemical NDMA is much more likely to cause cancerous mutations after exposure early in life.
MIT faculty, alumni receive 2025-26 American Physical Society honors
Two faculty and six additional alumni win top APS awards and prizes; four faculty and 12 additional alumni named APS Fellows.
Multitasking quantum sensors can measure several properties at once
The devices represent a key step toward practical quantum sensing, with applications in biomedical sensing, materials characterization, and more.
Human-machine teaming dives underwater
Researchers are developing hardware and algorithms to improve collaboration between divers and autonomous underwater vehicles engaged in maritime missions.
Slice and dice
SNIPE, a newly characterized biological defense system, directly protects bacteria by chopping up invading viral DNA.
A new type of electrically driven artificial muscle fiber
Electrofluidic fibers mimic how natural muscle fibers bundle, and could enable compact, silent robotic and prosthetic systems.
Study reveals “two-factor authentication” system that controls microRNA destruction
Researchers uncovered how cells selectively destroy certain microRNAs — key gene regulators — through a mechanism that requires two RNA signals working together.
How bacteria suppress immune defenses in stubborn wound infections
Study finds a common bacterium can suppress the body’s early warning system in wounds, causing infections to persist and create an environment that allows other bacteria to take hold.