Pruning the power grid
New algorithm quickly identifies the most dangerous risks in a power grid amid millions or billions of possible failures.
Search Stories
New system uses low-power Wi-Fi signal to track moving humans — even behind walls
‘Wi-Vi’ is based on a concept similar to radar and sonar imaging.
Breaking habits before they start
Turning off cells in a habit-associated brain region prevents rats from learning to run a maze on autopilot.
Re-thinking ethnic favoritism in politics
Study shows ethnic-based distribution of goods in African politics is not continuous, but instead intermittent and limited in scope.
On the hunt for neutrinos
Physicist Joseph Formaggio seeks new ways to detect and measure the elusive particles.
Solar power heads in a new direction: thinner
Atom-thick photovoltaic sheets could pack hundreds of times more power per weight than conventional solar cells.
Getting the carbon out of emissions
Proposed method could be more efficient than previous systems and easier to retrofit in existing power plants.
Wealth of words
Professor Deb Roy’s technology company, which recently sold to Twitter, analyzes social-media conversations about TV.
New algorithm finds best routes for one-way car sharing
The most efficient car-sharing, researchers find, also includes shuttle services.
Cooking up innovation
An MIT alumnus brings solar-powered cookers to the people of the Himalayan plateau, helping end their dependency on biomass fuels.
Reading DNA, backward and forward
MIT biologists reveal how cells control the direction in which the genome is read.
Enhancing RNA interference
Helping RNA escape from cells’ recycling process could make it easier to shut off disease-causing genes.
Better droplet condensation could boost power efficiency
Improved system for power plants uses oil-infused condenser surface to improve heat-transfer properties.
Ferroelectric-graphene-based system could lead to improved information processing
New system uses two-dimensional structures to guide plasmonic waves at ultrashort wavelength, offering a new platform for memory and computer chips.
The link between circadian rhythms and aging
MIT study finds that a gene associated with longevity also regulates the body’s circadian clock.