3 Questions: Charles Stewart reads the tea leaves
The head of MIT’s Department of Political Science analyzes Tuesday’s election results and sees reason for concern for Obama and the Democrats
Search Stories
Gesture-based computing on the cheap
With a single piece of inexpensive hardware — a multicolored glove — MIT researchers are making Minority Report-style interfaces more accessible.
Now hear this
3-D imaging technology could lead to hearing aids that fit — and thus function — better than current models.
Explained: The Carnot Limit
Long before the nature of heat was understood, the fundamental limit of efficiency of heat-based engines was determined
A look back in time
By linking the odd geometry of bacterial growths to photosynthesis, researchers may have a new way to study Earth’s oldest fossils.
Machines that learn better
New math will make it much easier to build machine-learning systems that tackle a wider range of problems.
Explained: Monte Carlo simulations
Mathematical technique lets scientists make estimates in a probabilistic world
Fly the eco-friendly skies
MIT-led team designs airplanes that would use 70 percent less fuel than current models.
Slideshow: Mapping the oil spill
MIT student leads project using balloons and kites to provide aerial documentation of the Gulf oil slick’s extent and effects
New water-splitting catalyst found
Research by MIT’s Dan Nocera expands the list of potential electrode materials that could be used to store energy.
Exposing collagen's double life
Discovery that the rigid structural protein can switch to a floppy shape could lead to new treatments for heart disease.
Cementing success
Startup that eyes radical shift in cement industry wins MIT $100K business-plan competition, now in its 20th year.
Stubbe wins prestigious Welch Award
Professor of chemistry and biology honored for her work on enzymes involved in DNA and RNA synthesis
Building organs block by block
Tissue engineers create a new way to assemble artificial tissues, using ‘biological Legos’ — cells transformed into bricks.
When good enough is better
By exploiting a simple but counterintuitive trick, a new system finds sections of computer programs where accuracy can be traded for speed.