Just hanging on: Why mussels are so good at it
Understanding the strength of the shellfish’s underwater attachments could enable better glues and biomedical interfaces.
Search Stories
Controlling genes with light
New technique can rapidly turn genes on and off, helping scientists better understand their function.
Linguistic puzzler
Graduate student Rafael Nonato travels to the fringes of the Amazon rainforest to explore the Brazilian native language of the Kĩsêdjê.
Research update: Genome editing becomes more accurate
Improved technique makes it easier to add or delete genes in living cells, with less risk of off-target DNA damage.
The long history of ‘Eurasian’ identity
MIT historian’s new book studies cross-cultural Asian-American families since the 19th century.
A faster Internet — designed by computers?
Computer-designed algorithms for controlling network congestion yield transmission rates two to three times as high as those designed by humans.
Unraveling bacterial behavior
Michael Laub studies the complex interactions that underlie cells’ responses to their environment.
New way to target an old foe: malaria
Engineered liver tissue developed at MIT could help scientists test new drugs and vaccines.
Newly discovered flux in the Earth may solve missing-mantle mystery
Research points to large reservoirs of material deep in the mantle that may help to explain Earth’s origins.
Finding the keys to boiling heat transfer
Understanding the properties that control surface dissipation of heat could lead to improved power plants and electronics with high heat-transfer rates.
Explained: Hydrophobic and hydrophilic
Better understanding of how surfaces attract or repel water could improve everything from power plants to ketchup bottles.
Amar Bose ’51, SM ’52, ScD ’56, Bose Corporation’s founder, has died at 83
Entrepreneur served on faculty for 45 years; championed long-term corporate research.
Switching stances
MIT graduate student Alexis Sablone balances an athletic career and coursework in architecture.