How visual learning happens in the brain
Scientists find that learning to identify a new object subtly reshapes visual processing in the brain.
The brain’s internal ruler
A simple brain circuit measures objects’ distance from the body using touch signals from a rodent’s whiskers, MIT scientists find.
An engineer’s guide to birds
In her new book, “Birds Up Close,” MIT materials engineer Lorna Gibson explores feathers, bones, bills, eggs, and flight, and the mechanics behind birds’ extraordinary abilities.
With navigating nematodes, scientists map out how brains implement behaviors
MIT scientists create a detailed map of exactly what happens in the brains of C. elegans worms when they “follow their nose” to savor attractive odors or avoid unappealing ones.
Augmenting citizen science with computer vision for fish monitoring
MIT Sea Grant works with the Woodwell Climate Research Center and other collaborators to demonstrate a deep learning-based system for fish monitoring.
New model predicts how mosquitoes will fly
Their flight patterns change in response to different sensory cues, a new study finds. The work could lead to more effective traps and mosquito control strategies.
Celebrating worm science
Time and again, an unassuming roundworm has illuminated aspects of biology with major consequences for human health.
Deep-learning model predicts how fruit flies form, cell by cell
The approach could apply to more complex tissues and organs, helping researchers to identify early signs of disease.
3 Questions: How AI is helping us monitor and support vulnerable ecosystems
MIT PhD student and CSAIL researcher Justin Kay describes his work combining AI and computer vision systems to monitor the ecosystems that support our planet.
The first animals on Earth may have been sea sponges, study suggests
MIT researchers traced chemical fossils in ancient rocks to the ancestors of modern-day demosponges.
Why animals are a critical part of forest carbon absorption
An MIT study shows decreases in seed-dispersing animals can lead to a major reduction in forest carbon absorption.
Deep-dive dinners are the norm for tuna and swordfish, MIT oceanographers find
These big fish get most of their food from the ocean’s “twilight zone,” a deep, dark region the commercial fishing industry is eyeing with interest.
MIT scientists engineer starfish cells to shape-shift in response to light
The research may enable the design of synthetic, light-activated cells for wound healing or drug delivery.
Streamlining data collection for improved salmon population management
Assistant Professor Sara Beery is using automation to improve monitoring of migrating salmon in the Pacific Northwest.
Modeling complex behavior with a simple organism
By studying the roundworm C. elegans, neuroscientist Steven Flavell explores how neural circuits give rise to behavior.