Improving understanding with language
MIT senior Olivia Honeycutt investigates how the ways we communicate can shape our views of the world.
Why bother with plausible deniability?
Philosopher Sam Berstler explains why we have social norms that let people engage in open deception.
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.
Personal tech, social media, and the “decline of humanity”
In Compton Lecture at MIT, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt warns of dramatic global decay in cognition, attention spans, and civic life, and urges curbs to tech use.
Biology-based brain model matches animals in learning, enables new discovery
New “biomimetic” model of brain circuits and function at multiple scales produced naturalistic dynamics and learning, and even identified curious behavior by some neurons.
To flexibly organize thought, the brain makes use of space
MIT researchers tested their theory of spatial computing, which holds that the brain recruits and controls ad hoc groups of neurons for cognitive tasks by applying brain waves to patches of the cortex.
This new tool could tell us how consciousness works
Researchers propose a roadmap for using transcranial focused ultrasound, a noninvasive way to stimulate the brain and see how it functions.
Fewer layovers, better-connected airports, more firm growth
Research shows direct flights and links to key airports help multinational firms expand globally and decide where to invest.
3 Questions: Why meritocracy is hard to achieve
Professor Emilio Castilla explains how bias can creep into employers’ talent management processes — and what leaders can do to make their organizations fairer and more meritocratic.
Prefrontal cortex reaches back into the brain to shape how other regions function
Research illustrates how areas within the brain’s executive control center tailor messages in specific circuits with other brain regions to influence them with information about behavior and feelings.
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed
MIT researchers discover how an immune system molecule triggers neurons to shut down social behavior in mice modeling infection.
Symposium examines the neural circuits that keep us alive and well
Seven speakers from around the country convened at MIT to describe some of the latest research on the neural mechanisms that we need to survive.
A comprehensive cellular-resolution map of brain activity
An international collaboration of neuroscientists, including MIT Professor Ila Fiete, developed a brain-wide map of decision-making at cellular resolution in mice.
J-PAL North America launches Initiative for Effective US Crime Policy
The IECP will generate rigorous evidence for fair and effective public safety solutions.
Study links rising temperatures and declining moods
An analysis of social media in 157 countries finds hotter weather is associated with more negative sentiments.