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Biology

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Marine bacteria form a community on a nutrient particle in the Cordero Lab.

Five from MIT earn Simons Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Marine Microbial Ecology

Awards emphasize cross-disciplinary training, support research to measure and model microbial communities and their influence on ocean processes.

October 9, 2018

Five students were challenged to live and work in a glass cube on MIT's North Court for four days as part of InCube, a global startup competition.

Student entrepreneurs think inside the box

Living and working in a glass cube, an interdisciplinary team of students reimagined the ambulance of the future as part of a global startup competition.

October 5, 2018

MIT biologists have discovered that in some patients, immune cells called natural killer cells fail to kill malaria-infected red blood cells (shown here).

Immune cell variations contribute to malaria severity

Natural killer cells’ failure to respond to infection may explain why the disease is more grave in some patients.

October 4, 2018

MIT researchers have shown that some of the atoms in an enzyme called carbon monoxide dehydrogenase can rearrange themselves when oxygen levels are low. A nickel atom (green) leaves the cube-like structure, displacing an iron atom (orange). One sulfur atom (yellow) also moves out of the cube.

Chemists discover unexpected enzyme structure

Metal cluster in enzyme that breaks down carbon dioxide can switch between two different shapes.

October 2, 2018

The MIT.nano building, at the center of campus adjacent to the Great Dome, has expansive glass facades that allow natural light into the labs while giving visitors a clear view of the research in action.

A big new home for the ultrasmall

MIT.nano building, the largest of its kind, will usher in a new age of nanoscale advancements.

September 23, 2018

The new faculty who will be making contributions to the School of Science are (clockwise from top left) Tristan Collins, Julien de Wit, Ila Fiete, Ankur Jain, Kiyoshi Masui, Phiala Shanahan, Nike Sun, Alison Wendlandt, Chenyang Xu, and Zhiwei Yun.

School of Science welcomes 10 professors

New faculty join the departments of Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.

September 19, 2018

Four GapR subunits assemble as a dimer-of-dimer complex, forming a clamp around overtwisted DNA, which arises during DNA replication and transcription.

Detangling DNA replication

Researchers identify an essential protein that helps enzymes relax overtwisted DNA so each strand can be copied during cell division.

September 17, 2018

“If you have a problem, and you look into the problem in nature and see how animals or plants deal with these kinds of problems and extract those design principles, you can try to replicate [them] using engineering approaches,” saysZijay Tang, a PhD candidate in MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering.

Inspired by nature, reaching across disciplines

PhD student Zijay Tang is developing a living material that can sense and filter water contaminants.

September 17, 2018

It's often unclear how to turn molecular knowledge into new therapeutics, especially for cancers with no clear genetic cause like medulloblastoma.

Protein analysis uncovers new medulloblastoma subtypes

Research team shows the power of proteomics to discover new drug targets and help develop therapeutic strategies with fewer long-term side effects.

September 14, 2018

MIT's 2018 HHMI Hanna Gray fellows are (l-r) Jarrett Smith, Quinton Smith, and Matheus Victor.

New perspectives at the bench

Three MIT postdocs earn competitive Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowships that support diversity in the sciences.

September 12, 2018

Matthew Vander Heiden

Exploring cancer metabolism

Matthew Vander Heiden seeks new cancer treatments that exploit tumor cells’ abnormal metabolism.

August 28, 2018

Postdoc Rui Qing and Principal Research Scientist Shuguang Zhang led the effort to find a simple way to make membrane-bound proteins water-soluble.

Scientists alter membrane proteins to make them easier to study

By making hydrophobic sections water-soluble, researchers hope to learn more about protein structures.

August 27, 2018

Research reveals that the external environment of epithelial cells influences the fidelity of chromosome segregation. Hepatocytes proliferating in regenerating livers, such as the mitotic cell shown here with a mitotic spindle (green) capturing chromosomes (blue), are able to accurately segregate chromosomes, whereas hepatocytes dividing in culture have high levels of chromosome missegregation.

Tissue architecture affects chromosome segregation

Biologists discover that the environment surrounding a cell plays an integral role in its ability to accurately segregate its chromosomes.

August 23, 2018

A new study from MIT and Massachusetts Eye and Ear has found that glaucoma may in fact be an autoimmune disorder.

Study suggests glaucoma may be an autoimmune disease

Unexpected findings show that the body’s own immune system destroys retinal cells.

August 10, 2018

To help students gain a better grasp of biological concepts, MIT and Northwestern University researchers have designed new educational kits that can be used to perform experiments that produce glowing proteins, scents, or other easily observed phenomena, through the engineering of DNA.

Inexpensive biology kits offer hands-on experience with DNA

Using freeze-dried, shelf-stable cellular components, students can learn about key biological concepts.

August 1, 2018