Researchers at MIT have developed electron-conducting carbon concrete, a new kind of cement “that can store and release electricity like batteries,” reports Matthew Burgos for Design Boom. “MIT’s concrete battery shows a future where the material can be embedded into roads or parking areas to charge electric vehicles directly, or for off-grid homes that do not need external power,” Burgos explains.
Prof. Caitlin Mueller has been named Innovator of the Year by Architectural Record for her work advancing a “vision for building design and construction that unites these disciplines with computation to create structure that are sustainable, high performing, and delightful,” reports Architectural Record. “Her group develops computational design and digital fabrication methods that integrate efficiency, performance, material circularity, and architectural expression,” Architectural Record notes. “This work spans robotic assembly of optimized trusses, fabrication of low-cost earthen and concrete systems, and algorithmic strategies for reusing salvaged wood and reassembled concrete parts.”
The MIT Museum presents “Remembering the Future,” a new installation by artist Janet Echelman in collaboration with Prof. Caitlin Mueller, reports Kat Barandy for DesignBoom. The installation suspends above the museum’s grand lobby and will be open to the public through fall 2027. “The work transforms climate data into a three-dimensional form that invites visitors to engage both visually and conceptually,” Barandy explains.
Prof. Xuanhe Zhao and his research group have been named one of the winners of the 2025 Gizmodo Science Fair for their work “creating an atmospheric water harvesting device that could improve access to potable water in the most remote, arid regions of the world,” reports Ellyn Lapointe for Gizmodo. “We are truly proud and excited about this work—and about the potential to help people most in need of safe drinking water,” Zhao said.
Researchers at MIT have found that “tropical forests populated with a diversity of seed-dispersing animals can accumulate carbon up to four times as fast as fragmented forests where these animals are absent or their movement is restricted,” reports James Dinneen for New Scientist. “This shows a linkage between animal biodiversity loss and a process that exacerbates climate change,” says research scientist Evan Fricke. “We’re losing the regrowth potential of tropical forests.”
Interesting Engineering reporter Saoirse Kerrigan spotlights a number of MIT research projects from the past decade. MIT has “long been a hub of innovation and ingenuity across multiple industries and disciplines,” writes Kerrigan. “Every year, the school’s best and brightest debut projects that push the boundaries of science and technology. From vehicles and furniture to exciting new breakthroughs in electricity generation, the school’s projects have tackled an impressive variety of subjects.”
Prof. John Ochsendorf speaks with Chronicle about his work teaching students how to build bridges while highlighting the importance of history in the process. Ochsendorf emphasizes the importance of bridge maintenance, noting "our economies depend on it, and our daily life depends on it. We would like to see more research and investment in the maintenance and assessment of existing bridges because this is really a frontier for the US today.”
Researchers at MIT have developed an “AI-powered tool that scans scientific literature and over 1 million rock samples to identify materials that can partially replace cement in concrete,” reports Samanatha Hindman for Yahoo! News. The new system could “change how we build cities forever,” says Hindman. “The system sorts materials based on their physical and chemical properties, narrowing them down by how well they hold concrete together when mixed with water (hydraulic reactivity) and how they strengthen it over time (pozzolanicity).”
Prof. Xuanhe Zhao and his colleagues have developed an atmospheric water harvester to produce safe drinking water, reports Robert F. Service for Science. “The team sandwiched the hydrogel, which contains lithium-chloride salt, between two glass sheets,” explains Service. “At night, water vapor enters the gel and is trapped by the salts. During the day, sunlight heats the gel, evaporating the water. The vapor condenses on the glass panels, forming droplets that trickle down and are captured.”
Researchers at MIT have developed a new atmospheric water harvester that eventually could be used to supply safe drinking water worldwide, reports Sarah Bregel for Fast Company. The device is “about the size of a standard window” and made from “hydrogel, a material that absorbs water, and lithium salts that can store water molecules,” explains Bregel.
MIT researchers have developed a new “window-sized device that can convert vapor from air into safe drinking water using hydrogel,” reports Matthew Burgos for designboom. “With the invention, the MIT engineers want to make it easier for people to produce clean drinking water in places where there’s no river, lake, or well,” Burgos explains, “and where the only source accessible to them that can be converted into water is air.”
Architect reporter Blaine Brownell spotlights Prof. Caitlin Mueller’s work repurposing “discarded tree forks from urban forestry projects [and] repurposing the nodes as structural joints in hybrid reclaimed-engineered wood constructions.” Mueller and her team have “developed computer programs to catalog 3D scans of the tree forks as well as determine the appropriate cuts for their intended structural applications,” explains Brownell. “An algorithm matches prepared tree forks to three-dimensional intersections in the intended structural framework, streamlining the design process.”
MIT researchers have developed a power-free, water-collecting device that extracted a glass of clean water from the air in Death Valley, California, suggesting that “the device could provide the vital resource to arid regions,” reports Alex Wilkins for New Scientist.“Because the design of this device is quite a compact structure, we believe that an even larger area of the device can supply the drinking water for a household for daily consumption,” explains Prof. Xuanhe Zhao.
New York Post reporter Marissa Matozzo cracks into a new study by MIT researchers that uncovers the best way to keep eggs from cracking. The researchers found that eggs dropped sideways are less likely to break than those dropped vertically. “It turns out the sides can take more of a beating than their pointy or rounded ends, and that could mean a lot for proper storage,” says Matozzo.
Forbes reporter Amanda Kooser spotlights a new study by MIT scientists that has found eggs are less likely to crack when dropped on their side. “The researchers put eggs through their paces in two different tests,” explains Kooser. “One was a static compression test that applied increasing force to the eggs. The other was a drop test.”