3 Questions: Fortifying our planetary defenses
MIT astronomers are developing a new way to detect, monitor, and mitigate the threats posed by smaller asteroids to our critical space infrastructure.
Understanding how “marine snow” acts as a carbon sink
A new study finds hitchhiking bacteria dissolve essential ballast in ubiquitous “snow” particles, which could counteract the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon.
X-raying rocks reveals their carbon-storing capacity
New research by MIT geophysicists could assist efforts to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it underground.
Study reveals climatic fingerprints of wildfires and volcanic eruptions
In research that could help elucidate humans’ role in global warming, scientists showed how three major natural events impacted global atmospheric temperatures.
New study unveils the mechanism behind “boomerang” earthquakes
These ricocheting ruptures may be more common than previously thought.
Some early life forms may have breathed oxygen well before it filled the atmosphere
A new study suggests aerobic respiration began hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought.
Polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn hints at the planets’ interior details
New research may explain the striking differences between the two planets’ polar vortex patterns.
New research may help scientists predict when a humid heat wave will break
As these events become more common at midlatitudes, a phenomenon called an atmospheric inversion will determine how long they last.
Post-COP30, more aggressive policies needed to cap global warming at 1.5 C
Global Change Outlook report for 2025 shows how accelerated action can reduce climate risks and improve sustainability outcomes, while highlighting potential geopolitical hurdles.
School of Science welcomed new faculty in 2024
Eleven new professors join the departments of Biology; Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Mathematics; and Physics.
When companies “go green,” air quality impacts can vary dramatically
Cutting air travel and purchasing renewable energy can lead to different effects on overall air quality, even while achieving the same CO2 reduction, new research shows.
John Marshall and Erin Kara receive postdoctoral mentoring award
Faculty recognized for the exceptional professional and personal guidance they provide postdocs.
Earthquake damage at deeper depths occurs long after initial activity
While the Earth’s upper crust recovers quickly from seismic activity, new research finds the mid-crust recovers much more slowly, if at all.
Geologists discover the first evidence of 4.5-billion-year-old “proto Earth”
Materials from ancient rocks could reveal conditions in the early solar system that shaped the early Earth and other planets.
Laurent Demanet appointed co-director of MIT Center for Computational Science and Engineering
Applied mathematics professor will join fellow co-director Nicolas Hadjiconstantinou in leading the cross-cutting center.