Ocean bacteria team up to break down biodegradable plastic
MIT researchers uncovered the roles of bacterial species from the environment as they consume biodegradable plastic.
How Joseph Paradiso’s sensing innovations bridge the arts, medicine, and ecology
From early motion-sensing platforms to environmental monitoring, the professor and head of the Program in Media Arts and Sciences has turned decades of cross-disciplinary research into real-world impact.
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.
Nitrous oxide, a product of fertilizer use, may harm some soil bacteria
While some N2O is produced naturally at the plant root, agricultural practices can increase its levels, to the detriment of some microbes that support plant growth.
Designing a more resilient future for plants, from the cell up
Foray Bioscience, founded by Ashley Beckwith SM ’18, PhD ’22, is engineering single plant cells to create new materials and meet growing demand.
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.
Bridging science and society in the emerging bioeconomy
In STS.059 (The Bioeconomy and Society), students explore the social and political factors at work in the biology, biotech, and biological engineering sectors.
Exploring the promise of regenerative aquaculture at an Arkansas fish farm
Through research with MIT D-Lab, MIT engineering student Kiyoko “Kik” Hayano worked with Keo Fish Farms to build a model for regenerative water systems.
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.
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.
Study: More eyes on the skies will help planes reduce climate-warming contrails
Images from geostationary satellites alone aren’t enough to help planes avoid contrail-prone regions, MIT researchers report.
Introducing the Minerals Stewardship Consortium at MIT
The consortium convenes industry, academia, and policy leaders to navigate competing demands and reimagine materials supply.
MIT NEET students install solar-powered charging station on campus, resurrecting an MIT tradition
The project was designed and built with novel “bio-composite” materials developed by the student team.
MIT Sea Grant students explore the intersection of technology and offshore aquaculture in Norway
AquaCulture Shock program, in collaboration with MIT-Scandinavia MISTI, offers international internships for AI and autonomy in aquaculture