Q&A: How AI came to model the “messy” human mind
Assistant Professor Benjamin Lindquist studies how engineers deliberately injected randomness into early AI, giving rise to deep-learning models that sometimes hallucinate.
Margaret Hamilton, computing pioneer who led software development for the Apollo program, dies at 90
Over two decades at MIT, Hamilton forged new paths in computer science and engineering. Her groundbreaking work included leading the team that programmed the first computers that took humans to the moon.
Featured video: An “MIT story” about an iconic professor
A new short film from MIT Open Learning explores the influential career of Institute Professor and School of Engineering Dean Paula Hammond.
Then and now: How MIT Lincoln Laboratory has served as a driving force in national security innovation
Members of the laboratory community reflect on technology impacts that shaped the United States and the world over the past 75 years.
How a medical database developed at MIT evolved into a global standard of data-sharing
The visionary PhysioNet platform launched 25 years ago, based on a system developed at MIT in the 1970s. It has become one of the most comprehensive biomedical and clinical data repositories in existence.
MIT Professor Susumu Tonegawa, renowned molecular biologist and Nobel laureate, dies at 86
Tonegawa made landmark discoveries about how the immune system generates antibody diversity and how the brain forms memories.
Scientists find ozone depletion began decades before discovery of ozone hole
Using modern tools, they also determined that carbon tetrachloride, used as a dry-cleaning and degreasing agent as early as the 1930s, was at the root of early ozone loss.
Harriet having it all
From Boston to Moscow and across the U.S., Harriet Latham Robinson SM ’61, PhD ’65 has balanced an exciting career at the forefront of molecular biology with family, friends, and adventure.
The long history of vaccine hesitancy
Thomas Levenson’s new book shows how arguments against vaccination reach back to the beginning of the technology itself.
The tech revolution that wasn’t
Associate Professor Dwai Banerjee’s new book examines the visionaries who wanted to turn India into a world power at making computers.
“We the People” depicts inventors, dreamers, and innovators in all 50 states
For the 250th anniversary of the US, Joshua Bennett’s epic poem set celebrates unexpected lives forged across the nation.
Celebrating worm science
Time and again, an unassuming roundworm has illuminated aspects of biology with major consequences for human health.
Professor Ioannis Yannas, pioneer of regenerative medicine who invented artificial skin for the treatment of severe burns, dies at 90
A beloved member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for nearly 60 years, Yannas helped save the lives of thousands of burn victims through his research and innovation.
A better understanding of debilitating head pain
Tom Zeller’s new book, “The Headache,” sheds light on one of the world’s most confounding and agonizing ailments.
Remembering David Baltimore, influential biologist and founding director of the Whitehead Institute
The longtime MIT professor and Nobel laureate was a globally respected researcher, academic leader, and science policy visionary who guided the careers of generations of scientists.