National Science Foundation (NSF)

Members of MIT's panel on the LIGO observation of a merger of neutron stars, (left to right) Anna Frebel, Salvatore Vitale, Nergis Mavalvala, Erik Katsavounidis, and Matthew Evans, pose for a photo at the Oct. 16 event.

MIT researchers discuss the new "multi-messenger" era of astrophysics research

Mavalvala, Evans, Frebel, Katsavounidis, and Vitale discuss the science behind LIGO's observations of a neutron star collision.

October 18, 2017

3Q: Scott Hughes on cosmic distances and the future of gravitational wave astronomy

Professor of physics describes our understanding of the expansion of the universe through “standard sirens.”

October 16, 2017

Artist’s illustration of two merging neutron stars. The rippling space-time grid represents gravitational waves that travel out from the collision, while the narrow beams show the bursts of gamma rays that are shot out just seconds after the gravitational waves. Swirling clouds of material ejected from the merging stars are also depicted. The clouds glow with visible and other wavelengths of lig...

LIGO and Virgo make first detection of gravitational waves produced by colliding neutron stars

Discovery marks first cosmic event observed in both gravitational waves and light.

October 16, 2017

Emily Tow PhD '17, displays equipment she developed to measure the effects of different pressure levels on the way microorganisms build up on membranes used for desalinating water.

Toward efficient high-pressure desalination

Surprisingly, pressurization isn’t to blame for fouling of membranes, study finds.

October 15, 2017

Consisting of a headset and hand controllers, CSAIL's new VR system enables users to teleoperate a robot using an Oculus Rift headset.

Teleoperating robots with virtual reality

A virtual reality system from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory could make it easier for factory workers to telecommute.

October 11, 2017

A new analysis indicates that, without proper planning, there could be short-term bottlenecks in the supplies of some metals, particularly lithium and cobalt, that could cause temporary slowdowns in lithium-ion battery production. This map shows today’s trade flows of key ingredients for battery production, with exports from each country shown in red and imports in green.

Will metal supplies limit battery expansion?

Rise of electric vehicles and grid storage may cause bottlenecks, but no showstoppers, analysis suggests.

October 11, 2017

A new system from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory works by analyzing light at the edge of walls, which is impacted by the reflections of objects around the corner from the camera.

An algorithm for your blind spot

Using smartphone cameras, system for seeing around corners could help with self-driving cars and search-and-rescue.

October 9, 2017

A new paper describes the importance of doing detailed economic analysis and having in-depth conversations with people using the technology that a research project is focused on.

Why researchers should step out of the lab

Project reveals benefits of communicating with industry when conducting research.

October 4, 2017

MIT Vice President for Research Maria Zuber, who chairs the National Science Board, called the Golden Goose Awards “a chance every year to open our minds, shake off any cynicism, and remind ourselves of the enormous and often unpredictable promise of science.”

Maria Zuber: Golden Goose Awards illustrate virtues of basic research

Ceremony honors research that may have once seemed obscure but has had significant social impact.

October 3, 2017

Rainer Weiss at home early this morning, after learning that he has won the 2017 Nobel Prize in physics.

MIT physicist Rainer Weiss shares Nobel Prize in physics

LIGO inventor and professor emeritus of physics recognized “for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.”

October 3, 2017

Stephanie Bauman, an intern in the Materials Process Center and Center for Materials Science and Engineering's 2017 Summer Scholar program, holds a sample of manganese gallium, a new material known as an antiferromagnet, that can serve as the basis for long lasting, spintronic computer memory devices. She worked in the lab of assistant professor of electrical engineering Luqiao Liu.

Developing new magnetic device materials

Summer Scholar Stephanie Bauman interns in Luqiao Liu lab synthesizing and testing manganese gallium samples for spintronic applications.

October 2, 2017

The Compact Muon Solenoid is a general-purpose detector at the Large Hadron Collider.

First open-access data from large collider confirm subatomic particle patterns

CERN Open Data Portal results reveal predictable patterns from colliding high-energy protons.

September 29, 2017

Computer models of chromosomes and the experimental Hi-C maps shown below them reveal the central role of cohesin in folding the genome into distinct domains (highlighted in blue, green, and pink). When cohesin is depleted experimentally and in simulations, domains unfold and intermix (right).

Researchers identify molecular motor that transforms chromosomes

Experiments confirm hypothesis about how the genome becomes organized into “neighborhoods.”

September 28, 2017

An aerial view of the Virgo site shows the Mode-Cleaner building, the Central building, the 3km-long west arm and the beginning of the north arm. The other buildings include offices, workshops, computer rooms and the control room of the interferometer.

Gravitational waves from a binary black hole merger observed by LIGO and Virgo

Finding represents first joint detection of gravitational waves with both detectors.

September 27, 2017

Virion hikers with varying levels of fitness, illustrated here as preparedness, attempt to climb Folded Peak While some virions are too unfit to hit the trail (red), some are sufficiently fit to reach the summit without help from the park chaperones (blue). Other virions (yellow) are able to reach the summit by hijacking the park chaperones, which are also assisting certain host proteins, and so...

Biochemists discover mechanism that helps flu viruses evolve

Influenza viruses can hijack host cellular machinery to help mutated viral proteins fold and function.

September 26, 2017

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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