New exoplanet in our neighborhood
Though likely uninhabitable, planet is rocky, Earth-sized, and near enough for study of its atmosphere.
Hydrogel superglue is 90 percent water
New “water adhesive” is tougher than natural adhesives employed by mussels and barnacles.
Harvesting more energy from photons
Quantum process increases the number of electrons produced when light strikes a metal-dielectric interface.
Metal defects can be eliminated by cyclic loading
Finding shows small amounts of repeated stretching can eliminate crystal defects in nanoscale metal parts.
Messing with the monsoon
Study: Manmade aerosols can alter rainfall in the world’s most populous region.
Soft robotic hand can pick up and identify a wide array of objects
Team from Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab develops silicone rubber gripper and advanced object-identification algorithms.
How to make large 2-D sheets
MIT-led team develops method for scaling up production of thin electronic material.
Middle schoolers get hands-on in summer engineering design course
Eighth graders from Boston, Cambridge, and Lawrence, Massachusetts, learn from recent MIT graduates as part of STEM Summer Institute.
Siberian Traps likely culprit for end-Permian extinction
New study finds massive eruptions likely triggered mass extinction.
How to spawn an “exceptional ring”
Researchers create exotic states that could lead to new kinds of sensors and optical devices.
Fertilize the ocean, cool the planet?
MIT researchers find unintended consequences of an idea to stimulate ocean phytoplankton growth in order to geoengineer a cooler atmosphere.
Fire-and-ice discoveries
From igniting carbon fibers to freeze-drying hydrogels, MIT Summer Scholars learn pioneering scientific techniques during nine-week internships.
“Grey swan” cyclones predicted to be more frequent and intense
Study finds some coastal regions may face a risk of unprecedented storm surge in the next century.
Unusual magnetic behavior observed at a material interface
Findings could lead to a building block for future quantum computers, and a research tool for physics.
Better estimates of worldwide mercury pollution
New findings show Asia produces twice as much mercury emissions as previously thought.