New flapping robot swims and flies like a diving bird
MIT engineers’ design could lead to a new class of aerial-aquatic vehicles for ocean exploration.
A baseball-sized sensor can detect chemical threats
The “TOSSIT” device, developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, can warn service members and first responders of dangerous vapors and aerosols.
Tiny robot boats build floating structures
MIT researchers developed FloatForm, a swarm of small aquatic robots that snap together like ants forming a raft, assembling into reconfigurable structures on the water.
Separating logic and language
Neuroscientists find logical reasoning does not involve language-processing parts of the brain.
3 Questions: Searching for new physics with “beauty” particles
Assistant Professor Eluned Smith describes how new LHC data confirm a previously observed tension with the Standard Model, plus what else will be needed to determine whether new physics is at play.
MIT engineers whip up a more breathable hydrogel
The new aerated material could enable longer-lasting bandages, implants, and wearable sensors.
MIT researcher proposes a way to detect nuclear weapons in space
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear weapons in space, but there’s currently no way to verify that satellites aren’t carrying them.
The brain’s internal ruler
A simple brain circuit measures objects’ distance from the body using touch signals from a rodent’s whiskers, MIT scientists find.
How novice coders can develop AI programs for military applications
A USAF cadet and a Lincoln Laboratory researcher found AI chatbots can help nontechnical service members produce viable software applications for their unique problems.
Many black holes had past lives, new research shows
Physicists have found signs of colliding black holes that are themselves products of previous black hole smash-ups.
Hydrogen: clean fuel of the future — if we can find a cheap and clean way to ship it
A team led by MIT Energy Initiative researchers developed the HyCAT tool, enabling decision-makers to explore the cost and carbon emissions of their options for shipping hydrogen fuel to their site.
Discovery helps explain why solid-state batteries often fail
New research could help prevent the formation of tiny seeds of lithium metal within the electrolyte, enabling batteries that charge faster and last longer.
Building a scholarly community
The SHASS Faculty Fellows Program, administered by the MIT Human Insight Collaborative, is fostering new research projects and creating space for supportive and interdisciplinary discussion.
Why are some bacterial genes high in purines?
In certain species of bacteria, the answer lies in shielding RNA transcripts from a quality-control factor called Rho. Understanding the requirements for expressible sequences is critical for expression engineering of therapeutic agents.
MIT in the media: Innovating and educating for the next 250 years of America
During a "Washington Post Live" panel discussion with ASU President Michael Crow, President Sally Kornbluth explored how universities are preparing the next generation of scientists to lead in America’s rapidly changing technological landscape.