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.
New sensor sniffs out pneumonia on a patient’s breath
The technology could enable fast, point-of-care diagnoses for pneumonia and other lung conditions.
Scientists discover genetics behind leaky brain blood vessels in Rett syndrome
By showing the problem derives from genetic mutations that lead to overexpression of a microRNA, MIT researchers’ study points to potential treatment.
Next-generation geothermal energy: Promise, progress, and challenges
Geothermal innovators at MIT and elsewhere are seeking deeper and hotter rocks to generate electricity at scale.
How the brain handles the “cocktail party problem”
Using a computational model, neuroscientists showed how the brain can selectively focus attention on one voice among others in a noisy environment.
Can AI help predict which heart-failure patients will worsen within a year?
Researchers at MIT, Mass General Brigham, and Harvard Medical School developed a deep-learning model to forecast a patient’s heart failure prognosis up to a year in advance.
3 Questions: Fortifying our planetary defenses
MIT astronomers are developing a new way to detect, monitor, and mitigate the threats posed by smaller asteroids to our critical space infrastructure.
3 Questions: On the future of AI and the mathematical and physical sciences
Professor Jesse Thaler describes a vision for a two-way bridge between artificial intelligence and the mathematical and physical sciences — one that promises to advance both.
New photonic device efficiently beams light into free space
Light-emitting structures that curl off the chip surface could enable advanced displays, high-speed optical communications, and larger-scale quantum computers.
A better method for planning complex visual tasks
A new hybrid system could help robots navigate in changing environments or increase the efficiency of multirobot assembly teams.
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.
Neurons receive precisely tailored teaching signals as we learn
New work suggests the brain can deliver neuron-specific feedback during learning — resembling the error signals that drive machine learning.
Improving AI models’ ability to explain their predictions
A new approach could help users know whether to trust a model’s predictions in safety-critical applications like health care and autonomous driving.
Seeds of something different
Kate Brown’s book, “Tiny Gardens Everywhere,” examines the hidden history of urban farming, its extensive use, and the politics of growing food.
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.