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.
New insights into a hidden process that protects cells from harmful mutations
Research reveals how cells may activate a compensation system that can reduce the effects of harmful genetic mutations. This could inform gene therapy development.
Recreating the forms and sounds of historical musical instruments
Through an interdisciplinary collaboration between MIT and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, researchers are creating playable physical and synthesized replicas.
New catalog more than doubles the number of gravitational-wave detections made by LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA observatories
The latest crop of space-time wobbles includes a variety of heavy, fast-spinning, and lopsided colliding black holes.
Nitrous oxide, a product of fertilizer use, may harm some soil bacteria
While some N2O is produced naturally at the plant root, agricultural practices can increase its levels, to the detriment of some microbes that support plant growth.
How some skills become second nature
Patterns of gaze and attention can reveal how some people unconsciously figure out how to master a task, new research shows.
A “ChatGPT for spreadsheets” helps solve difficult engineering challenges faster
The approach could help engineers tackle extremely complex design problems, from power grid optimization to vehicle design.
Injectable “satellite livers” could offer an alternative to liver transplantation
The engineered tissue grafts could take on the liver’s function and help thousands of people with liver failure.
W.M. Keck Foundation to support research on healthy aging at MIT
Assistant Professor Alison Ringel will investigate the intersection of immunology and aging biology, aiming to define mechanisms that underlie aging-related decline, thanks to a grant from the foundation.