How returning to a prior context aids memory recall
Picower Institute researchers discover the brain mechanism that helps details come flooding back when you visit a scene again.
New climate model to be built from the ground up
Scientists and engineers will collaborate in a new Climate Modeling Alliance to advance climate modeling and prediction.
Deep-learning technique reveals “invisible” objects in the dark
Method could illuminate features of biological tissues in low-exposure images.
To guide cancer therapy, device quickly tests drugs on tumor tissue
Inexpensive 3-D-printed microfluidics device could be used to personalize cancer treatment.
Sun-soaking device turns water into superheated steam
High-temperature steam might be used in remote regions to cook, clean, or sterilize medical equipment.
3 Questions: MIT goes interstellar with Voyager 2
MIT Kavli's John Richardson describes MIT's role in the historic passing of the Voyager 2 craft past the heliopause and into the interstellar medium.
Terahertz laser for sensing and imaging outperforms its predecessors
High-power, tunable design could be used for chemical detection in outer space, medical imaging, more.
Technology and policy pathways to Paris emissions goals
Two new MIT reports advance practical emissions-reduction strategies for Southeast Asia and Latin America at both the regional and country level.
Engineers produce smallest 3-D transistor yet
Process that modifies semiconductor material atom by atom could enable higher-performance electronics.
3Q: Eric Alm on the mysteries of the microbiome
“A diet or treatment of the microbiome may lead to increased diversity, but that does not mean it's better or healthier for you,” says the engineering professor.
MIT engineers repurpose wasp venom as an antibiotic drug
Altered peptides from a South American wasp’s venom can kill bacteria but are nontoxic to human cells.
The privacy risks of compiling mobility data
Merging different types of location-stamped data can make it easier to discern users’ identities, even when the data is anonymized.
Atoms stand in for electrons in system for probing high-temperature superconductors
Using new “quantum emulator,” physicists can observe individual atoms moving through these materials, and measure their speed.
Technique inspired by dolphin chirps could improve tests of soft materials
Method can be used to quickly characterize any soft, rapidly changing substance, such as clotting blood or drying cement.
“Sun in a box” would store renewable energy for the grid
Design for system that provides solar- or wind-generated power on demand should be cheaper than other leading options.