Robert Simcoe named director of MIT Kavli Institute
An expert in instrumentation and early universe observations, Simcoe succeeds Jacqueline Hewitt as head of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
X-ray pulse detected near event horizon as black hole devours star
Pulse pattern suggests distant black hole must be spinning at least at 50 percent the speed of light.
Revolutionary radio telescope detects bevy of fast radio bursts
Researchers use CHIME telescope to detect fast radio bursts at low frequencies and a second repeating burst.
Astronomers observe evolution of a black hole as it wolfs down stellar material
Halo of highly energized electrons around the black hole contracts dramatically during feeding frenzy.
MIT adds computational Earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences to its PhD offerings
New EAPS thesis field is the most recent to join the computational science and engineering doctoral program within the Center for Computational Engineering.
How writing technology shaped classical thinking
Stephanie Frampton’s new book explores the written word in the Roman world.
TESS discovers its third new planet, with longest orbit yet
Measurements indicate a dense, gaseous, “sub-Neptune” world, three times the size of Earth.
Tackling greenhouse gases
Faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering are developing technologies that store, capture, convert, and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
“You don’t learn this in class”
Students in the MIT Energy Initiative Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program build professional skills.
Tiny satellites could be “guide stars” for huge next-generation telescopes
Researchers design CubeSats with lasers to provide steady reference light for telescopes investigating distant planets.
Engineers create an inhalable form of messenger RNA
Patients with lung disease could find relief by breathing in messenger RNA molecules.
DNA design that anyone can do
Computer program can translate a free-form 2-D drawing into a DNA structure.
Controllable fast, tiny magnetic bits
MIT researchers show how to make and drive nanoscale magnetic quasi-particles known as skyrmions for spintronic memory devices.
Customizing computer-aided design
System breaks down complex designs into easily modifiable shapes for custom manufacturing and 3-D printing.
A “pacemaker” for North African climate
Study shows the Sahara swung between lush and desert conditions every 20,000 years, in sync with monsoon activity.