MIT researchers have developed a new filtration material capable of removing PFAS and heavy metals from water while possessing “antimicrobial properties that prevent the filters from becoming fouled over time,” reports Sujita Sinha for Interesting Engineering. “By combining silk and cellulose and using a method that aligns the silk molecules into nanofibrils, [the researchers] created a hybrid material with unique properties perfect for water filtration,” explains Sinha.
Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a “unique atomic-level interaction that shields collagen from the damaging effects of water molecules,” reports Mrigakshi Dixit for Interesting Engineering. “Proteins deteriorate when the peptide bonds that link the component amino acids are attacked by water molecules, which results in the cleavage of the peptide bonds,” explains Prof. Ronald Raines. “We discovered a chemical interaction in collagen that protects its peptide bonds from attack and cleavage.”
Prof. Michael Strano joins “Somewhere on Earth” podcast host Gareth Mitchell to discuss how he and his colleagues developed tiny batteries that could be used to power cell-sized robots. Roughly the thickness of a human hair, the new battery can create a current by capturing oxygen. “I would say we're making the LEGOs, the building blocks that go into robots,” Strano says. “We’re building the parts and it's an exciting time for the field.”
New Yorker reporter Dhruv Khullar spotlights how researchers from across MIT are using AI to advance drug development. Khullar highlights the MIT Jameel Clinic, the Broad Institute and various faculty members for their efforts in bridging the gap between AI and drug research. “With AI, we’re getting that much more efficient at finding molecules—and in some cases creating them,” says Prof. James Collins. “The cost of the search is going down. Now we really don’t have an excuse.”
Scientists from MIT and elsewhere are using submersible structures to harness the power of ocean waves and make sand accumulate in specific regions to protect islands and potentially grow new ones, reports Amy Gunia for CNN. “With each field experiment, the group says it is advancing its understanding of what materials, configurations, and construction techniques can make sand accumulate in the simplest, most cost-effective, sustainable, long-lasting and scalable way,” explains Gunia.
Researchers from MIT and Northwestern University have developed some guidelines for how to spot deepfakes, noting “there is no fool-proof method that always works,” reports Jeremy Hsu for New Scientist.
A new paper by MIT researchers has found that “aviation safety is improving by the decade,” reports Monica Pitrelli for CNBC. The paper “states that the risk of dying on a commercial flight globally was 1 per 13.7 million passenger boardings from 2018 to 2022 — a significant improvement from the decade before, and far cry from the one death for every 350,000 boardings that occurred between 1968-1977,” explains Pitrelli.
Since meeting as undergraduates at MIT, graduate student Ashwin Sah '20 and Mehtaab Sawhney PhD '24 have “written a mind-boggling 57 math proofs together, many of them profound advances in various fields,” writes Leila Sloman for Quanta Magazine. Now, in what is being praised as a “huge achievement” and “phenomenally impressive” by fellow mathematicians, Sah and Sawhney have “obtained a long-sought improvement on an estimate of how big sets of integers can get before they must contain sequences of evenly spaced numbers."
Researchers at MIT are working toward training AI models “as subject-matter experts that ethically tailor financial advice to an individual’s circumstances,” reports Tanza Loudenback for Business Insider. “We think we’re about two or three years away before we can demonstrate a piece of software that by SEC regulatory guidelines will satisfy fiduciary duty,” says Prof. Andrew Lo.
Prof. Nathaniel Hendren speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Wolfe about the evolution of economic mobility in the United States. “It’s still a coin flip whether or not you’ll earn more than your parents, but mobility probably hit a record low in the early 2020s,” says Hendren.
A team of MIT researchers discovered a hard limit for the “spooky” phenomenon known as quantum entanglement, reports Ben Brubaker for Quanta Magazine. The researchers found that quantum entanglement does not weaken as temperatures increase, but rather it vanishes above specific temperatures, a behavior dubbed the “sudden death” of entanglement. “It’s a very, very strong statement,” says Prof. Soonwon Choi of the findings. “I was very impressed.”
Prof. Thomas Kochan speaks with Boston Globe reporter Dana Gerber to reflect on the impact of 2014 Market Basket protests. Kochan, who co-authored a case study about the protests, says “it’s still the most unprecedented worker action that we’ve seen in our century. We’ve never seen a non-union group take action in support of their CEO, and hold that solidarity — from the executives to the clerks to the truck drivers — for six weeks. And to get the support of the customers was a remarkable achievement.”
Researchers at MIT have uncovered a possible reason why legal documents can be so difficult to read, finding that “convoluted legalese often acts as a way to convey authority,” reports Joe Berkowitz for Fast Company. The researchers “tested whether nonlawyers would end up using legalese if asked to write legal documents,” explains Berkowitz. “In the end, all subjects wrote their laws with complex, center-embedded clauses.”
Writing for The Boston Globe, President Emeritus L. Rafael Reif makes the case that “without strong research universities and the scientific and technological advances they discover and invent, the United States could not possibly keep up with China.” He emphasizes that “punishing universities financially for their failings — real and imagined — would be counterproductive. If anything, the China challenge demands that universities do more than they are already doing — and that they have the resources to do so.”
Researchers at MIT have developed “a publicly available database, culled from reports, journals, and other documents to shed light on the risks AI experts are disclosing through paper, reports, and other documents,” reports Jon McKendrick for Forbes. “These benchmarked risks will help develop a greater understanding the risks versus rewards of this new force entering the business landscape,” writes McKendrick.