Research

The COBRA sensor is more portable and cost-effective than existing indirect calorimetry sensors. It includes a chest harness and bite grip that enable hands-free use of the system during exercise and training.

Monitoring metabolic energy expenditure, health, and fitness with a breath analyzer

Simple-to-use, low-cost respiratory sensor enables measurement and tracking of personal metabolism.

July 27, 2017

This vacuum chamber with apertures for several laser beams was used to cool molecules of sodium-potassium down to temperatures of a few hundred nanoKelvins, or billionths of a degree above absolute zero. Such molecules could be used as a new kind of qubit, a building block for eventual quantum computers.

Ultracold molecules hold promise for quantum computing

New approach yields long-lasting configurations that could provide long-sought “qubit” material.

July 27, 2017

The Tadpole Galaxy, a disrupted spiral galaxy, shows streams of gas stripped by gravitational interaction with another galaxy. Molecular gas is the required ingredient to form stars in early universe galaxies.

New insights into the early universe’s galaxy clusters

MIT Kavli Institute scientists help conduct one of the largest-ever studies of molecular gas in distant galaxy clusters.

July 25, 2017

Jinyao Liu, left, and Giovanni Traverso stretch a new hydrogel. To help ensure patients receive their full course of treatment, researchers have developed a new set of drug delivery materials made of the hydrogel. The material can reside in the stomach for up to nine days and slowly release its dosage of medication.

Ingestible drug-delivery materials may help patients comply with treatment regimens

Hydrogel-based capsules could expand and reside in the GI tract for days, slowly releasing medication.

July 25, 2017

Troy Van Voorhis is the Haslam and Dewey Professor of Chemistry.

Laying the foundation for new energy technology

Theoretical chemist Troy Van Voorhis probes big energy-related questions, scrutinizing electrons and chemical bonds to improve sustainable energy solutions.

July 24, 2017

“The Indian monsoon is considered a textbook, clearly defined phenomenon, and we think we know a lot about it, but we don’t,” says Senior Research Scientist Chien Wang. An image from Varanasi, India, shows flooding in 2011.

Study: Indian monsoons have strengthened over past 15 years

A 50-year dry spell has reversed, with more rain to come.

July 24, 2017

Adriana Schulz, an MIT PhD student in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, demonstrates the InstantCAD computer-aided-design-optimizing interface.

Reshaping computer-aided design

CSAIL’s InstantCAD allows manufacturers to simulate, optimize CAD designs in real-time.

July 24, 2017

“We are overusing natural resources. Why not be efficient with the climate?” Alpha Yacob Arsano says. “It is a misconception that building energy-efficient structures is more expensive. In the long-term it is much cheaper.”

Lessons from pre-industrial climate control

Graduate student Alpha Yacob Arsano wants to bring natural ventilation to the forefront of modern architecture.

July 24, 2017

The Varanasi research group visits the MIT Central Utilities Plant cooling towers, where they will test their water-recapture technology with support from the new Campus Sustainability Incubator Fund.

New fund makes MIT a living sustainability lab

MIT Office of Sustainability announces awards to multi-departmental projects that test management, design, and operations solutions on campus.

July 21, 2017

“You could think of the cricket pitch as a microcosm of caste issues in India,” says Matt Lowe (bottom, second from right), a PhD candidate leading a study in India to see if the popular game of cricket can help bridge caste divides.

When castes collide

PhD student Matt Lowe uses cricket tournaments to explore caste interactions in rural India and whether the popular sport can help bridge class divides.

July 20, 2017