Research

Researchers used sample images, like the ones on the top row, to identify several visual features that are highly correlated with judgments that a particular area is safe or unsafe. The left side shows a low level of safety while the right shows a high level. Highlighted areas on the middle row show “unsafe” areas while the bottom row shows “safe” areas in the image.

Quantifying urban revitalization

Combining cellphone data with perceptions of public spaces could help guide urban planning.

October 24, 2016

“The goal of all this is to present the interesting stuff to the data scientists so that they can more quickly address all these new data sets that are coming in,” says Max Kanter MEng ’15.

Automating big-data analysis

With new algorithms, data scientists could accomplish in days what has traditionally taken months.

October 21, 2016

A team led by Polina Golland’s group at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has made a new algorithm for identifying organs in fetal MRI scans, which should make MRI monitoring much more useful. Pictured is a stock image of a fetal MRI.

MRIs for fetal health

Algorithm could help analyze fetal scans to determine whether interventions are warranted.

October 21, 2016

“I don't think you can hack the election,” says MIT political scientist Charles Stewart III. The distributed nature of America's voting system is a key reason why rigging the election is not really possible. But also, observers are stationed in every polling place; ballots are counted in public, post-election audits spot-check results; and machines that record and count ballots are all offline...

How healthy is the U.S. voting system?

Professor Charles Stewart III explains why the U.S. electoral system is strong and how MIT research is making the voting process even more seamless.

October 20, 2016

Molecular fMRI data showing signal changes from serotonin sensors in the absence (left) and presence (right) of the antidepressant Prozac, with each square denoting an individual brain voxel. Red squares indicate the signal has increased, as more serotonin is absorbed into neurons; blue squares indicate the signal has decreased, as less serotonin is absorbed into neurons. Dotted and solid lines gr...

Mapping serotonin dynamics in the living brain

Imaging technique that creates 3-D video of serotonin transport could aid antidepressant development.

October 20, 2016

MIT Campaign for a Better World ends FY16 with $2.9 billion

The Institute had a strong finish to fiscal year 2016, closing with $529 million in new gifts and pledges.

October 20, 2016

“Contrary to the conjecture that Medicaid would get people to [move] out of the emergency room and to the primary care physician, we’re seeing a persistent increase in emergency room use,” says Amy Finkelstein, the John and Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics at MIT.

Study: With Medicaid, ER visits remain high for two years

Acquiring health insurance does not lead to drop in emergency room usage.

October 19, 2016

With support from the International Policy Lab, the Trancik Lab compiled a report on the link between emissions cuts and energy technology cost reductions ahead of the 2015 UN climate conference. It was presented at the White House and helped to inform discussions in Paris on strengthening commitments to reduce emissions every five years. Pictured: (left to right) Patrick Brown, Magdalena Klemun, ...

International Policy Lab issues second annual call for proposals to faculty and researchers

The IPL provides funding and policy outreach support to help MIT researchers connect with the policy world.

October 19, 2016

This desalination plant in Israel, called Sorek, is currently the world's largest, producing 625,000 cubic meters of fresh water per day. Boris Liberman, chief technology officer of IDE Technologies, the company that built this and several other huge desalination plants in Israel and California, was among the speakers at MIT's Low Carbon Desalination Workshop, which explored the potential for redu...

How to achieve “green” desalination

Workshop explores ways to reduce or eliminate the carbon footprint of seawater desalination plants.

October 19, 2016

(Left to right): M. Nafi Toksöz, professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS); Oral Buyukozturk, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE); and Hao Sun, a postdoc in CEE. The Green Building, behind them, has 36 accelerometers that record vibrations and movements on selected floors, from the building’s foundation to its roof.

With new model, buildings may “sense” internal damage

System predicts how MIT’s tallest structure responds to vibrations, may help monitor stress over time.

October 18, 2016

“One thing you realize working in this lab is that we are really far away from the robot apocalypse,” says MIT senior Sarah Hensley, who is working with a team of researchers to prepare Valkyrie, a humanoid robot, for future space missions.

Prepping a robot for its journey to Mars

Senior Sarah Hensley aims to improve Earth's most advanced humanoid robot, in advance of its trip to the Red Planet.

October 18, 2016

Scientists have identified two key groups of neurons within the hypothalamus that help regulate appetite.

A new player in appetite control

Brain cells that provide structural support also influence feeding behavior, study shows.

October 18, 2016

“MIT is wonderful because in addition to [finding] an amazing home in economics, I can talk with and learn from a lot of people on the science side,” says Heidi Williams, the Class of 1957 Career Development Associate Professor in MIT’s Department of Economics.
MIT professor Heidi Williams

Making a splash in health care economics

Heidi Williams builds all-new data sets to answer questions about innovation and biomedical research.

October 18, 2016

A new study from MIT finds that positive and negative emotions are controlled by two populations of neurons that are genetically programmed to encode memories of either fearful or pleasurable events.

A delicate balance between positive and negative emotion

Neuroscientists identify two neuron populations that encode happy or fearful memories.

October 17, 2016

MIT researchers have developed a stretchy optical fiber in which they have injected multiple organic dyes (yellow, blue, and green regions). In addition to lighting up, the dyes act as a strain sensor, enabling researchers to quantify where and by how much a fiber has been stretched.

Stretchy optical fibers for implanting in the body

Biocompatible fibers could use light to stimulate cells or sense signs of disease.

October 17, 2016

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Quantifying urban revitalization

Automating big-data analysis

MRIs for fetal health

How healthy is the U.S. voting system?

Mapping serotonin dynamics in the living brain

MIT Campaign for a Better World ends FY16 with $2.9 billion

Study: With Medicaid, ER visits remain high for two years

International Policy Lab issues second annual call for proposals to faculty and researchers

How to achieve “green” desalination

With new model, buildings may “sense” internal damage

Prepping a robot for its journey to Mars

A new player in appetite control

Making a splash in health care economics

A delicate balance between positive and negative emotion

Stretchy optical fibers for implanting in the body

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