Research

Manu National Park, a large (15,328-square-kilometer) protected area in southeastern Peru, includes several ecological zones and spans an elevation range of 150-4,200 meters above sea level. Manu’s vast tracks of Amazonian rainforest are part of the global tropical forest carbon sink that is slowing the rate of increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, a primary driver of climate change.

Assessing nature's carbon sinks

Study estimates the annual carbon sequestration rate in protected areas such as rainforests will decline by about 40 percent between now and 2100.

January 5, 2016

As bacteria stream through a microfluidic lattice, they synchronize and swim in patterns similar to those of electrons flowing through a magnetic material. This image shows a microfluidic 6x6 lattice. The left-hand side shows the original data as seen under the microscope. The overlaid color coding on the right-hand side shows the relative strength of clockwise (purple) or anti-clockwise (green) ...

Study reveals shared behavior of microbes and electrons

Bacteria streaming through a lattice behave like electrons in a magnetic material.

January 5, 2016

“I was always very interested in current events and fascinated by what was happening in the world around me,” MIT historian Tanalís Padilla says. “My parents were very political. I considered myself quite a political being. … I think [living in] Mexico and the United States and seeing the contrast to be so great, especially in rural Mexico, made me aware [of politics] early on.”

Past and present

MIT’s Tanalís Padilla brings alive the history of political struggles in Mexico.

January 4, 2016

Clearing the way for Floquet-Bloch states

Team demonstrates pure quantum-mechanical mixture of electrons and photons in the solid topological insulator bismuth selenide.

January 4, 2016

MIT researchers fed their physics prediction system videos of collisions, shown as screenshots in (a) and (b), which were then converted into simulations generated by the 3-D physics engine, shown in (c) and (d).

Computer model matches humans at predicting how objects move

“3-D physics engine” from the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory simulates the human brain to infer physical properties.

January 4, 2016

3 Questions: Neil Gershenfeld and the spread of Fab Labs

Ten years after launching Fab Lab, the project’s founder describes the program’s research, global impact.

January 4, 2016

New York magazine corrects misinformation about MIT Joint Program climate projection

"2015 Energy and Climate Outlook" sees international COP21 climate conference as progress, with more work ahead.

December 28, 2015

In a new study published this week, MIT researchers report that global action on reducing mercury emissions will lead to twice the economic benefits for the U.S., compared to domestic action, by 2050.

Global reductions in mercury emissions should lead to billions in economic benefits for U.S.

Benefits from international regulations may double those of domestic policy.

December 28, 2015

Researchers have discovered how some organisms can safely process oxalate, which is found in many fruits and vegetables. This discovery could lead to new ways to lessen the harmful effects that can occur when oxalate builds up in humans, who cannot metabolize this molecule.

A healthy breakdown

Researchers discover how some organisms process oxalate, a molecule that can harm humans.

December 28, 2015

Clockwise from top left: B. Gloria Choi, Christopher Cummins, James DiCarlo, Mehrdad Jazayeri, Jonathan Kelner, and Jared Speck

The School of Science appoints six faculty to named professorships

December 28, 2015

A DeLorean time machine appeared on campus for Back to the Future Day, a popular event on Twitter in 2015.

Top tweets of 2015

Best posts of the year on @MIT highlight our new humanoid robot, MIT women in engineering, an optics lesson for #TheDress, and more.

December 28, 2015

Researchers have produced a working optoelectronic chip that computes electronically but uses light to move information. The chip has 850 optical components and 70 million transistors, which, while significantly less than the billion-odd transistors of a typical microprocessor, is enough to demonstrate all the functionality that a commercial optical chip would require.

Optoelectronic microprocessors built using existing chip manufacturing

High-performance prototype means chipmakers could now start building optoelectronic chips.

December 23, 2015

“If you’re the kind of person who bought something that really didn’t resonate with the market, say, coffee-flavored Coca-Cola, then that also means you’re more likely to buy a type of toothpaste or laundry detergent that fails to resonate with the market,” MIT professor Catherine Tucker says.

Are you a “harbinger of failure”?

Study: Some consumers have an unerring knack for buying unpopular products.

December 23, 2015

Researchers have developed a computational model of visual representation intended to reflect the way the brain works.

Machines that learn like people

Algorithms could learn to recognize objects from a few examples, not millions; may better model human cognition.

December 23, 2015

Angela Belcher (pictured), MIT professor of biological engineering and materials science and engineering; Paula Hammond, professor and head of the MIT Department of Chemical Engineering; Po-Yen Chen PhD ’15 (now at Brown University); and others have shown that a novel, high-efficiency, low-cost solar cell can be made using lead recovered from an abundant, old-technology source: lead-acid car bat...

Solar energy from discarded car batteries

An MIT development could benefit both the environment and human health.

December 22, 2015

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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Assessing nature's carbon sinks

Study reveals shared behavior of microbes and electrons

Past and present

Clearing the way for Floquet-Bloch states

Computer model matches humans at predicting how objects move

3 Questions: Neil Gershenfeld and the spread of Fab Labs

New York magazine corrects misinformation about MIT Joint Program climate projection

Global reductions in mercury emissions should lead to billions in economic benefits for U.S.

A healthy breakdown

The School of Science appoints six faculty to named professorships

Top tweets of 2015

Optoelectronic microprocessors built using existing chip manufacturing

Are you a “harbinger of failure”?

Machines that learn like people

Solar energy from discarded car batteries

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