Longstanding problem put to rest
Proof that a 40-year-old algorithm is the best possible will come as a relief to computer scientists.
Breaking down social networks in a city
New research finds urban social networks are not determined geographically, but socially.
MIT team creates ultracold molecules
At near absolute zero, molecules may start to exhibit exotic states of matter.
Study: Juvenile incarceration yields less schooling, more crime
Teen offenders who serve time finish school less often, become repeat offenders more often.
3 Questions: Economies as computers, products as information
New book argues that economic development is a special case of the growth of information.
Unlocking nanofibers’ potential
Prototype boosts production of versatile fibers fourfold, while cutting energy consumption by 92 percent.
Study: Ocean source of a greenhouse gas has been underestimated
Cycling of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, is more intense than thought, and emissions are increasing.
Vanishing friction
In tuning friction to the point where it disappears, technique could boost development of nanomachines.
DNA breakage underlies both learning, age-related damage
Process that allows brains to learn and remember also leads to degeneration with age.
A check on runaway lake drainage
Draining lakes are unlikely to increase the Greenland ice sheet’s contribution to sea-level rise.
Helping robots handle uncertainty
Algorithm for planning multirobot collaborations makes complex models practical.
Bringing biochemistry to life with color
Senior biology and chemistry major Daniel Zhang helps build noninvasive cancer diagnostic tools.
Tough biogel structures produced by 3-D printing
Stretchable, biocompatible hydrogels with complex patterning could be used in tissue engineering.
A new tool measures the distance between phonon collisions
Tabletop setup provides more nuanced picture of heat production in microelectronics.
Circular orbits identified for small exoplanets
Observations of 74 Earth-sized planets around distant stars may narrow field of habitable candidates.