Research

Life in the aftermath

MIT historian’s book explores life for Armenians in modern Turkey.

January 8, 2016

Astronomers have detected a massive, sprawling, churning galaxy cluster that formed only 3.8 billion years after the Big Bang. The cluster, shown here, is the most massive cluster of galaxies yet discovered in the first 4 billion years after the Big Bang.

Most distant massive galaxy cluster identified

Formed in the first 4 billion years of the universe, cluster is 1,000 times more massive than the Milky Way.

January 7, 2016

The layer-by-layer solar thermal fuel polymer film comprises three distinct layers (4 to 5 microns in thickness for each). Cross-linking after each layer enables building up films of tunable thickness.

A new way to store solar heat

Material could harvest sunlight by day, release heat on demand hours or days later.

January 7, 2016

To track the family history for a single cell, researchers engineered a microfluidic device that traps first an individual cell and then all of its descendants. The device has several connected channels, each of which has a trapping pocket used to capture single cells in precise locations. After the initial cell grows and divides, its progeny float downstream and are captured in the next available...

Tracing a cellular family tree

New technique allows tracking of gene expression over generations of cells as they specialize.

January 6, 2016

This image demonstrates tissue patterns that emerge from genetically programmed human pluripotent stem cells, and was taken on day nine of the MIT study. It shows immunostainings of cell nuclei for CEBPA (red, endodermal marker), SOX10 (green, ectodermal marker), and DAPI (blue, binds to DNA in the nucleus).

Organ-on-a-chip

In a step toward personalized drug testing, researchers coax human stem cells to form complex tissues.

January 6, 2016

This diagram illustrates the principle behind the proposed energy-harvesting system. Two metal electrodes made of lithium-alloyed silicon form a sandwich around a layer of electrolyte, a polymer that ions (charged atoms) can move across. When the sandwich is bent, unequal stresses cause lithium ions to migrate across the electrolyte, producing a compensating electron current that can be harnessed ...

Harnessing the energy of small bending motions

New device could provide electrical power source from walking and other ambient motions.

January 6, 2016

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

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Life in the aftermath

Most distant massive galaxy cluster identified

A new way to store solar heat

Tracing a cellular family tree

Organ-on-a-chip

Harnessing the energy of small bending motions

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

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