The kilo is dead. Long live the kilo!
An old artifact kept in a vault outside Paris is no longer the standard for the kilogram. Now, nature itself provides the definition.
Norman Phillips, former meteorology department head, dies at 95
A theoretical meteorology pioneer, Phillips showed that numerical models could predict weather and developed the first general circulation model of Earth’s climate.
Grad student John Urschel tackles his lifelong balance of math and football in new memoir
“Being capable of thinking quantitatively — it’s the single most important thing,” says the former NFL lineman.
Leaving room for a little improvisation
At the piano and in the lab, double major Tony Zhang is driven by curiosity and creativity.
Tropical Pacific is major player in global ocean heat transport
Region dominates the transfer of heat from the equator to the poles in both hemispheres, challenging the "great conveyor belt" model.
Media Advisory — How the new kilogram measures up
On Monday, May 20, Professor and Nobel laureate Wolfgang Ketterle will explain the new standards of measurement for mass, charge, temperature, and mole.
Generating high-quality single photons for quantum computing
New dual-cavity design emits more single photons that can carry quantum information at room temperature.
How a declining environment affects populations
Study finds that competition between bacterial species can be upended when conditions deteriorate.
Measuring chromosome imbalance could clarify cancer prognosis
A study of prostate cancer finds “aneuploid” tumors are more likely to be lethal than tumors with normal chromosome numbers.
Ashwin Sah, Megan Yamoah, and Steven Truong named 2019-20 Goldwater Scholars
Three MIT undergraduates honored for their academic achievements.
Recreating ancient minerals
New research demonstrates how to make the rock dolomite, preserving fine microbial textures in marine environments and solving the dolomite problem.
Martin Zwierlein receives Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship
Professor of physics will use U.S. Department of Defense fellowship to study the quantum world in search of new states of matter.
Gil Strang is still going strong, online and in print
After nearly 60 years of teaching at MIT, this math professor surpasses 10 million views on OCW, earns top reviews for his teaching style, and publishes his 12th book.
Explosions of universe’s first stars spewed powerful jets
Instead of ballooning into spheres, as once thought, early supernovae ejected jets that may have seeded new stars.
Why visual stimulation may work against Alzheimer’s
New findings help explain the surprising discovery that exposure to flickering light reduces amyloid plaques in mice.