A “scientific sandbox” lets researchers explore the evolution of vision systems
The AI-powered tool could inform the design of better sensors and cameras for robots or autonomous vehicles.
New study suggests a way to rejuvenate the immune system
Stimulating the liver to produce some of the signals of the thymus can reverse age-related declines in T-cell populations and enhance response to vaccination.
Nuno Loureiro, professor and director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, dies at 47
In his 10 years at MIT, Loureiro helped illuminate the physics occurring at the center of fusion vacuum chambers and at the edges of the universe.
3 Questions: Using computation to study the world’s best single-celled chemists
Assistant Professor Yunha Hwang utilizes microbial genomes to examine the language of biology. Her appointment reflects MIT’s commitment to exploring the intersection of genetics research and AI.
MIT community members elected to the National Academy of Inventors for 2025
Professors Ahmad Bahai and Kripa Varanasi, plus seven additional MIT alumni, are honored for highly impactful inventions.
RNA editing study finds many ways for neurons to diversify
Tracking how fruit fly motor neurons edit their RNA, neurobiologists cataloged hundreds of target sites and varying editing rates, finding many edits altered communication- and function-related proteins.
MIT HEALS leadership charts a bold path for convergence in health and life sciences
Angela Koehler, Iain Cheeseman, and Katharina Ribbeck are shaping the collaborative as a platform for transformative research, translation, and talent development across MIT.
Enabling small language models to solve complex reasoning tasks
The “self-steering” DisCIPL system directs small models to work together on tasks with constraints, like itinerary planning and budgeting.
School of Science welcomed new faculty in 2024
Eleven new professors join the departments of Biology; Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Mathematics; and Physics.
MIT study shows how vision can be rebooted in adults with amblyopia
Temporarily anesthetizing the retina briefly reverts the activity of the visual system to that observed in early development and enables growth of responses to the amblyopic (“lazy”) eye.
When it comes to language, context matters
MIT researchers identified three cognitive skills that we use to infer what someone really means.
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed
MIT researchers discover how an immune system molecule triggers neurons to shut down social behavior in mice modeling infection.
Astrocyte diversity across space and time
A new atlas charts the diversity of an influential cell type in the brains of mice and marmosets.
When companies “go green,” air quality impacts can vary dramatically
Cutting air travel and purchasing renewable energy can lead to different effects on overall air quality, even while achieving the same CO2 reduction, new research shows.
Alternate proteins from the same gene contribute differently to health and rare disease
New findings may help researchers identify genetic mutations that contribute to rare diseases, by studying when and how single genes produce multiple versions of proteins.