Study: The infant universe’s “primordial soup” was actually soupy
MIT physicists observed the first clear evidence that quarks create a wake as they speed through quark-gluon plasma, confirming the plasma behaves like a liquid.
Polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn hints at the planets’ interior details
New research may explain the striking differences between the two planets’ polar vortex patterns.
Fueling research in nuclear thermal propulsion
Master's student Taylor Hampson is modeling the behavior of an unconventional rocket engine that will heat propellant using nuclear energy.
MIT in the media: 2025 in review
MIT community members made headlines with key research advances and their efforts to tackle pressing challenges.
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.
Scientists get a first look at the innermost region of a white dwarf system
X-ray observations reveal surprising features of the dying star’s most energetic environment.
MIT Haystack scientists study recent geospace storms and resulting light shows
Solar maximum occurred within the past year — good news for aurora watchers, as the most active period for displays at New England latitudes occurs in the three years following solar maximum.
Astronomical data collection of Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 reveals over 100 different molecules
The discovery will help researchers understand how chemicals form and change before stars and planets are born.
Alan Whitney, MIT Haystack Observatory radio astronomer who pioneered very long baseline interferometry, dies at 81
Longtime research scientist who served as associate director and interim director helped guide Haystack to decades of influential leadership in the development and refinement of the VLBI technique.
Lincoln Laboratory and Haystack Observatory team up to unveil hidden parts of the galaxy
A proposed telescope made of thousands of tiny, identical satellites will work to reveal low-frequency radio waves in space.
3 Questions: How a new mission to Uranus could be just around the corner
PhD student Chloe Gentgen discusses why the ice giant is such a high-priority solar system target, and how the Starship launch vehicle may hasten our explorations there.
MIT joins in constructing the Giant Magellan Telescope
The major public-private partnership is expected to strengthen MIT research and US leadership in astronomy and engineering.
NASA selects Adam Fuhrmann ’11 for astronaut training
The AeroAstro alumnus, who participated in Air Force ROTC and the Gordon Engineering Leadership Program at MIT, is a test pilot and one of 10 new astronaut candidates selected from around the nation.
Could a primordial black hole’s last burst explain a mysteriously energetic neutrino?
If a new proposal by MIT physicists bears out, the recent detection of a record-setting neutrino could be the first evidence of elusive Hawking radiation.
DOE selects MIT to establish a Center for the Exascale Simulation of Coupled High-Enthalpy Fluid–Solid Interactions
The research center, sponsored by the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration, will advance the simulation of extreme environments, such as those in hypersonic flight and atmospheric reentry.