Technology and society

Professor Gang Chen with the vacuum chamber used in this research.

Breaking the law, at the nanoscale

Bringing objects close together can boost radiation heat transfer, according to new study that shows breakdown in Planck's law

July 29, 2009

Ela Ben-Ur '97, SM '99, one of the International Development Design Summit organizers, pounds a mixture of plants to make a porridge called fufu, a local staple food, at a small farm in Ghana.

'Crazy minds, able hands'

MIT's problem-solving design summit moves to developing world

July 10, 2009

Harvard graduate students Ankush Sharma, right, and Alexis Geancotes, left, (who also study at MIT) represent the MoCa team, which developed mobile diagnostics to improve health care in the developing world.

A phone is not just a phone

Student projects explore innovative cellphone uses in developing world

July 2, 2009

Greenhouse gases made visible

Fed by MIT data, display shows extent of human-caused emissions

June 22, 2009

Cutting CO2 emissions from existing coal plants

MIT Energy Initiative report details findings of symposium, identifies next steps

June 19, 2009

International Engineering Systems Symposium addresses complex, large-scale challenges

June 17, 2009

The figure illustrates a hierarchical network of carbon nanotubes mimicking a cell's protein network to connect a small heat source (red area) to a larger area that serves as a heat sink.

Taking the heat off

Biomimetic-engineering design can replace spaghetti tangle of nanotubes in thermal material

June 16, 2009

Professor Franz-Josef Ulm with the nanoindentation machine in his research lab.

MIT engineers find way to slow concrete creep to a crawl

June 15, 2009

Peeling stickers may lead way to stretchable electronics

New model enables precise design of damage-resistant materials

June 15, 2009

MIT President Susan Hockfield shakes hands with MIT alum Buzz Aldrin ScD '63.

In space, past is prologue

Giant Leaps celebrates Apollo, looks to future missions.

June 12, 2009

Collaboration eyes computing boost for New England

Rooted at MIT, effort brings together state, industry, academia

June 11, 2009

Wodiczko brings immigrant stories to life for Venice Biennale

June 10, 2009

Blocking termites' defense mechanisms

Targeting immune system may offer sustainable pest control method

June 8, 2009

To the moon, by way of MIT

Instrumentation Lab made Apollo landings possible 40 years ago

June 3, 2009

Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Rahul Sarpeshkar, left, and Soumyajit Mandal display their RF (radio frequency) cochlea, a low-power, ultra-broadband radio chip. The chip, held by Mandal, is attached to an antenna, held by Sarpeshkar. The diagram on the computer monitor shows the wiring layout of the chip.

Drawing inspiration from nature to build a better radio

New radio chip mimics human ear, could enable universal radio