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Scientists have discovered three Earth-sized exoplanets, just 40 light years away, that could be potentially habitable for life. The extrasolar planets were found with the TRAPPIST telescope orbiting a dim dwarf star.
MIT spinout SolidEnergy Systems has developed an anode-free lithium metal battery with double the energy capacity of lithium ion batteries that power smartphones, electric cars, wearables, and drones. The device was created by Qichao Hu, former postdoc in the group of batteries expert Donald Sadoway.
Encoding memories in engram cells is controlled by large-scale remodeling of the proteins and DNA that make up cells’ chromatin, according to an MIT study. This chromatin remodeling, which allows specific genes involved in storing memories to become more active, takes place in multiple stages spread out over several…
Researchers have long have puzzled over why it’s so hard to break a piece of dry spaghetti into only two pieces. A new MIT study follows up on the musings of physicist Richard Feynman, showing how and why it can be done.
The mammalian brain stores a single memory across a widely distributed, functionally connected complex spanning many brain regions, rather than in just one or even a few places.
The unique mineral composition of the 2,050-year-old Roman tomb of Caecilia Metella could point the way toward more resilient and sustainable modern concrete structures.
Scientists report that amino acids, not sugar, supply most building blocks for cancerous tumor cells. The findings offer a new way to look at cancer cell metabolism, a field that may yield new treatments.
A cryptographic tag developed at MIT uses terahertz waves to authenticate items by recognizing the unique pattern of microscopic metal particles that are mixed into the glue that sticks the tag to the item’s surface.
The cost of lithium-ion batteries for phones, laptops, and cars has plunged over the years, and an MIT study shows just how dramatic that drop has been. The change is akin to that of solar and wind energy, and further declines may yet be possible, the researchers say.
MIT physicists created a long-lasting magnetic state in a material, using only light. The results provide a new way to control and switch antiferromagnetic materials, which are of interest for their potential to advance information processing and memory chip technology.
MIT researchers developed a desalination system that is more efficient and less expensive than previous methods. In addition to providing fresh water, the process could be used to treat contaminated wastewater or generate steam for sterilizing medical instruments, all without requiring a power source other than…
Graduate students are helping to infuse ethical computing content into MIT’s largest machine learning course, as part of the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing initiative.
MIT engineers designed an implantable device that carries hundreds of thousands of islet cells along with its own on-board oxygen factory to keep the cells healthy. Such a device could help Type 1 diabetes patients eliminate the need for insulin injections.
MIT cognitive scientists have found that engaging children in conversation is more critical to their language development than the number of words they hear early in life. In a study of children 4 to 6, they found differences in the number of “conversational turns” accounted for much of the differences in language…
MIT President L. Rafael Reif announced The Engine, a new kind of enterprise designed to support startup companies working on scientific and technological innovation with the potential for transformative societal impact.
Bitcoin experiment at MIT, conducted by MIT Sloan School of Management professors Christian Catalini and Catherine Tucker, shows delaying access for tech-savvy early adopters, effectively stripping them of their exclusive status, can stifle the spread of new products.
Engineers at MIT and UMass Lowell have designed a wide-angle lens that is completely flat. It is the first flat fisheye lens to produce crisp, 180-degree panoramic images.
A new woody composite engineered by an MIT team is tough as bone and hard as aluminum, and might pave way for naturally derived plastics.
MIT physicists have confirmed that as atoms are chilled and squeezed to extremes, their ability to scatter light is suppressed, making them less visible. The findings show the Pauli exclusion principle, or Pauli blocking, applies not just to electrons but also to atoms.
MIT researchers have developed a “photonic” artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator that computes using light instead of electricity — and consumes relatively little power in the process — to run massive neural networks millions of times more efficiently than today’s classical computers.
Marine sanctuaries have benefited at-risk species living within their borders, but their implications for highly migratory species such as tuna have been less clear. Now, researchers at MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have found evidence that tuna are spawning in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in…
Attempting to politely correct misinformation on Twitter can have negative consequences, leading to even less-accurate tweets and more toxicity from the people being corrected, according to a study co-authored by MIT scholars.
Using EEG readings of brain waves to monitor unconsciousness, an anesthesiologist can significantly reduce the amount of the anesthesia administered to safely induce and sustain the anesthetized state of children undergoing surgery.
A new underwater communication and networking technique can achieve kilometer-scale ranges while consuming about one-millionth the power required by current communication methods.
MIT researchers have developed a machine-learning system that can comb through repairs to open-source computer programs and learn their general properties, in order to produce new repairs for a different set of programs.
MIT researchers have developed the first fundamentally new approach to cache coherence in more than three decades. The more-efficient memory-management scheme — nicknamed Tardis for its time-saving properties — could help enable chips with thousands of cores.
Liquid metal printing, developed by MIT researchers, rapidly creates 3D metal structures by depositing molten aluminum along into a bed filled with microscopic glass beads. The process can produce low-resolution objects like frames for chairs and tables in minutes.
An MIT-led study confirms the Antarctic ozone layer is healing as a direct result of global efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances.
MIT Media Lab graduate student Jack Forman developed DefeXtiles, a tulle-like textile made from polymer filament, by controlling a common 3D printing defect.
A new type of nanoparticle can be administered to the lungs, where it can deliver messenger RNA encoding useful proteins. Researchers hope to use them to develop new treatments for cystic fibrosis and other lung diseases.