Physics-Based Engineering and the Machine-Learning “Black Box” Problem
In MIT 2.C161, George Barbastathis demonstrates how mechanical engineers can use their knowledge of physical systems to keep algorithms in check and develop more accurate…
MIT
Find the latest MIT news, research articles, and scientific breakthroughs. SciTechDaily publishes the latest science research and engineering advancements made at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was founded in 1861.
In Down Syndrome Cells, Genome-Wide Disruptions Mimic a Senescence-Like State – Points to Potential Treatment
Extra chromosome alters chromosomal conformation and DNA accessibility in neural progenitor cells; study establishes senescence as a potentially targetable mechanism for future treatment. In Down…
MIT Scientists Overcome a Major Bottleneck in Carbon Dioxide Conversion
Study reveals why some attempts to convert the greenhouse gas into fuel have failed, and offers possible solutions. If researchers could find a way to…
Enhancing Cancer Immunotherapy: New Method for Delivering Immune System-Stimulating Drugs
The targeted approach eliminated tumors in mice, with minimal side effects. Stimulating the body’s immune system to attack tumors is a promising way to treat…
Clean Room As Classroom: MIT’s Hands-On Introduction to Nanotechnology
Undergraduate classes provide hands-on introduction to nanotechnology and nanoengineering at MIT.nano. MIT undergraduates are using labs at MIT.nano to tinker at the nanoscale, exploring spectrometry,…
MIT’s New Tool for Tackling Hard Computational Problems
David Gamarnik has developed a new tool, the Overlap Gap Property, for understanding computational problems that appear intractable. The notion that some computational problems in…
MIT Physicists Detect Strange Hybrid Particle Held Together by Uniquely Intense “Glue”
The discovery could offer a route to smaller, faster electronic devices. In the particle world, sometimes two is better than one. Take, for instance, electron…
A Dirt Cheap Climate Change Solution? Common Clay Materials May Help Curb Methane Emissions
With special treatment, minerals called zeolites — commonly found in cat litter — can efficiently remove the greenhouse gas from the air, researchers report. Methane…
Using Artificial Intelligence To See the Plasma Edge of Fusion Experiments in New Ways
MIT researchers are testing a simplified turbulence theory’s ability to model complex plasma phenomena using a novel machine-learning technique. To make fusion energy a viable…
Searching the Cosmos for Signs of Dark Matter
“There need to be more building blocks than the ones we know about,” says the particle physicist. Kerstin Perez is searching for imprints of…
MIT Physicists Watch As Ultracold Atoms Form a Crystal of Quantum Tornadoes
The new observations record a key crossover from classical to quantum behavior. The world we experience is governed by classical physics. How we move, where…
Making Computation Come Alive at MIT: Using Computational Techniques To Solve Real-World Problems
A new course teaches students how to use computational techniques to solve real-world problems, from landing a spacecraft to placing cell phone towers. As a…
Exploring Growth Within a Confined Space: Embedding Bacteria in Soft Material Tests Theories
Grow a tomato inside a square box, and you’ll end up with a square tomato. It’s an experiment that shows clearly how confinement can influence…
Helping To Make Nuclear Fusion a Reality at MIT
MIT PhD student Rachel Bielajew is taking on plasma turbulence, and helping make a better world — through science and community action. Up until she…
New Robotic Platform Speeds Up Directed Evolution of Molecules in the Lab
Using a new robotic platform, researchers can simultaneously track hundreds of microbial populations as they evolve new proteins or other molecules. Natural evolution is a…
MIT’s Top Research Breakthroughs of 2021
The year’s popular research stories include a promising new approach to cancer immunotherapy, the confirmation of a 50-year-old theorem, and a major fusion breakthrough. Despite…
Data Visualizations: When More COVID-19 Data Doesn’t Equal More Understanding
Social media users share charts and graphs — often with the same underlying data — to advocate opposing approaches to the pandemic. Since the start…
Dead Zone Atlas: MIT Scientists Build 3D Maps of Ocean’s Oxygen-Starved Waters
The 3D maps may help researchers track and predict the ocean’s response to climate change. Life is teeming nearly everywhere in the oceans, except in…