When light Causes a Photoinduced Phase Transition
The way that ordinary materials undergo a phase change, such as melting or freezing, has been studied in great detail. Now, a team of researchers…
MIT
New Polymer Material Uses Carbon Dioxide to Self‐Repair
A material designed by MIT chemical engineers can react with carbon dioxide from the air, to grow, strengthen, and even repair itself. The polymer, which…
Innovative Solution to Solving a Longstanding Fusion Challenge
Novel design could help shed excess heat in next-generation fusion power plants. A class exercise at MIT, aided by industry researchers, has led to an…
MIT Chemists Discover Unexpected Enzyme Structure
Many microbes have an enzyme that can convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. This reaction is critical for building carbon compounds and generating energy, particularly…
‘Fingerprints’ of Ancient Weather Conditions
When a coastal tide rolls out, it can reveal beautiful ripples in the temporarily exposed sand. These same undulating patterns can also be seen in…
Scientists Observe Relationship Between Earth’s Surface Temperature and Its Outgoing Heat
Just as an oven gives off more heat to the surrounding kitchen as its internal temperature rises, the Earth sheds more heat into space as…
New Lithium-Based Battery Design Makes Use of Greenhouse Gas
New lithium-based battery could make use of greenhouse gas before it ever gets into the atmosphere. A new type of battery developed by researchers at…
Scientists Reveal How Phytoplankton Survive in Nutrient Deficient Ocean Gyres
Subtropical gyres are huge, sustained currents spanning thousands of kilometers across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, where very little grows. With nutrients in short supply,…
Fish-Eye Lens May Produce Quantum Entanglement Between Atoms
Nearly 150 years ago, the physicist James Maxwell proposed that a circular lens that is thickest at its center, and that gradually thins out at…
New Research Shows How Sickled Red Blood Cells Clump Together
One of the most common complications of sickle-cell disease occurs when deformed red blood cells clump together, blocking tiny blood vessels and causing severe pain…
New Technique Allows Engineers To 3D Print Colloidal Crystals
MIT engineers have united the principles of self-assembly and 3-D printing using a new technique, which they highlight today in the journal Advanced Materials. By…
MIT Media Lab Researchers Develop Wireless Underwater to Air Communications
MIT researchers have taken a step toward solving a longstanding challenge with wireless communication: direct data transmission between underwater and airborne devices. Today, underwater sensors…
Scientists Reveal Cellular Changes That Lead to Chronic Allergic Inflammation
Findings suggest mechanisms for the persistence of nasal polyps and possible new treatment strategies. Chronic rhinosinusitis is distinct from your average case of seasonal allergies….
MIT Scientists Discover New Antibiotic Candidates
The human body produces many antimicrobial peptides that help the immune system fend off infection. Scientists hoping to harness these peptides as potential antibiotics have…
Ancient Quasars Help Confirm Quantum Entanglement
New results are among the strongest evidence yet for “spooky action at a distance.” Last year, physicists at MIT, the University of Vienna, and elsewhere…
New Test Helps Identify People at Risk for Five Deadly Diseases
A research team at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Harvard Medical School (HMS) reports a new kind of…
Scientists Discover a Massive Galaxy Cluster Hiding in Plain Sight
MIT scientists have uncovered a sprawling new galaxy cluster hiding in plain sight. The cluster, which sits a mere 2.4 billion light years from Earth,…
“Time-Folded Optics” Create New Possibilities for Imaging
MIT researchers have developed novel photography optics that capture images based on the timing of reflecting light inside the optics, instead of the traditional approach…