MIT Neuroscientists Identify “Landmark Code” in the Brain That Helps Us Navigate
Neuroscientists discover how a key brain region combines visual and spatial information to help us find our way. When we move through the streets of…
MIT
One-Sided Pulsator: New Type of Pulsating Star Discovered After 40-Year Search
A star that pulses on just one side has been predicted in theory. But it took two simultaneous discoveries on opposite sides of our planet…
MIT System “Recruits” Defects for Easier Scaling of Quantum Devices
System “recruits” defects that usually cause disruptions, using them to instead carry out quantum operations. In an advance that may help researchers scale up quantum…
Showing Robots How to Do Your Chores – Automated Robots That Learn Just by Watching
By observing humans, robots learn to perform complex tasks, such as setting a table. Training interactive robots may one day be an easy job for…
New Mass-Timber Sustainable Building Takes Shape in Boston
A five-story mixed-use structure in Roxbury represents a new kind of net-zero-energy building, made from wood. A new building about to take shape in Boston’s…
MIT: How Putting Warning Labels on Fake News Can Backfire
Study finds disclaimers on some false news stories make people more readily believe other false stories. After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Facebook began putting…
Hidden Vibrations Found in Earthquake Data by Neural Network
Machine learning technique may help scientists more accurately map vast underground geologic structures. Over the last century, scientists have developed methods to map the structures…
Handheld Dark-Field Microscope Enabled by Mirrored Chip Powered by Quantum Dots
Simple chip powered by quantum dots allows standard microscopes to visualize difficult-to-image biological organisms. Do a Google search for dark-field images, and you’ll discover a…
Using Light to Put a Twist on Electrons – Inducing Asymmetrical Patterns in Exotic Materials
Method with polarized light can create and measure nonsymmetrical states in a layered material. Some molecules, including most of the ones in living organisms, have…
New MIT Device to Detect Trace Heavy Metal Contaminants in Water
Whisk-shaped device absorbs trace contaminants, preserves them in dry state that can be shipped to labs for analysis. Lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals are…
People Prefer Round Numbers – Even When It May Cost Them Money
Study shows people prefer monthly payments in multiples of $100, even when it may cost them money. Do you have a monthly car payment, or…
MIT Chemist Investigates How Diseases Are Linked to Flawed Protein Folding
Matt Shoulders investigates how proteins assume their shape and hopes to shed light on diseases linked to flawed protein folding. When proteins are first made…
MIT Uses Artificial Intelligence to Identify Powerful New Antibiotic
A deep-learning model identifies a powerful new drug that can kill many species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Using a machine-learning algorithm, MIT researchers have identified a…
MIT Invents Cryptographic “Tag of Everything” – Could Protect Against Counterfeiting
Tiny, battery-free ID chip can authenticate nearly any product to help protect the supply chain. To combat supply chain counterfeiting, which can cost companies billions…
MIT Finds Hackers Can Change Votes in Voting App Used in U.S. Federal Elections
Mobile voting application could allow hackers to alter individual votes and may pose privacy issues for users. In recent years, there has been a growing…
MIT Engineers Devise the Best Way to Deflect an Incoming Planet-Killer Asteroid
MIT engineers devise a decision map to identify the best mission type to deflect an incoming asteroid. On April 13, 2029, an icy chunk of…
MIT Devises More Efficient Error Correction for Quantum Devices
A new study suggests a path to correcting the “jitters” in quantum devices, which may help make quantum computers and sensors more practical. Labs around…
Can Seeding Earth’s Oceans With Iron on a Global Scale Solve Climate Change?
Study finds Earth’s oceans contain just the right amount of iron; adding more may not improve their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Historically, the oceans…