Researchers at MIT created insect-scale robots that can emit light during flight, allowing for precise motion tracking and potential communication between robots. The ability to emit light also enables the robots to call for help in search-and-rescue missions.
A new optimization tool can quickly improve performance of various autonomous systems, including walking robots and self-driving vehicles. The tool uses automatic differentiation to identify tweaks that achieve desired outcomes, reducing trial-and-error simulations.
A new computer model has been developed to rapidly scan cancer genomes and identify harmful driver mutations that contribute to tumor growth. The model, trained on genomic data from various types of cancer, found additional mutations in 5-10% of patients that could help doctors identify more effective treatment options.
Scientists have discovered a new multiplanet system about 33 light-years from Earth, featuring two rocky, Earth-sized planets. The inner planet orbits every 2.8 days and is twice as massive as the Earth, while the outer planet orbits every 5.7 days and is three times as massive.
Asteroid Psyche's varied surface suggests a dynamic history, with metallic eruptions, asteroid-shaking impacts, and a lost rocky mantle. The new maps hint at the asteroid's ancient core, which could be composed of silicate-rich material that has since disappeared.
MIT researchers demonstrate two security methods that protect analog-to-digital converters from powerful attacks, including power and electromagnetic side-channel attacks. The techniques are more efficient and less expensive than other security methods, minimizing power consumption and cost for portable smart devices.
Researchers designed a modular AI chip that can be easily upgraded by swapping out layers, reducing the need for new devices. The chip uses optical communication to transmit information between layers, enabling high versatility in edge computing applications.
Researchers developed a nanoparticle sensor that can accurately distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia within two hours using a simple urine test. The sensor uses the host's immune response to infection, detecting specific protease patterns that serve as signatures of bacterial or viral infection.
Researchers at MIT identified a flawed analysis of website-fingerprinting attacks and developed new techniques to prevent them. They found that attackers can use machine-learning algorithms to decode signals leaked between software programs, enabling them to obtain private information.
Researchers have identified three distinct brain circuits in the thalamus that contribute to Parkinson's disease symptoms, including motor dysfunction and depression. By manipulating these circuits, they were able to reverse Parkinson's symptoms in mice, suggesting potential new therapeutic targets.
A study by MIT economists reveals that international trade widens income gap in individual countries, with Ecuador serving as a case study. The research shows that trade generates income gains primarily for those at the top and middle percentiles, exacerbating inequality.
PaSh parallelizes Unix shell scripts automatically and accurately, boosting execution speeds by hundreds of times. Researchers tested the system on hundreds of scripts and found no errors, making it accessible to data scientists, biologists, engineers, and economists.
A new study provides a roadmap for the US to reach its 50% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2030, with rapid decarbonization in power and transportation sectors crucial. The study, based on six leading energy models, suggests that tripling historic carbon reductions is achievable through collaboration across all sectors.
Researchers have identified glycans in mucus that can prevent Candida albicans from causing infection. These molecules can be used to develop new antifungal medicines or make disease-causing fungus more susceptible to existing drugs.
Researchers have created prototypes that provide text descriptions at varying levels of detail, enabling blind and low-vision individuals to drill down from high-level data to more detailed information using just a few keystrokes. The prototypes improved users' ability to identify patterns in the data and navigate through visualization...
A study by MIT researchers found that sectarian identity in the Muslim world is often intertwined with local politics and shaped by social interactions. Domestic economic and political factors influence variation in sectarianism more than transnational matters do.
A team of MIT researchers has developed drug-carrying nanoparticles that can efficiently penetrate the brain and kill glioblastoma cells. Using a human tissue model, they showed that the particles could get into tumors and deliver chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin, which effectively killed tumor cells.
A new MIT study finds that noradrenaline helps the brain learn from surprising outcomes by stimulating behavior that leads to a reward, particularly in uncertain situations. The researchers also discovered that noradrenaline promotes taking a chance on getting a reward, even when the outcome is unknown.
Researchers at MIT found that explanation methods used to aid human decision-makers in high-stakes situations often have lower accuracy for minoritized subgroups. The fidelity of these explanations varies dramatically between subgroups, with the quality often significantly lower for women and Black people.
The MIT team developed wavelength-induced frequency filtering (WIFF), a novel photonic technique that dramatically improves fluorescent sensor signals. This allows for the implantation of sensors as deep as 5.5 cm in tissue, enabling applications such as tracking specific molecules inside the brain or monitoring drug effects.
Researchers at MIT have designed a new type of photoredox catalyst that can be used to coat plastic tubing and perform chemical transformations on reactants as they flow through the tube. This breakthrough could enable the use of light-driven reactions in manufacturing processes, increasing efficiency and reducing waste.
Researchers created oil-based gels that can deliver a variety of medications, including those for infectious diseases, in a stable and palatable form. The gels can be used to administer drugs to children and adults with difficulty swallowing pills, and could have a significant impact on improving medication adherence.
MIT researchers develop an interactive design pipeline enabling users to create customized robotic hands with tactile sensors. The platform streamlines the process, allowing users to adjust palm and fingers and integrate tactile sensors, resulting in complex tasks like picking delicate items or using tools being performed flawlessly.
Lab-grown plant material can be precisely controlled for physical and mechanical properties, such as stiffness and density. The researchers use a 3D bioprinting process to grow custom shapes and sizes of plant material.
Researchers at MIT developed a technique that enables an autonomous vehicle to plot a provably safe trajectory in highly uncertain situations. The algorithm considers probability of observing different environmental conditions and obstacles, and formulates trajectory planning as a probabilistic optimization problem.
Scientists have found a novel pathway for forming smaller crystals in metals, leading to improved strength and toughness. By bombarding metal surfaces with tiny particles at high speeds, researchers increased copper's strength about tenfold.
Researchers have discovered that 90% of known crystalline structures contain at least one topological property, and more than 50% exhibit some sort of topological behavior. The newly identified materials are stored in a freely accessible database, allowing scientists to quickly search for materials with robust electronic properties.
A new study demonstrates a machine-learning approach that can learn to control a fleet of autonomous vehicles as they approach and travel through a signalized intersection. The technique reduces fuel consumption and emissions while improving average vehicle speed, with benefits seen even when only 25% of cars use the control algorithm.
A team of astronomers, including those from MIT's Haystack Observatory, has captured the light around our own supermassive black hole, revealing for the first time an image of Sagitarrius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. The resulting image reveals SgrA* in a glowing, donut-shaped ring of light.
Researchers have developed a glucose fuel cell that converts glucose into electricity, generating 43 microwatts per square centimeter. The device is resilient, able to withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius, making it suitable for medical implants.
Researchers identified a key brain circuit in the anterior thalamus that helps us hold information in mind. In a study of mice, enhancing this circuit's activity improved their ability to navigate a maze and reversed memory loss with artificial stimulation.
A field experiment in Bangladesh shows that the poor lack opportunities to gain wealth, but a one-time boost can make a major difference. The study suggests that poverty is not principally due to people's capabilities or attitudes, but rather an initial lack of resources prevents them from improving their circumstances.
Researchers at MIT discovered that cells shed 4% of their mass before cell division to eliminate toxic components. This process allows newborn cells to start with fresh, functional contents, which may help explain why neurons accumulate toxic proteins in Alzheimer's disease.
A study by MIT economists finds that immigrants are 80% more likely to found a firm than native-born citizens. Immigrant-founded firms also have 1% more employees on average, contributing to a net gain in job availability. This challenges the common perception that immigrants fill jobs taken by U.S.-born workers.
MIT researchers develop ExSum, a framework to formalize explanations of machine-learning models into quantifiable rules. This allows for testing assumptions about model behavior and reveals unexpected insights, such as negative words having sharper contributions to model decisions.
Researchers have identified the rarest type of black widow binary yet, featuring a pulsar and a third star that orbits every 10,000 years. The system, ZTF J1406+1222, has the shortest orbital period ever recorded, with the pulsar and companion star circling each other in just 62 minutes.
Researchers find that black holes go through a 'hard' and 'soft' state during outbursts, with the final flash possibly indicating a brief expansion of the corona. The findings help scientists understand how supermassive black holes shape galaxy formation.
Researchers developed a portable desalination unit weighing less than 10kg that removes particles and salts to generate clean drinking water. The device uses ion concentration polarization and electrodialysis processes, requiring minimal energy and maintenance.
Researchers at MIT developed an AI method that constrains machine-learning models to suggest molecules with producible chemical structures. The approach guarantees quality and speed, outperforming existing methods in proposing high-quality molecular structures.
Researchers at MIT and University of Waterloo propose stimulating the Unruh effect to increase its probability of detection, potentially shaving wait time from billions of years to just a few hours. The new approach, known as acceleration-induced transparency, enhances the Unruh effect while suppressing competing effects.
Researchers at MIT have created a paper-thin loudspeaker that produces sound with minimal distortion while using a fraction of the energy required by traditional loudspeakers. The device, which is as thin as a dime and weighs about the same, can generate high-quality sound on any surface it is bonded to.
Researchers developed a machine-learning method that allows robots to pick up and place never-before-seen objects in random poses, requiring only 10 human demonstrations. The system uses a neural network specifically designed to reconstruct 3D shapes, enabling the robot to generalize to new object orientations.
MIT researchers devise a chemical reaction that allows them to synthesize phosphorus-containing rings using a novel spring-loaded molecule. This method enables the creation of useful compounds with potential applications in catalysts and pharmaceuticals.
Researchers subject Oreos to various tests, finding that the cream almost always separates onto one wafer, regardless of flavor or amount of filling. The team's study provides insights into the properties of yield stress fluids and offers a new approach to understanding non-Newtonian materials.
A new machine learning-based system developed by MIT and Stanford researchers enables the rapid development of optimized production methods for perovskite-based solar cells. The system has already led to the manufacturing of cells with an energy conversion efficiency of 18.5 percent, a competitive level for today’s market.
A new study from MIT suggests that genome loops, which were believed to play a crucial role in controlling gene expression, are actually short-lived and fleeting. The researchers found that these loops only exist for about 3-6% of the time and last for only 10-30 minutes.
A new robotic system allows surgeons to remotely treat patients experiencing a stroke or aneurysm, providing teleoperated endovascular treatment during the critical golden hour. With just one hour of training, neurosurgeons can successfully operate the system to guide a wire through complex vessels and reach difficult-to-reach areas.
Researchers at MIT and NREL have designed a thermophotovoltaic cell that converts heat to electricity with over 40% efficiency, surpassing traditional steam turbines. The new design could enable a fully decarbonized power grid by storing excess energy from renewable sources.
Researchers developed a new way to help protect the natural flora of the human digestive tract by engineering bacteria to break down beta-lactam antibiotics. This approach protects the microbiota in the gut while allowing antibiotics to remain effective, reducing the risk of infection and antibiotic resistance.
MIT biological engineers have developed a new technique that allows them to precisely identify interactions between immune cells and their target antigens. This tool, which uses engineered viruses, enables large-scale screens of such interactions and could accelerate the development of more effective vaccines and immunotherapies.