Researchers at MIT have discovered that cities with grid-like street patterns tend to accumulate more heat than those with chaotic patterns, leading to increased urban heat islands and health risks. The study provides new insights into the impact of city design on heat buildup, offering potential solutions for urban planners.
MIT researchers successfully grow dormant malaria parasites in engineered human liver tissue, allowing them to study the parasite's biology and vulnerabilities. The team also sequenced the parasite's RNA transcriptome, paving the way for new antimalarial drugs.
Researchers propose that cave art may have played a role in the development of human language, citing acoustic properties and visual representations. The study suggests that early humans used sound echoes to convey symbolic thinking, which eventually led to the creation of language.
A new robotic system developed by MIT engineers can grasp and pack items with high accuracy, making it suitable for various applications such as warehouse sorting and kitchen tasks. The system uses an object-agnostic grasping algorithm to assess a bin of random objects and determine the best way to grip or suction onto an item.
Researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to discover the structure of an enzyme critical for maintaining adequate DNA building blocks in human cells. The human version differs from its bacterial counterpart, suggesting potential for designing antibiotics that selectively block the bacterial enzyme.
Researchers observe groups of three photons interacting, forming a new kind of photonic matter. The bound photons acquire mass and travel slower than non-interacting photons.
A novel system, called a thermal resonator, converts daily temperature swings into electrical power. The device takes advantage of the ambient temperature fluctuations that occur during the day-night cycle, making it suitable for remote sensing systems without requiring batteries or other power sources.
Researchers found that back-and-forth conversations between adults and children significantly impact brain response to language and lead to better language skills. The study suggests that parents can influence their child's language development by engaging them in interactive dialogue, not just talking to them.
MIT researchers developed a special-purpose chip that increases the speed of neural-network computations while reducing power consumption. The chip can calculate dot products for multiple nodes in a single step, improving efficiency and making neural networks more practical for handheld devices.
A new study reveals that increased corn and soybean production in the Midwest led to significantly cooler and wetter summers. The research suggests a strong correlation between agricultural intensification and regional climate changes.
MIT researchers have developed a new chip that consumes only 1/400 as much power as software execution of public-key encryption protocols, executing 500 times faster. The chip uses a general-purpose elliptic-curve design and features a dedicated inverter circuit to increase energy efficiency and reduce surface area.
Researchers found neurons that fire at the beginning and end of a behavior, marking the start and end of habits. The study sheds light on how the brain groups behaviors together into routines.
Researchers identify protein Npas4 as key controller of synaptic strength in CA3, essential for encoding contextual memories. Without Npas4, synapses become over-strong and unable to be further strengthened.
Researchers found that adding volcanic ash to traditional cement reduces the overall energy needed to manufacture concrete, with a 16% decrease in energy required. The optimal particle size of volcanic ash affects the strength and energy efficiency of the concrete.
Researchers at MIT developed a mathematical model to describe the relationship between hairy surface dimensions, dipping speed, and fluid properties. The model predicts optimal fluid entrainment for hairy-tongued nectar feeders like bats, honeybees, and possums.
MIT researchers have developed a new approach to microfluidics using LEGO bricks, enabling the creation of modular devices that can perform various biological operations. The team has designed fluidic bricks with specific patterns of channels to perform tasks such as mixing and sorting fluids.
A team of MIT researchers has created a miniaturized system that can deliver tiny quantities of medicine to specific brain regions, allowing for more precise treatment of neurological disorders. The device consists of several tubes contained within a needle and can deliver targeted doses with precise control.
Researchers at MIT and Albert Einstein College of Medicine isolate and study a new group of viruses that lack tails and can infect dozens of different types of bacteria. The Autolykiviridae provide key insights into viral evolution, bacterial populations, and the ocean's ecosystem.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new approach to rechargeable batteries using a metal-mesh membrane, which overcomes the limitations of previous ceramic membranes and enables cost-effective power storage for large-scale installations.
Researchers at MIT have designed an artificial synapse that can precisely control the strength of an electric current flowing across it, similar to the way ions flow between neurons. The team found that their chip and its synapses could recognize samples of handwriting with 95% accuracy.
Researchers at MIT have developed a system that uses electric fields to manipulate droplets of chemical or biological solutions on a surface. This new approach enables parallel testing of thousands of reactions and could revolutionize the field of biological research.
Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed a capsule that can deliver a week's worth of HIV drugs in a single dose. The new design allows for gradual release of the drug throughout the week, improving patient adherence and potentially preventing infections by up to 20 percent.
Researchers at MIT have developed a process to produce ultrafine fibers with exceptional strength and toughness, exceeding existing materials in specific modulus and specific strength. The new gel-electrospun polyethylene fibers have similar degrees of strength but are much tougher and have lower density.
New research from MIT suggests the EPA's legislation may have saved over 100,000 lives annually from 2000 to 2010 through a dramatic decline in atmospheric organic aerosol. The study found that human behaviors, such as vehicle emissions and residential burning, likely drove this change.
Researchers at MIT's Media Lab have developed a new approach to time-of-flight imaging that increases depth resolution 1,000-fold. This breakthrough could enable accurate distance measurements through fog, a major obstacle to self-driving cars, and improve the resolution of existing systems.
The study found that protesters lowered the stock market valuations of politically connected firms by 13% relative to other firms. The researchers also discovered a connection between protest crowd size and valuation changes, with larger crowds leading to lower valuations for NDP-connected firms.
A team at MIT has developed a rapid screening method for new solar cell materials, bypassing time-consuming lab tests and improving accuracy. The approach uses simple lab tests combined with computer modeling to predict material performance, accelerating the search for more efficient materials.
Researchers at MIT develop computer systems that approximate human cognitive abilities to navigate the world. The systems learn to perceive physics by inferring object shapes and properties from visual data, and predicting how objects will behave based on that data.
Researchers at MIT have developed nanobionic plants that can produce dim light for nearly four hours using nanoparticles. This breakthrough technology aims to revolutionize indoor lighting and could one day transform trees into self-powered streetlights.
A new study by MIT professor Catherine Tucker reveals that policies emphasizing patient control of genetic data lead to an increase in the number of tests performed, while those focusing on privacy risks result in a reduction. Researchers found that guarantees about data use had no effect.
Researchers used a newly developed interpretive technique to analyze neural networks trained for machine translation and speech recognition. They found that lower-level tasks, such as sound recognition or part-of-speech recognition, are prioritized before higher-level tasks like transcription or semantic interpretation.
MIT researchers discovered a way to make bacteria more vulnerable to quinolones, enabling existing drugs to kill bacteria that cause chronic infections. Delivering quinolones along with glucose and fumarate can eliminate several types of bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
Researchers have discovered a long-sought source of ocean methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. The enzyme methylphosphonate synthase (MPnS) is found in abundant marine microbes and may produce the compound that is converted to methane.
Researchers at MIT developed a new design for gallium nitride power devices that can handle higher voltages, potentially reducing energy waste in electric vehicles, data centers and the power grid. The device uses a bladelike fin design to confine current, improving efficiency and heat dissipation.
A new recommendation algorithm uses cosine similarity to predict customer preferences in high-dimensional spaces, leveraging the angle between user rating lines. The approach balances signal gain with noise introduction, resulting in more accurate predictions and better performance, particularly when ratings data is sparse.
A team of astronomers has detected the most distant supermassive black hole ever observed, measuring around 800 million times the mass of our sun. The black hole's extreme size is puzzling, as the universe was not old enough to create such a massive object just 690 million years after the Big Bang.
MIT engineers have devised a 3D printing technique that uses live bacteria cells to create interactive structures. The team printed a 'living tattoo' with branches that light up in response to different chemical stimuli, demonstrating the potential for wearable sensors and interactive displays.
Researchers found a complicated pattern of neural activity during different time intervals, with neurons adjusting their activity depending on the required interval. The brain doesn't change the trajectory when the interval changes, it just changes the speed at which it goes from the initial state to the final state.
Researchers at MIT, Cornell, and King Abdullah University developed a technique to create long, thin MoS2 channels in WSe2. The discovery could lead to more efficient solar cells and the assembly of atom-scale electronic components.
Researchers have proposed a new model to explain turbulent processes in plasmas, which are estimated to make up 99% of the universe's visible matter. The findings suggest that magnetic reconnection plays a crucial role in plasma turbulence, providing a conceptual shift in understanding its dynamics and properties.
Physicists at MIT and Harvard University have developed a new technique to manipulate quantum bits by trapping and arranging individual atoms. This breakthrough enables the simulation of complex systems like materials and optimization problems, such as the traveling salesman problem, exponentially faster than classical computers.
The new printer can print objects up to 10 times faster than existing commercial counterparts due to its compact printhead design. The team used a screw mechanism and laser to speed up the printing process, enabling it to fabricate detailed objects in several minutes.
MIT researchers have developed a new membrane-based system that can convert carbon dioxide into useful fuels for cars, trucks, and planes, as well as into chemical feedstocks. The process uses heat energy from solar or waste sources to store chemical energy in form of useful products.
Researchers at MIT have invented a new technique to cool atoms into condensates using laser cooling, conserving 70% of the original cloud. The method enables faster investigations into magnetism and superconductivity.
A new study from MIT and Harvard University found that babies as young as 10 months can integrate information about costs and benefits to calculate the value of a goal. By observing an agent's effort to achieve a goal, 10-month-old infants inferred the amount of value they placed on it.
MIT researchers discovered that under some conditions, melted metal particles can actually prevent them from sticking to a surface. Instead, the particles bounce away and leave behind a solid bond when they resolidify.
Physicists at MIT have designed a pocket-sized cosmic ray muon detector that can be made with common electrical parts. The relatively simple device costs just $100 and can be used by students to measure muon rates in various environments.
Researchers at MIT found that two cholesterol molecules bind to a flu protein called M2, creating a wedge shape in the cell membrane that severs the viral buds. This discovery sheds light on how many other proteins interact with membrane cholesterol.
Researchers developed a new technique to measure how cancer cells respond to drugs, using a device that can weigh cells with high accuracy. The method was tested on tumor cells from multiple-myeloma patients and showed promising results, correlating with clinical biomarkers used in treatment decisions.
Researchers found that stressed animals chose high-risk options despite increased costs, and restored normal behavior by manipulating the prefronto-striosome circuit. This study suggests a potential method for treating disorders like depression and addiction.