Research across over 100 languages reveals a consistent pattern of language divide towards warmer and cooler colors. The findings suggest that human languages prioritize labeling warm colors consistently due to their prevalence in foreground scenes.
Researchers create novel microparticles that can deliver multiple doses of a drug or vaccine with just one injection, using a biocompatible polymer and custom-built 3D printing method. The particles release drugs or vaccines at specific time intervals, mimicking the way a series of vaccines would be given, potentially improving patient...
Two new studies from MIT and UMass Medical School shed light on the link between maternal infection during pregnancy and autism. Researchers found that bacterial populations in the mother's digestive tract can influence offspring behavior and discovered specific brain changes associated with autistic-like behaviors.
Researchers at MIT's CSAIL developed a printer-ink material that expands after solidification, allowing the creation of self-folding devices. The technique enables the custom manufacture of sensors, displays, or antennas with three-dimensional shapes.
Researchers at MIT have found a new way to control the adhesion of freezing droplets on surfaces by manipulating their thermal properties. This discovery could lead to improved coatings in industries such as 3-D printing and turbine blade manufacturing.
Researchers develop a general-purpose technique to analyze neural networks trained for natural-language-processing tasks. The method applies to any black-box text-processing system, revealing idiosyncrasies in human translators' work and identifying gender biases in machine translation systems.
A new study by MIT researchers finds that retracted papers can lead to a 10% drop in citations for remaining work, with high-profile cases experiencing an even larger decline. The study suggests the scientific community reacts to new information through peer review, adjusting its view on the value of certain scholars' work.
A study from MIT suggests that cervical mucus analysis can predict preterm births, potentially allowing doctors to intervene earlier. Researchers found significant differences in mucus permeability and adhesiveness between women who delivered prematurely and those who did not.
Researchers from MIT and global partners conducted a comprehensive survey of atmospheric chemistry in a Colorado forest, identifying previously unmeasured semi-volatile and intermediate-volatility organic compounds. The findings provide new insights into air quality, ecosystem health, and climate change.
Researchers from MIT's CSAIL have developed a new caching system that uses flash memory, reducing energy consumption by up to 90%. The system, dubbed BlueCache, achieves this through clever engineering tricks, including pipelining and the use of DRAM, while maintaining fast performance.
A robotic system has been developed to automate the patch clamping technique, allowing for precise targeting of specific neurons. This technology can shed light on normal neuron function and how it goes awry in diseases like Alzheimer's or schizophrenia.
Engineers at MIT created a robot that can follow pedestrian rules, avoiding collisions while keeping pace with foot traffic. The 'socially aware navigation' system uses reinforcement learning to adapt to unpredictable pedestrian behavior.
MIT researchers developed a system that uses drones to relay RFID signals, allowing for accurate location tracking of inventory items. The system can be used for continuous monitoring and resolving mismatches between inventory records and stock levels, potentially saving retailers billions lost due to errors.
Researchers at MIT and Cisco Systems have developed a new approach to network monitoring called Marple, which allows routers to report on their own state without relying on external servers. By using a programming language and simple circuit design, Marple enables precise traffic analysis while reducing the need for additional hardware.
Geologists at MIT found that ancient Earth's mantle was up to 200 degrees Celsius hotter, causing subducting plates to sink all the way to the bottom of the mantle. This led to a 'graveyard' of slabs atop the Earth's core, suggesting a significant change in how mantle convection and plate tectonic processes occurred.
Engineers at MIT found that organelles like mitochondria and lysosomes encounter different types of resistance in cytoplasm based on size and speed. The researchers developed a phase diagram to describe the material properties of cytoplasm from an organelle's perspective, which may aid in pharmaceutical designs.
Researchers found that angled hairs can affect fluid flow, slowing it down like a grate. This discovery may help illuminate the role of hairy surfaces in the body and enable the design of new microfluidic devices.
Researchers have identified a distinct 'detour' circuit in the hippocampus that is necessary for memory recall, but not for memory formation. This circuit branches off from the original memory circuit and connects to the entorhinal cortex, enabling easier editing or updating of memories.
A team at MIT has carried out detailed tests that resolve the questions surrounding a compound called lithium iodide, a possible solution to some of the lithium-air battery's problems. The study finds that LiI can enhance water's reactivity and interfere with charging, but suggests ways to suppress these reactions to make it work better.
Researchers from MIT and Rutgers University found evidence of an active lunar dynamo that generated a magnetic field lasting at least 1 billion years longer than previously thought. The study suggests two possible mechanisms that powered the moon's ancient core, shedding new light on the phenomena that produced the lunar dynamo.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new terahertz laser design that boosts the power output of chip-mounted lasers by 80 percent, opening up new possibilities for medical and industrial imaging and chemical detection. The device has been selected by NASA for its Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory mission.
Researchers at MIT have found a way to precisely target the enzyme HDAC2, which blocks genes required for memory formation in Alzheimer's patients. By blocking its interaction with Sp3, they were able to reverse memory loss in mice, offering a potential new treatment approach.
A new AI algorithm developed by MIT researchers uses radio signals to monitor sleep stages without sensors attached to the body. The device analyzes reflections of radio waves off the person's body, eliminating irrelevant information using deep neural networks.
Researchers at MIT developed a new design system that catalogs physical properties of tiny cube clusters, enabling computationally efficient evaluation of macroscopic designs. The system explores the entire space of properties to determine printable clusters, which can be used to optimize object materials and properties.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will identify over 20,000 extrasolar planets, including Earth-sized and 'super Earth' planets. The satellite's four cameras have been mounted onto the camera plate and successfully demonstrated operation with the flight computer.
Researchers develop noninvasive method to gauge cell stiffness, a key indicator of diseases like cancer and asthma. By analyzing particles' movements at high frame rates, scientists can determine a cell's mechanical properties without direct contact.
Researchers from MIT and Google developed a machine-learning system that can retouch images in real-time, producing visually indistinguishable results from existing algorithms. The system processes low-resolution images, reducing time and energy consumption, and can be applied to a range of styles, including high-dynamic-range images.
A new study predicts that South Asia, home to one-fifth of the world's population, will experience extreme heat waves with high humidity by the end of this century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. The region's poor and agricultural communities will be disproportionately affected.
Researchers at MIT have successfully created a platform to store and process quantum information using ultracold molecules, which can retain their information for hundreds of times longer than previously achieved. The breakthrough could enable thousands of quantum computations in sequence within a second of coherence.
Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have developed triggerable tough hydrogels that can expand in the GI tract for days, slowly releasing medication. The materials, made from two intertwined polymer networks, can be triggered to self-destruct in case of an allergic reaction.
The Indian summer monsoons have strengthened in the last 15 years over north central India, reversing a 50-year drying period. This increase in monsoon rainfall is attributed to a shift in India's land and sea temperatures, with higher land temperatures combining with lower ocean temperatures.
Researchers developed a model predicting heart cells' ability to produce ATP and stay alive under low oxygen conditions. The study found that even severely depleted regions of the heart can maintain ATP levels using energy reserves until oxygen approaches zero, but eventually crash when backup reserves shut down.
Researchers have developed a way to engineer liver tissue by organizing tiny subunits that contain three types of cells embedded into a biodegradable scaffold. The engineered livers expanded 50-fold after implantation in mice with damaged livers and performed normal liver functions.
A new robotic system developed by MIT researchers can find even tiny leaks in water or gas pipes with high accuracy, helping to alleviate water shortages and structural damage. The system uses a small, rubbery robot that moves passively through the pipe, detecting pressure variations to locate leaks.
Researchers have developed a method for designing energy-efficient neural networks, reducing power consumption by up to 73% compared to standard implementations. The new approach uses an analytic tool to evaluate and prune low-weight connections, resulting in more efficient networks with fewer connections.
Researchers at MIT have developed a gel-like material that can be coated onto standard plastic or rubber devices, providing a softer and more slippery exterior. The coating can also monitor and treat signs of infection, and could potentially replace common elastomers in medical devices.
Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School have devised a way to image biopsy samples with much higher resolution, revealing detailed information about disease. The new technique expands tissue samples before imaging, allowing for the detection of features that can only be seen with high-resolution electron microscopes.
A team from MIT and University of Verona has discovered the key protein in a defense mechanism called photoprotection, which allows plants to dissipate excess energy from sunlight. This process is crucial for plant survival but limits biomass production.
A study by MIT researchers found that delaying access to new technologies can stifle their spread, as seen in the case of cryptocurrency Bitcoin among incoming freshmen. The study showed that early adopters who received their allotment late cashed out at nearly twice the rate as those who received it earlier.
Scientists discovered that smooth surfaces are key to preventing dendrites from forming in solid electrolyte lithium batteries, a breakthrough that could enable safer and more efficient battery technology. By eliminating the need for liquid electrolytes, researchers aim to double a battery's energy capacity.
By 2050, climate change will significantly reduce crop yields in the Southwest due to reduced precipitation and increased water stress. The region's water basins, including those used for cotton and forage production, are projected to experience severe shortages.
Researchers developed a metal-free contrast agent containing organic molecules called nitroxides, which can accumulate at tumor sites for extended periods without causing harm. The new agent has improved MRI relaxivity and stability, making it suitable for long-term imaging of tumors in cancer patients.
Researchers developed nanoparticles packaging an antimicrobial peptide that effectively reduced Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice, showing potential for targeted treatment of pneumonia and other bacterial infections. The approach combines concepts from cancer nanotechnology to deliver drugs selectively to bacterial targets.
A new study by MIT economists reveals that hospitals investing more in inpatient care yield better results than those relying on skilled nursing facilities after discharge. This is particularly true for elderly Medicare recipients, who experience lower mortality rates when receiving quality initial care.
Researchers at MIT developed a system that allocates cache access on the fly to create tailored 'cache hierarchies' for specific programs, increasing processing speed by 20-30% and reducing energy consumption by 30-85%. The system, called Jenga, uses a sampling algorithm to efficiently evaluate tradeoffs between latency and space.
The study, analyzing 40,358 papers and 2,350 patents from 2004 to 2014, reveals that spatial relations on campus fuel collaboration. Researchers near colleagues are more likely to engage in substantive conversations, leading to increased collaborative activity.
A computer vision system analyzed street-level photos to gauge neighborhood safety and predict urban change. The study found that the density of highly educated residents, rather than income or ethnic composition, predicts revitalization in five American cities.
A study found that preschool children who played math games improved in conceptual math skills, but these gains did not transfer to primary school. The intervention had no effect on formal math skills, despite improving non-symbolic abilities.
Research from WorldFish and MIT reveals that involving local farmers in tackling a problem provides long-lasting benefits, rather than just introducing new technologies. The study focuses on two examples: reducing fish spoilage in Zambia and developing virus-resistant abaca varieties in the Philippines.
A new study by MIT economists reveals that eliminating High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) policies in Jakarta, Indonesia, led to a significant increase in urban traffic congestion. The study found that travel delays became 46% worse during the morning rush hour and 87% worse during the evening rush hour after the policy was discontinued.