Researchers at MIT developed a generative AI model called DiffSyn that suggests promising synthesis routes for complex materials like zeolites. By using this model, scientists can test millions of theoretical materials in under a minute, accelerating the materials discovery process.
Physicists at MIT observed clear signs that quarks create wakes as they speed through the plasma, confirming the plasma behaves like a liquid. This finding provides new insights into the properties of the quark-gluon plasma and its behavior in the early universe.
Scientists found that a planet's interior composition, specifically the 'softness' of its vortex base, determines the formation of polar vortices. The study suggests that Saturn may have a harder interior than Jupiter, leading to a single massive polar vortex, while Jupiter's softer interior gives rise to multiple smaller vortices.
Researchers at MIT have developed a faster and more energy-efficient method for cooling trapped ions using photonic chips. This approach achieved cooling to about 10 times below the limit of standard laser cooling, opening up new possibilities for quantum computing systems with greater efficiency and stability.
Researchers deciphered the structure of Tau proteins' fuzzy coat using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, revealing its dynamic regions and rigid core. The findings provide insight into how Tau proteins form tangles in the brain, which contribute to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
Researchers discovered that protein intelectin-2 has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria in the GI tract. It strengthens the mucus barrier and can directly neutralize or restrain bacteria, making it a potential therapeutic agent.
MIT Energy Initiative researchers developed the largest combined dataset on global ammonia supply chains, examining economic and environmental impact of different scenarios. The study found that a full transition to clean ammonia production could cut greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 71% for a 23.2% cost increase.
Researchers propose a roadmap for using transcranial focused ultrasound to study consciousness, enabling precise manipulation of brain activity and determining cause-and-effect patterns. This technology may help address the hard problem of consciousness by probing neural circuits that generate sensations, thoughts, and feelings.
Researchers at MIT have designed a pill that can report when it has been swallowed, using a biodegradable radio frequency antenna to communicate with an external receiver. This technology could improve medication adherence for patients who need to take immunosuppressive drugs or treatment for extended periods.
A new study by MIT researchers reveals that cities with strong airline connections are more likely to attract multinational firms, particularly in knowledge industries. The study analyzed 7.5 million firms in 800 cities and found that direct flights lead to a 20% increase in subsidiaries, compared to cities with only one-stop connections.
Researchers created an AI model to design peptides targeted by proteases, which are overactive in cancer cells. The peptides can be detected in urine, revealing specific types of cancer. This technology could lead to at-home tests for various cancers.
Contrails formed from plane exhaust meet icy air, growing into threads that trap heat and contribute to warming the planet. Combining images from geostationary and low-Earth-orbiting satellites may provide a more complete picture of contrail life and radiative properties.
Theoretical physicists at MIT propose that under certain conditions, magnetic material’s electrons could form quasiparticles called “anyons” that can flow together without friction. If confirmed, it would introduce a new form of superconductivity persisting in the presence of magnetism.
A new MIT study shows that high-fat diets cause liver cells to revert to an immature state, making them more susceptible to cancer-causing mutations. This reversion is driven by genes that help the cells survive stressful conditions, but ultimately increases their likelihood of becoming cancerous.
A new computational framework allows researchers to recreate different evolutionary trees by changing the structure of the world and tasks AI agents complete. The framework showcases how tasks drove eye evolution in agents, with navigation tasks leading to compound eyes and object discrimination driving camera-type eyes.
Researchers from MIT and Broad Institute develop temporary 'factory' in the liver to generate T-cell-stimulating signals, boosting immune response to vaccination and cancer immunotherapy treatments. Aged mice showed significant increases in T cell population size and function after treatment.
An AI-driven robotic assembly system allows people to build physical objects by simply describing them in words. The system uses generative AI models to build a 3D representation of an object's geometry based on the user's prompt, and then iterates on the design based on feedback from the user.
Researchers developed a new way to stimulate the immune system to attack tumor cells by blocking an immune checkpoint. They created multifunctional molecules called AbLecs, which combine a lectin with a tumor-targeting antibody, and showed they could boost the immune response to cancer cells.
Researchers created a metric to quantify lattice flexibility and studied how it impacts proton transport. They ranked the importance of seven features, including hydrogen bond length and oxygen sublattice flexibility, finding that these are critical for efficient proton conduction.
A team of MIT engineers developed a deep-learning model that predicts how individual cells will fold, divide, and rearrange during a fruit fly's earliest stage of growth. The model achieved 90% accuracy in predicting the movement of 5,000 cells over the first hour of development.
Researchers at MIT have discovered a simple way to make carbon capture more efficient and affordable by adding a common chemical compound called tris to capture solutions. This innovation can stabilize the pH of the solution, allowing the system to absorb triple the amount of CO2 at relatively low temperatures.
A new method has been developed to generate valid confidence intervals for problems involving data that vary across space, helping researchers trust the results of certain experiments. This work can be applied to fields like environmental science and epidemiology.
MIT researchers developed a new fabrication method to stack multiple functional components on top of one existing circuit, reducing energy wasted during computation. The new approach enables the production of more energy-efficient electronics, boosting computation speed and reducing electricity consumption.
MIT researchers have found a new way to create solid particles of highly concentrated antibodies, suspended in a solution, which can be injected using a standard syringe. This advance could make antibody treatments more convenient and accessible for patients, particularly older people with difficulty visiting hospitals.
A new robotic design uses vine-like structures to lift and grasp a variety of objects, including humans, with a gentler approach. The robot can snake around obstacles, squeeze through tight spaces, and even secure itself in a closed loop to create a sling.
Researchers at MIT have identified three clusters of pragmatic skills that are based on the same kinds of inferences and may have similar underlying neural processes. These skills include interpreting social conventions, understanding physical world knowledge, and distinguishing between tones to convey emphasis or emotion.
MIT researchers analyzed a recently discovered Pompeii construction site to shed new light on ancient Roman concrete, which has endured for thousands of years. They found that hot-mixing was indeed used by the Romans, contradicting ancient texts and providing valuable insights into a material with self-healing properties.
A new study identifies a practical and powerful prognostic marker that can help clinicians tailor treatment strategies to improve survival for patients with aggressive T-cell lymphoma. Researchers found that patients who relapse within 12 months of initial therapy have a dramatically declining chance of survival, making targeted therap...
New research by MIT researchers found that even with the same CO2 reduction, air travel causes about three times more damage to air quality than comparable electricity purchases. The study highlights the importance of considering co-pollutants and regional factors when evaluating climate actions.
The MIT team developed a new AI-based controller that enables the robot to follow gymnastic flight paths, such as executing continuous body flips. The robot's speed and acceleration increased by 450% and 250%, respectively, compared to previous demonstrations, making it comparable to insects in terms of agility.
Researchers developed instance-adaptive scaling framework that uses process reward model to estimate difficulty of question, enabling LLMs to spend more compute on promising solution paths. This approach achieves comparable accuracy with existing methods while reducing computational cost by up to one-half.
MIT chemists successfully synthesized verticillin A, a fungal compound that has shown potential as an anticancer agent. The researchers then generated derivatives of the compound and tested them against pediatric brain tumors, finding that some were effective against cancer cells with high levels of EZHIP protein.
A study by MIT researchers examines two policy approaches to expanding the US electricity grid: one focusing on regions with more renewable energy sources and another creating more interconnections across the country. The study found that a geographically unbalanced grid buildout would be less expensive, while reducing carbon emissions...
Researchers at MIT have developed a shoebox-sized device that can measure blood glucose levels using Raman spectroscopy, potentially replacing finger pricks for people with diabetes. The device's accuracy is similar to that of commercially available continuous glucose monitoring sensors.
MIT engineers developed artificial tendons made from hydrogel to connect lab-grown muscles with robotic skeletons. The tendons improved the robot's motion and force output by three times, enabling faster and more efficient biohybrid robots.
Large language models can learn to mistakenly link certain sentence patterns to specific topics, causing unexpected failures on new tasks. This shortcoming could reduce the reliability of LLMs used in safety-critical domains like handling customer inquiries and generating financial reports.
Researchers used NASA's IXPE telescope to study the innermost region of an intermediate polar, revealing a surprisingly high degree of X-ray polarization and an unexpected direction of polarization. The team found that X-rays were emitted from a column of white-hot material pulled in by the white dwarf's strong magnetic field.
Researchers developed a new approach called SEAL that enables large language models (LLMs) to update themselves permanently. This allows LLMs to learn from user input and improve their performance on tasks like question-answering and pattern-recognition. The technique improves accuracy and enables smaller models to outperform larger ones.
Researchers at MIT used CT scans to study 5,000-year-old slag waste from an ancient site in Iran, revealing fine details about structures within the pieces. The technique complements traditional methods of studying ancient artifacts, shedding light on materials used and technological sophistication of early metallurgists.
The algorithm identifies the minimum set of locations where field studies would guarantee finding the least expensive route, considering problem structure and uncertainty. This method can be applied to broad classes of structured decision-making problems under uncertainty.
MIT engineers have developed an ultrasonic device that vibrates at high frequency to shake out water molecules from a material, recovering clean drinking water in minutes. This design is 45 times more efficient than existing heat-based systems, which can take hours or days.
Researchers at MIT have developed a nearly impermeable polymer film that could protect solar panels and infrastructure from corrosion. The film, made using a solution-phase polymerization reaction, completely repels nitrogen and other gases, outperforming existing polymers.
Researchers have developed particles that can deliver an effective immune response at a much lower dose than traditional mRNA vaccines. The new particles, called AMG1541, use cyclic structures and ester groups to enhance mRNA delivery and improve biodegradability. This could potentially reduce vaccine costs and side effects.
Researchers have discovered new evidence of unconventional superconductivity in magic-angle twisted tri-layer graphene, a material that exhibits exotic electronic behavior. The team found that the material's superconducting gap looks very different from typical superconductors, suggesting a unique mechanism for its emergence.
Researchers at MIT have identified possible antigens for a new TB vaccine, stimulating a strong immune response in T cells. The study reveals 27 TB peptides that appear most often on infected cell surfaces and elicit a T cell response in at least some samples.
A new study by MIT researchers and their collaborators at national laboratories quantifies I-129 release under three different scenarios: direct disposal in deep underground repositories, dilution and release, and filters to capture I-129. France's practice of reprocessing releases 90% of I-129 into the biosphere, while U.S. approach l...
Researchers at MIT developed microscopic, wireless bioelectronics that can identify and travel to specific brain regions without human guidance. These implants provide focused treatment for brain diseases like Alzheimer's and multiple sclerosis by wirelessly powering electrical stimulation in precise areas.
MIT engineers have developed a programmable drug-delivery patch that can reduce damaged heart tissue by 50 percent and improve cardiac function. The patch is designed to release different drugs at specific times, promoting healing and regeneration of cardiac tissue.
A new physics-based approach predicts how lightning strikes aircraft, identifying vulnerable regions for protection. The tool can be applied to any shape of aircraft, including unconventional designs.
The new tool, called FSNet, combines machine learning and optimization to find feasible solutions quickly while ensuring constraints are met. It can unravel complex problems several times faster than traditional solvers and even outperform pure machine learning approaches.