Research

New nanoparticles stimulate the immune system to attack ovarian tumors

New nanoparticles stimulate the immune system to attack ovarian tumors Cancer immunotherapy, which uses drugs that stimulate the body’s immune cells to attack tumors, is a promising approach to treating many types of cancer. However, it doesn’t work well for some tumors, including ovarian cancer.To elicit a better response, MIT ...

Using classic physical phenomena to solve new problems

Using classic physical phenomena to solve new problems Quenching, a powerful heat transfer mechanism, is remarkably effective at transporting heat away. But in extreme environments, like nuclear power plants and aboard spaceships, a lot rides on the efficiency and speed of the process.It’s why Marco Graffiedi, a fifth-year ...

Study reveals the role of geography in the opioid crisis

Study reveals the role of geography in the opioid crisis The U.S. opioid crisis has varied in severity across the country, leading to extended debate about how and why it has spread.Now, a study co-authored by MIT economists sheds new light on these dynamics, examining the role that geography has ...

Injectable antenna could safely power deep-tissue medical implants

Injectable antenna could safely power deep-tissue medical implants Researchers from the MIT Media Lab have developed an antenna — about the size of a fine grain of sand — that can be injected into the body to wirelessly power deep-tissue medical implants, such as pacemakers in cardiac patients ...

Burning things to make things

Burning things to make things Around 80 percent of global energy production today comes from the combustion of fossil fuels. Combustion, or the process of converting stored chemical energy into thermal energy through burning, is vital for a variety of common activities including electricity generation, ...

Study: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isn’t as easy as A, B,...

Study: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isn’t as easy as A, B,... In most states, schools are required to screen students as they enter kindergarten — a process that is meant to identify students who may need extra help learning to read. However, a new study by MIT researchers suggests that these ...

This is your brain without sleep

This is your brain without sleep Nearly everyone has experienced it: After a night of poor sleep, you don’t feel as alert as you should. Your brain might seem foggy, and your mind drifts off when you should be paying attention.A new study from MIT reveals ...

New method could improve manufacturing of gene-therapy drugs

New method could improve manufacturing of gene-therapy drugs Some of the most expensive drugs currently in use are gene therapies to treat specific diseases, and their high cost limits their availability for those who need them. Part of the reason for the cost is that the manufacturing process ...

Designing better, longer-lasting medicines

Designing better, longer-lasting medicines Many modern medicines, including insulin and some vaccines, are made from proteins — complex molecules that perform specific functions in the body. Proteins are delicate: If they stick together or break down, the medicine can become less effective. Scientists have ...

Astronomical data collection of Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 reveals over 100 different molecules

Astronomical data collection of Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 reveals over 100 different molecules MIT researchers recently studied a region of space called the Taurus Molecular Cloud-1 (TMC-1) and discovered more than 100 different molecules floating in the gas there — more than in any other known interstellar cloud. They used powerful radio telescopes ...

The brain power behind sustainable AI

The brain power behind sustainable AI How can you use science to build a better gingerbread house?That was something Miranda Schwacke spent a lot of time thinking about. The MIT graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) is part of Kitchen Matters, a ...

With a new molecule-based method, physicists peer inside an atom’s nucleus

With a new molecule-based method, physicists peer inside an atom’s nucleus Physicists at MIT have developed a new way to probe inside an atom’s nucleus, using the atom’s own electrons as “messengers” within a molecule.In a study appearing today in the journal Science, the physicists precisely measured the energy of electrons ...

A “seating chart” for atoms helps locate their positions in materials

A “seating chart” for atoms helps locate their positions in materials If you think of a single atom as a grain of sand, then a wavelength of visible light — which is a thousand times larger than the atom’s width — is comparable to an ocean wave. The light wave can ...

Charts can be social artifacts that communicate more than just data

Charts can be social artifacts that communicate more than just data The degree to which someone trusts the information depicted in a chart can depend on their assumptions about who made the data visualization, according to a pair of studies by MIT researchers.For instance, if someone infers that a graph about ...

Neural activity helps circuit connections mature into optimal signal transmitters

Neural activity helps circuit connections mature into optimal signal transmitters Nervous system functions, from motion to perception to cognition, depend on the active zones of neural circuit connections, or “synapses,” sending out the right amount of their chemical signals at the right times. By tracking how synaptic active zones form ...

Creating AI that matters

Creating AI that matters When it comes to artificial intelligence, MIT and IBM were there at the beginning: laying foundational work and creating some of the first programs — AI predecessors — and theorizing how machine “intelligence” might come to be.Today, collaborations like the ...

MIT Global Seed Funds catalyze research in over 20 countries

MIT Global Seed Funds catalyze research in over 20 countries Since launching in 2008, the MIT Global Seed Funds (GSF) program has awarded roughly $30 million to more than 1,300 high-impact faculty research projects across the world, spurring consequential collaborations on topics that include swine-fever vaccines, deforestation of the Amazon, the impact ...

New software designs eco-friendly clothing that can reassemble into new items

New software designs eco-friendly clothing that can reassemble into new items It’s hard to keep up with the ever-changing trends of the fashion world. What’s “in” one minute is often out of style the next season, potentially causing you to re-evaluate your wardrobe.Staying current with the latest fashion styles can be ...

In a surprising discovery, scientists find tiny loops in the genomes of dividing cells

In a surprising discovery, scientists find tiny loops in the genomes of dividing cells Before cells can divide, they first need to replicate all of their chromosomes, so that each of the daughter cells can receive a full set of genetic material. Until now, scientists had believed that as division occurs, the genome loses ...

Method teaches generative AI models to locate personalized objects

Method teaches generative AI models to locate personalized objects Say a person takes their French Bulldog, Bowser, to the dog park. Identifying Bowser as he plays among the other canines is easy for the dog-owner to do while onsite.But if someone wants to use a generative AI model like ...

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