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A design to save American citiesIn new book, urban studies professor Brent Ryan says shrinking American cities should stop emulating the suburbs and start supporting creative rebuilding ideas.

Is that smile real or fake?A computerized system developed at MIT can tell the difference between smiles of joy and smiles of frustration.

Crowding causes cells to produce an orderly matrix of moleculesMaking proteins stand in line could lead to more lifelike lab tests.

Device may inject a variety of drugs without using needlesJet-injected drugs could improve patient compliance, reduce accidental needle sticks.

Civil engineers find savings where the rubber meets the roadStudy shows that pavement deflection under vehicle tires makes for a continuous uphill drive that increases fuel consumption.

New mathematical framework formalizes oddball programming techniquesLoop perforation — speeding up programs by skipping instructions — is just one method that gets rigorous mathematical treatment in a new paper.

Piece by pieceMIT biologist Schwartz relishes the challenge of picking apart the cell’s most complex structure.

Oxygen-separation membranes could aid in CO2 reductionCeramic membranes may reduce carbon dioxide emissions from gas and coal-fired powerplants.

Newfound exoplanet may turn to dustA planet’s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star.

‘Hockfield Day’ celebrates MIT’s 16th presidentThousands gathered for a fun-filled fete for Susan Hockfield.

CloudTop takes top $100K competition prizeA record 215 teams competed in this year’s business plan competition.

Human touchIn many quarters, reaction to L. Rafael Reif’s election as MIT president focuses on his personal qualities.

‘This is a dream I never dared to imagine’President-elect L. Rafael Reif greets the MIT community — and the world — as the Institute’s next leader.

L. Rafael Reif selected as MIT’s 17th presidentAs provost since 2005, the president-elect has inspired innovation and played a critical role in the financial stewardship of the Institute.

Students hail selection of L. Rafael Reif as MIT’s 17th presidentMembers of Student Advisory Committee cite president-elect’s ‘strong leadership and a willingness to engage students’ as provost.

A new look at prolonged radiation exposureMIT study suggests that at low dose-rate, radiation poses little risk to DNA.

The elusive capacity of networksCalculating the total capacity of a data network is a notoriously difficult problem, but information theorists are beginning to make some headway.

Entrepreneurial students dive into product design and developmentJoint MIT-RISD course yields concepts from iPad-friendly backpacks to waste-free sugar.

A physicist and an inventorNew technologies from Marin Soljacic’s lab could have a far-reaching impact on daily life.