news

MicroRNA detection on the cheapMIT alumni’s startup provides rapid, cost-effective microRNA profiling, which is beneficial for diagnosing diseases.

How hard is it to 'de-anonymize' cellphone data?A new formula that characterizes the privacy afforded by large, aggregate data sets may be discouraging, but could help sharpen policy discussion.

Knowing the unknownResearchers work to build robots’ awareness of their own limitations.

Making sense of big dataPhD student Jameson Toole wants to harness data to improve human lives.

Research update: A new model accurately predicts three-dimensional sand flowModel may be useful in improving the flow of grain in silos, and drug capsules in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

New solar-cell design based on dots and wiresMIT researchers improve efficiency of quantum-dot photovoltaic system by adding a forest of nanowires.

Study offers new way to discover HIV vaccine targetsRagon Institute researchers develop a method to identify weak points in viral proteins that could be exploited for vaccine development.

Huge and widespread volcanic eruptions triggered the end-Triassic extinctionSome 200 million years ago, an increase in atmospheric CO2 caused acidification of the oceans and global warming that killed off 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species on Earth.

Robot meets worldA new way of reasoning about what happens when a robot’s limb strikes an object could lead to more efficient and reliable robotic-control systems.

From biotech to high-techNewer Kendall Square firms attribute their success to innovative ideas — and to location, location, location.

Searching for solar systems like our ownJosh Winn’s hunt for exoplanets may someday reveal habitable, Earth-like worlds.

Can control theory make software better?Techniques used to ensure that airplanes won’t stall out in flight could be adapted to prove that computer programs won’t divide by zero.

Birthplace of biotechSuccessful tech and biotech companies founded by MIT entrepreneurs thrive in adjacent Kendall Square, where innovation and intellectual capital abound.

Helping students master dataAn undergraduate econometrics class gets students to think critically about their own research.

Fostering an innovation ecosystemMIT President L. Rafael Reif and others discuss ways to support Kendall Square’s burgeoning innovation culture.

Better buildings, better livesWhether working on clean water for a Ugandan village or studying concrete reinforced with natural fibers, MIT senior Marisa Simmons is a civil engineer looking out for the world.

Predicted state of atomic collapse seen for first timeResearchers observe a basic quantum-mechanical phenomenon theorized decades ago by pioneers of atomic theory.

Goldwasser and Micali win Turing AwardTeam honored for ‘revolutionizing the science of cryptography.’

Breaking down the Parkinson’s pathwayNew study is first to analyze how affected brain cells respond during different behavioral tasks.

Making cloud computing more efficientFor database-driven applications, new software could reduce hardware requirements by 95 percent while actually improving performance.