2008 research news archive

MIT students help cities plan for changing climate - Ten graduate students from MIT recently spent three weeks in Durban, South Africa, working on a project to develop an online tool that could help municipal governments around the world adapt to a changing climate. July 22

MIT researchers offer glimpse of rare mutant cells - MIT biological engineers have developed a new imaging system that allows them to see cells that have undergone a specific mutation. The work could help scientists understand how precancerous mutations arise. July 21

Spinal cord stem cells may lead to new treatment - A researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for spinal-cord injuries. July 21

Physicists shed light on superconductivity riddle - MIT physicists believe they have identified a mysterious state of matter that has been linked to the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity. This state may not be a precursor to superconductivity, as has been theorized, but a competing state. July 18

Cutting costs one image at a time - In an effort to assess health-care organizations' cost-cutting techniques, MIT urban economist Frank Levy will study the effects of different initiatives to restrict non-necessary medical-imaging procedures on the costs and quality of care. July 17

MIT-led team creates touch-based illusion - A team of scientists from MIT, Harvard and McGill has designed a new illusion involving the sense of touch, which is helping to glean new insights into perception and how different senses--such as touch and sight--work together. July 17

Colorado School of Mines first to use nuclear energy research partnership - Under a research partnership between the Advanced Test Reactor National Scientific User Facility at Idaho National Laboratory and MIT, a Colorado School of Mines nuclear materials irradiation experiment will be the first test conducted in the MIT Reactor. July 17

Balance problems? Step into the iShoe - Your grandmother might have little in common with an astronaut, but both could benefit from a new device an MIT graduate student is designing to test balancing ability. July 16

Brain scientists spot nature/nurture gene link - Neuroscientists at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory found that a previously unsuspected set of genes links nature and nurture during a crucial period of brain development. The results could lead to treatments for autism and other disorders. July 15

Don't bank on long-term climate policy success - Long-term climate change policy in the United States and abroad is likely to change very slowly, warns an MIT professor who says the lack of future flexibility argues for stronger short-term goals to reduce carbon emissions. July 11

Team unveils 'parts list' of cell powerhouse - An international team of researchers, led by a member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, has created the most comprehensive "parts list" to date for mitochondria, a compendium that includes nearly 1,100 proteins. July 11

MIT opens new 'window' on solar energy - Imagine windows that not only provide a clear view and illuminate rooms, but also use sunlight to efficiently help power the building. MIT engineers report a new approach to harnessing the sun's energy—at the edges of solar panels—that could allow just that. July 10

Fact Sheet: MIT's solar concentrators - A Q&A by the MIT research team led by Marc A. Baldo, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, on solar concentrators. July 10

MIT reports finer lines for microchips - MIT researchers have achieved a significant advance in nanoscale lithographic technology, used in the manufacture of computer chips and electronic devices, to make finer patterns of lines over larger areas than have been possible with other methods. July 8

Study points to dietary cocktail for Alzheimer's - A dietary cocktail that includes a type of omega-3 fatty acid can improve memory and learning in gerbils, according to the latest study from MIT researchers that points to a possible beverage-based treatment for Alzheimer's and other brain diseases. July 8

MIT instrument studies edge of sun's bubble - The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have now traveled beyond the edge of the sun's outflow of particles and radiation. Some of the data that reveals this boundary region comes from a set of magnetic field sensors developed and built at MIT back in the 1970s. July 7

MIT architect Sass puts up a prefab at MoMA - Larry Sass, assistant professor of computation in the MIT Department of Architecture, is one of five architects featured in a major show this summer at the Museum of Modern Art titled "Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling." July 3

Technique produces genetically identical stem cells - Cells from mice created using genetically reprogrammed cells can be triggered via drug administration to enter an embryonic-stem-cell-like state without the need for further direct genetic manipulation. July 1

Front-row seat for summer's physics extravaganza - Nearly 20 years in the making, the largest particle accelerator in the world will start running in Switzerland this summer, offering scientists a glimpse of particles that have never been seen before. July 1

Simple insulation could combat heat, cold and noise - Around the world, an estimated one billion people--mostly in rural villages and the shanty towns surrounding developing-world cities--live in houses whose roofs are nothing more than thin sheets of corrugated metal. July 1

MIT shows China quake was rare event - A new analysis of the setting for last month's devastating earthquake in China by a team of geoscientists at MIT shows that the quake resulted from faults with little seismic activity. Similar events in that area occur only once in every 2,000 to 10,000 years. June 30

Using a light touch to measure protein bonds - MIT researchers have developed a novel technique to measure the strength of the bonds between two protein molecules important in cell machinery: Gently tugging them apart with light beams. June 30

Probe may help untangle cells' signaling pathways - MIT researchers have designed a new type of probe that can image thousands of interactions between proteins inside a living cell, giving them a tool to untangle the web of signaling pathways that control most of a cell's activities. June 27

Solar system's biggest impact scar discovered - A new analysis of Mars by researchers at MIT and NASA has solved one of the biggest remaining mysteries in the solar system -- why the planet Mars has two completely different kinds of terrain, in its northern and southern hemispheres. June 25

MIT-led team finds language without numbers - An Amazonian language has no word to express the concept of "one" or any other specific number, according to a new study from an MIT-led team. Only 300 people speak the language, all of the Piraha tribe in remote northwestern Brazil. June 24

Proliferating cells foil microRNA control - MIT biologists have discovered that proliferating cells shift the output of their genes to evade regulation by microRNAs, tiny molecules that normally suppress tumor growth. June 20

Harnessing solar energy like plants do - Ask any scientist to name Earth's most abundant source of energy, and the answer comes quickly: sunlight. In one hour, the sun strikes Earth with enough energy to power the entire planet for a year. June 20

MIT unlocks mystery behind brain imaging - In work that solves a long-standing mystery in neuroscience, researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have shown for the first time that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes make noninvasive brain scans possible. June 19

MIT prototype solar dish passes first tests - A team led by MIT students this week successfully tested a prototype of what may be the most cost-efficient solar power system in the world--one team members believe has the potential to revolutionize global energy production. June 18

Flexible airport design essential for low-cost airlines - The leading low-cost airlines with a preference for small, inexpensive airports are now the largest airlines in the United States and Europe, according to an MIT expert on airport design and operations. June 18

MIT finding could improve colon cancer treatment - A compound that accumulates in cells more readily than a commonly used colorectal cancer drug may be just as useful in treating colorectal tumors, but with fewer side effects, MIT researchers have found. June 17

Unraveling bacteria communication pathways - MIT researchers have figured out how bacteria ensure that they respond correctly to hundreds of incoming signals from their environment. The researchers' work also raised the possibility of engineering bacteria that can serve as chemical biosensors. June 12

Experts say EU emissions system working well - In a bid to control greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change, the European Union has been operating the world's first system to limit and to trade carbon dioxide. This "cap-and-trade" system has operated well, according to an MIT analysis. June 10

Stripes key to nanoparticle drug delivery - In work that could at the same time impact the delivery of drugs and explain a biological mystery, MIT engineers have created the first synthetic nanoparticles that can penetrate a cell without poking a hole in its protective membrane and killing it. June 9

Getting wrapped up in solar textiles - Sheila Kennedy, an expert in the integration of solar cell technology in architecture who is now at MIT, creates designs for flexible photovoltaic materials that may change the way buildings receive and distribute energy. June 9

MIT team develops better X-ray nanomirrors - A new way of bending X-ray beams developed by MIT researchers could lead to greatly improved space telescopes, as well as new tools for biology and for the manufacture of semiconductor chips. June 9

MIT detector uses nanotubes to sense deadly gases - Using carbon nanotubes, MIT chemical engineers have built the most sensitive electronic detector yet for sensing deadly gases, a low-cost, low-energy portable device that could be carried in a pocket and used to monitor hazardous chemicals. June 5

Eradicating TB with ... cell phone minutes? - MIT students have come up with a possible solution for getting TB patients to take their medicine: A new testing and reporting system that is easy for patients to use and offers economic incentives such as free cell phone minutes. June 4

Study says teacher tests deter talented individuals - Teacher certification tests may be undermining American public education by deterring higher-quality candidates from applying to teach, according to MIT labor economist Joshua Angrist and Jonathan Guryan of the University of Chicago. June 4

Student project innovates solar cooker in Tibet - When two students visited Tibet two years ago, they kept hearing from villagers that a solar cooker that was both lightweight and strong would make a big difference to their lives. So a team of students from MIT and Tibet ended up producing exactly that. June 4

NASA selects MIT-led team for search satellite - A planet-searching satellite planned by scientists from MIT, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and NASA-Ames is one of six proposed spacecraft concepts that NASA has picked for further study as part of its Small Explorer satellite program. June 3

Report: Support early-career investigators - Programs and policies to support early-career investigators and high-risk, high-reward research are needed to preserve U.S. leadership in science and technology, according to a report produced by a panel that included an MIT Nobel laureate. June 3

Measuring a pulsar's smoothness - The team operating the Laser Interferometer Gravity-wave Observatory, including a group from MIT, is reporting this week that the pulsar at the center of the Crab Nebula must have an extremely smooth surface. June 3

MIT confirms link between inflammation, cancer - Chronic inflammation of the intestine or stomach can damage DNA, increasing the risk of cancer, MIT scientists have confirmed. Researchers found that chronic inflammation accelerated tumor formation in mice lacking the ability to repair DNA damage. June 2

MIT develops a 'paper towel' for oil spills - A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper, that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, MIT researchers and colleagues report. May 30

MIT project seeks to arm robotic training with data - MIT researchers are systematically evaluating the effectiveness of tests given to astronauts to teach them how to control the space shuttle's robotic arm. For the first time, they'll determine how those tests relate to the training's outcome. May 28

Center funds environmental health projects for 2008 - The MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences, through support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of NIH, has announced its support for six pilot projects, which all began April 1. May 27

Scientists fathom niches of ocean microbes - Marine bacteria in the wild organize into professions or lifestyle groups that partition many resources, rather than competing for them, according to MIT research that could change the way scientists approach the classification of microbes. May 22

MIT helps develop image-recognition software - It takes surprisingly few pixels of information to be able to identify the subject of an image, a team led by an MIT researcher has found. The discovery could lead to great advances in the automated identification of online images. May 21

MIT student ingenuity sparks all-electric Porsche - With a click and a hum, the sleek Porsche 914 pulled away from the curb while onlookers watched anxiously and the passenger gazed down at a laptop plugged into the dashboard. Why the drama? The 1976 Porsche was operating on 18 high-tech batteries. May 21

On a roll: Students bring mobility to remote areas - MIT students in this year's 'Wheelchair Design in Developing Countries' class split into five teams and each came up with new variations on how to help bring mobility to people whose lives could be dramatically changed by it. May 21

The cost of repealing blue laws - Repealing America's blue laws not only decreased church attendance, donations and spending, but it also led to a rise in alcohol and drug use among people who had been religious, according to a new study by economists from MIT and Notre Dame. May 21

Logan to get Lincoln Lab-developed safety system - Next year, Boston's Logan International Airport will become one of the first U.S. airports to deploy Runway Status Lights, a new technology originally developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory as part of the FAA's continuing program to improve runway safety. May 21

MIT creates new material for fuel cells - MIT engineers have improved the power output of one type of fuel cell by more than 50 percent through technology that could help these environmentally friendly energy storage devices find a much broader market, particularly in portable electronics. May 16

Finding yields bacteria-resistant films - Having found that whether bacteria stick to surfaces depends partly on how stiff those surfaces are, MIT engineers have created ultrathin films made of polymers that could be applied to medical devices and other surfaces to control microbe accumulation. May 16

Embryonic pathway delivers stem cell traits - Studies at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute of how cancer cells spread have led to a surprising discovery about the creation of cells with adult stem-cell characteristics, offering potential implications for regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. May 15

MIT solves gravity-defying bird beak mystery - As Darwin showed nearly 150 years ago, bird beaks are exquisitely adapted to the birds' feeding strategy. A team of MIT researchers has now explained exactly how some birds use their long, thin beaks to defy gravity and transport food into their mouths. May 15

MIT's Rebecca Saxe probes mechanics of thought - How do we know what other people are thinking? How do we judge them, and what happens in our brains when we do? MIT neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe is tackling those tough questions and many others. May 14

Study debunks myth of job testing as race barrier - Do standardized tests that some employers require of job applicants serve as a barrier to equal employment? A pioneering study co-authored by an MIT economist shows that screening helps productivity without hindering minority hiring. May 7

Study suggests caution on new anti-obesity drug - Anti-obesity drugs that work by blocking brain molecules similar to those in marijuana could also interfere with neural development in young children, according to a new study from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. May 7

MIT commercial property price index turns higher - Despite signs of a widening disconnect between buyers and sellers, transaction sale prices of U.S. commercial property owned by institutional investors rose 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to an MIT index. May 6

MIT examines reality of slashing gasoline use - It is possible to slash fuel use by all vehicles on U.S. roads to pre-2000 levels within a few decades, but doing so would require immediate action on several challenging fronts, according to a new analysis by MIT researchers. May 6

Harnessing sunlight on the cheap - For a project that could be on the very cutting edge of renewable energy, this one is decidedly low tech--and that's the point. A team of students is assembling a prototype for a concentrating solar power system built from simple, inexpensive materials. May 6

New approach repairs airway injuries - MIT tissue engineers have successfully healed airway injuries in rabbits using a novel cellular technique. This approach could lead to new treatments for human tracheal injuries such as smoke inhalation, as well as for other parts of the body May 5

Study of universal day care paints mixed picture - Universal day care, the recurring dream of working parents everywhere, benefits adults economically but may affect young children's well being, according to an MIT economist's study of a highly subsidized childcare program in Quebec. May 2

Singing in the brain: Study yields birdsong insight - In work that offers insights into how birds--and perhaps people--learn new behaviors, MIT scientists have found that immature and adult birdsongs are driven by two separate brain pathways, rather than one pathway that slowly matures. May 1

Seafoam hits fan over hurricane research - Kerry Emanuel, MIT professor of meteorology, answers questions about his latest complex hurricane research, the results of which, he says, validate the connection he found between global warming and hurricane intensity in a 2005 study using historical data. May 1

MIT finding may help prevent stomach cancer - Prompt treatment of a microbe that causes stomach ulcers and other ailments can reverse damage to the lining of the stomach and ultimately prevent one of the most lethal forms of cancer from developing there, MIT researchers have concluded. May 1

Mapping Earth's soil moisture - Professor Dara Entekhabi will lead the science team designing a NASA satellite mission to collect global soil moisture measurements to improve weather, flood and drought forecasts and predictions of agricultural productivity and climate change. April 28

Team develops safe, effective RNAi technique - A team of researchers from MIT and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has developed safe and effective methods to perform RNA interference, a therapy that holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases including cancer and hepatitis. April 27

Teams unravel heparin death mystery - An international team of researchers led by MIT has explained how contaminated batches of the blood-thinner heparin were able to slip past traditional safety screens and kill dozens of patients recently in the United States and Germany. April 23

Record-breaking Daedalus project marks 20th anniversary - Twenty years ago, on April 23, 1988, a team of MIT students, faculty and alumni succeeded in a project to fly a lightweight airplane --completely under human power-- across the Mediterranean, setting aviation records that still stand today. April 22

Protein role in meiosis re-evaluated by researchers - Proteins that control cell division play a far more nuanced role than researchers previously thought in the process that gives rise to reproductive cells, according to new MIT research. The work could explain why errors occcur so often during this process. April 17

New MIT study validates hurricane prediction - Hurricanes in some areas, including the North Atlantic, are likely to become more intense as a result of global warming even though the number of such storms worldwide may decline, according to a new study by MIT researchers. April 17

A blueprint for no carbon footprint - Abu Dhabi is taking the long view, planning for a future beyond oil. The most dramatic piece of the emirate's plans is its creation of a whole new city from scratch, centered on an institute of technology modeled after, and created in collaboration with, MIT. April 16

Study challenges notion of 'pandemic' flu - The widespread assumption that pandemic influenza is an exceptionally deadly form of seasonal, or nonpandemic, flu is hard to support, according to a new MIT study in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health. April 11

Live-animal nerve regeneration study gets boost - An MIT team has improved upon its landmark technology reported last year in which the researchers used a fingernail-sized lab on a chip to image, perform surgery on and sort tiny worms to study nerve regeneration. April 10

E-ZPass takes a toll - Eighteen months of road trips between Boston and New York and one Eureka moment inspired MIT economist Amy Finkelstein to study the hidden cost of E-ZPass, the popular electronic toll collection system that eliminates the frustration of manual tolls. April 9

Defying logic, consistently - Unexpected and surprising connections are at the heart of research conducted by MIT Professor Dan Ariely, whose studies have demonstrated that people often make decisions that seem to defy logic--but they do so in very predictable, consistent ways. April 9

How strong is a hurricane? Just listen - Knowing how powerful a hurricane will be can help to save lives. Airplanes currently provide this crucial data by flying into the storm, gathering wind speed informaion. Some MIT researchers now think there's a better way: using sound. April 9

Meet Nexi, the Media Lab's latest robot star - A new experimental robot from the MIT Media Lab can slant its eyebrows in anger, or raise them in surprise, and show a wide assortment of facial expressions to communicate with people in human-centric terms. April 9

Stem cell method cuts Parkinson's symptoms in rats - A team including MIT researchers has demonstrated for the first time that artificially created stem cells can be used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease in rats. The work could eventually lead to successful treatments for human patients. April 7

Gathering 'concrete' evidence - Even though they are among the best-known structures on Earth, the pyramids of Egypt may still hold surprises. This spring, an MIT class is testing a controversial theory that some of these structures may consist of concrete. April 2

New genomic approach looks at microbial evolution - Scientists at MIT who are trying to understand existing microbes by studying their genetic history recently created a new approach to the study of microbial genomes that may hasten our collective understanding of microbial evolution. April 2

Researchers rip into 'wallpaper problem' - Frustrated by tape that won't peel off the roll in a straight line? Angry at wallpaper that refuses to tear neatly off the wall? A new study by an MIT mathematician and others shows that wallpaper is simply obeying the laws of physics. March 30

Researchers boost thermoelectric efficiency - Researchers at Boston College and MIT have used nanotechnology to achieve a major increase in thermoelectric efficiency, a milestone that paves the way for a new generation of products that run cleaner. March 20

MIT finds pre-Columbian use of transport rafts - Oceangoing sailing rafts plied the waters of the equatorial Pacific long before Europeans arrived in the Americas, and traveled from modern-day Chile to western Mexico, according to new findings by MIT researchers. March 19

Seven MIT research teams win Deshpande grants - The Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT has announced awards of $500,000 in grants to seven MIT research teams currently working on early stage discoveries, with the aim of providing a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship. March 19

MIT aims to search for Earth-like planets - MIT scientists, with Google's help, are designing a satellite-based observatory that could for the first time provide a sensitive survey of the entire sky to search for planets outside the solar system that appear to cross in front of bright stars. March 19

Bringing a bit of MIT to Africa - Armed with a grant from the MIT Public Service Center, sophomore Edison Achelengwa returned to his home country of Cameroon during January to work on installing MIT's OpenCourseWare on computers in two of the country's universities. March 19

Same pill, different price. Which is better? - A higher-priced medication with a brand name might work better than a generic version--even if the pills are exactly the same--simply because the patient thinks the expensive prescription should work better, according to a recently published MIT study. March 19

Eyes on the stars, even under cloudy skies - MIT student Cristina Thomas has been making observations of asteroids using a large NASA telescope in Hawaii, at least once a month for more than three years now. But to get to the telescope, she needs only to walk down the hall. March 19

MIT tests unique approach to fusion power - An MIT and Columbia University team has successfully tested a novel reactor that could chart a new path toward nuclear fusion, which could become a safe and reliable source of energy. The reactor achieved full operation for the first time last November. March 19

Researchers unravel secrets of spider silk's strength - The strength of a biological material like spider silk lies in the specific geometric configuration of structural proteins, which have small clusters of weak hydrogen bonds that work cooperatively to resist force and dissipate energy, MIT researchers report. March 19

Experts available to discuss space travel and human exploration of Mars - MIT faculty with expertise in space travel and human exploration of Mars are available for comment to members of the media. March 18

Solving the drug price crisis - The mounting U.S. drug price crisis can be contained and eventually reversed by separating drug discovery from drug marketing and by establishing a non-profit company to oversee funding for new medicines, according to two MIT experts. March 17

Voting for more than just either-or - New computer software developed by MIT researchers promises to make preferential ranking systems just as easy as traditional voting -- and to give results that leave more people satisfied, particularly when there is a crowded field of candidates. March 14

Bacteria's mealtime dash is a swimming success - Goldfish in an aquarium are able to dash after food flakes at mealtime, reaching them before they sink or are eaten by other fish. Researchers at MIT recently proved that marine bacteria behave in a similar fashion at mealtime. March 12

MIT researchers devise new cell-sorting system - Capitalizing on a cell's ability to roll along a surface, MIT researchers have developed a simple, inexpensive system to sort different kinds of cells--a process that could result in low-cost tests for diseases such as cancer, even in remote locations. March 12

Shell shock - An MIT materials scientist's research on sea snails has helped transform battery technology and may end the era when cell phones die if they're dropped and PDAs must be replaced if they get dunked in the tub. March 11

MIT research reveals protective role of microRNA - Snippets of genetic material that have been linked to cancer also play a critical role in normal embryonic development in mice, according to MIT cancer biologists. Their work shows that a family of microRNAs protect mouse cells during development. March 7

Quick Lincoln Labs sensor detects pathogens - Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory have developed a powerful sensor that can detect airborne pathogens such as anthrax and smallpox in less than three minutes, a "significant advance" over current sensors that take at least 20 minutes to do so. March 3

Team probes mysteries of oceanic bacteria - Microbes living in the oceans play a critical role in regulating Earth's environment, but very little is known about their activities and how they work together to help control natural cycles of water, carbon and energy. March 3

New 'snapshots' aid quest for fusion energy - Physicists at MIT and the University of Rochester have devised a new way to take 'snapshots' of the high-energy, high-temperature reactions seen as key to achieving the long-held dream of controlled nuclear fusion. February 28

Researchers catch rats' twitchy whiskers in action - In a finding that could help further understanding of perception across species, MIT neuroscientists have used high-speed video to reveal rat whiskers in action and show the tiny movements that underlie the rat's perception of its tactile environment. February 27

Bacterial 'battle for survival' leads to new antibiotic - War may actually be healthy for you ... war between two microscopic bugs, that is. MIT biologists have provoked soil-dwelling bacteria into producing a new type of antibiotic by pitting them against another strain of bacteria in a battle for survival. February 26

MIT creates gecko-inspired bandage - MIT researchers and colleagues have created a waterproof adhesive bandage inspired by gecko lizards that may soon join sutures and staples as a basic operating room tool for patching up surgical wounds or internal injuries. February 18

The city that never sleeps ... nor stops talking - What does the telecommunications traffic flowing in and out of New York City reveal about the city that never sleeps? MIT researchers hope to find out with their novel project, the New York Talk Exchange. February 18

MIT explains spread of 1918 flu pandemic - MIT researchers have explained why two mutations in the H1N1 avian flu virus allowed the disease to spread during the 1918 pandemic. The work could help scientists detect and contain a future bird flu outbreak among humans. February 18

No easy answers in evolution of human language - The evolution of human speech was far more complex than is implied by some recent attempts to link it to a specific gene, says MIT Professor Robert Berwick, who will discuss his work Feb. 17 at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston. February 17

Physicist describes strange world of quarks, gluons - MIT physics professor John Negele will talk about the theory that governs interactions of quarks and gluons, known as quantum chromodynamics, during a Feb. 17 presentation to the AAAS annual meeting in Boston. February 17

Turning 'funky' quantum mysteries into reality - The strange world of quantum mechanics can provide a way to surpass limits in speed, efficiency and accuracy of computing, communications and measurement, according to research by MIT scientist Seth Lloyd. February 16

Brains informing computers, and vice versa - After many years, Tomaso Poggio's two parallel lines of research--one aimed at using computers to understand how the brain works, the other at improving the abilities of computers to "think"--have begun to converge. February 16

How to toughen up environmental treaties - According to MIT Professor Lawrence Susskind, few global environmental treaties have done more than slow the pace of ecological damage, due problems with ratification, enforcement and financial support. February 16

MIT professor discusses future of biofuels - MIT Professor Gregory Stephanopoulos leads a discussion at the 2008 AAAS Annual Meeting on the ways scientists and energy policymakers are seeking to make biofuels a significant part of the U.S. energy supply. February 16

MIT to lead development of new moon telescopes - NASA has selected a proposal by an MIT-led team to develop plans for an array of radio telescopes on the far side of the moon that would probe the so-called "Dark Ages," the earliest formation of the basic structures of the universe. February 15

Fantastic voyage: Drug delivery by a nanoparticle - An image portrays targeted nanoparticles delivering high doses of chemotherapy to cancer cells. A team including MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer has demonstrated the precision required to engineer a nanoparticle that is effective in targeted drug delivery. February 13

MIT reveals superconducting surprise - MIT physicists have taken a step toward understanding the puzzling nature of high-temperature superconductors, materials that conduct electricity with no resistance at temperatures well above absolute zero. February 12

Gene research may help explain autistic savants - Mice lacking a certain brain protein learn some tasks better but also forget faster, according to new MIT work that may explain the phenomenon of autistic savants. The work could also result in future treatments for autism and other disorders. February 12

A 'micro pharmacy' inside - A new thin-film coating developed at MIT can deliver controlled drug doses to specific targets in the body following implantation, essentially serving as a "micro pharmacy." The film could eventually be used to deliver drugs for many diseases. February 11

Researcher on front lines of genomic revolution - Manolis Kellis, a young and fast-rising MIT researcher, uses sophisticated computational tools to investigate and analyze the genomes of a variety of organisms, including humans, mice, fruit flies and yeast. February 6

Smart pillbox could be a lifesaver - An MIT student and team of collaborators think may have found a high-tech solution in a low-tech package to the problem of ensuring that patients take their tuberculosis medication. Their simple but 'smart' pillbox could save lives throughout the world. February 6

Engineering applied to studying biological pathways - An MIT team has used an engineering approach to show that complex biological systems can be studied with simple models developed by measuring what goes into and out of the systems. This approach also allows them to study systems in their natural state. February 6

Team develops energy-efficient microchip - Researchers at MIT and Texas Instruments have unveiled a new chip design for portable electronics that can be up to 10 times more energy-efficient than present technology. The design could lead to devices that last far longer when running from a battery. February 5

MIT commercial property price index shows decline - The value of U.S. commercial real estate owned by big pension funds fell 5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to an index produced by the MIT Center for Real Estate, showing a deeper drop than that of the third quarter. February 5

Mercury rising: New images draw interest - Professor Maria Zuber, head of MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, addresses a Jan. 30 NASA press conference in which results from the first mission to visit the planet Mercury in 30 years were unveiled. February 1

Oceanic effect of river plants reported - Aquatic plants in rivers and streams may play a major role in the health of large areas of ocean coastal waters, according to recent MIT research that could have inform efforts to damp storm surge and lower nutrient levels. January 31

High-level panel encourages MIT energy approach - The MIT Energy Initiative received critical input, advice and insights in the first meeting of its External Advisory Board. The board, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz, emphasized the importance of an international focus. January 30

New MIT tool probes brain circuits - Researchers at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT report that they have created a way to see, for the first time, the effect of blocking and unblocking a single neural circuit on learning and memory in a living animal. January 24

Neuroscientists see flaws in computer vision tests - A new MIT study cautions that apparent successes in teaching computers to recognize visual objects like humans may be misleading because the tests being used are inadvertently stacked in favor of computers. January 24

Team IDs weakness in anthrax bacteria - MIT and New York University researchers have identified a weakness in the defenses of the anthrax bacterium--its dependence on nitric oxide to resist the body's immune response--that could be exploited to produce new antibiotics. January 22

MIT site puts human face on Iraq war - As the war in Iraq approaches its fifth anniversary, a new MIT web site aims to provide an accurate account of living conditions, as well as civilian injuries and deaths due to political violence, throughout the Middle Eastern state. January 18

Short bacterial protein is surprisingly versatile - MIT researchers have discovered that the reason an unusually short bacterial protein has many more interactions than would normally be expected of something its size is probably due to its lack of formal structure. January 17

Genes key to high liver cancer rates in men - A fundamental difference in the way men and women respond to chronic liver disease at the genetic level helps explain why men are more prone to liver cancer, according to MIT researchers, who conducted the first genome-wide study on the subject. January 15

MIT announces grant winners for energy research - From harnessing microbes to developing new materials, from curbing pollution to harvesting wasted watts, a wide variety of MIT research projects were chosen to receive more than $1.6 million in the MIT Energy Initiative's first round of campus seed grants. January 15

Recipients of seed grants for MIT energy research - A list of the 16 recipients of MITEI's first round of seed grants for energy research, totalling $1.4 million and covering projects including solar technology, climate change impacts and power transmission. January 15

For seawalls, beauty is in the eye of the holder - Maps of Cape Cod drawn over the last 150 years record major changes in the shoreline caused when storms pile up protective sand barriers or sweep them away, battering and eroding the shoreline, sometimes carrying away buildings. January 11

Culture influences brain function, study shows - People from different cultures use their brains differently to solve the same visual perceptual tasks, MIT researchers report in the first brain imaging study of its kind, focusing on mapping brain activity patterns that reflect different mental operations. January 11

MIT gas sensor is tiny, quick - Engineers at MIT are developing a tiny sensor that could be used to detect minute quantities of hazardous gases, including toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents, much more quickly than current devices. January 10

MIT reports new twist in microRNA biology - MIT scientists have found a new way that DNA can carry out its work that is about as surprising as discovering that a mold used to cast a metal tool can also serve as a tool itself, with two complementary shapes each showing distinct functional roles. January 9

MIT finds key to avian flu in humans - MIT researchers have uncovered a critical difference between flu viruses that infect birds and humans, a discovery that could help scientists monitor the evolution of avian flu strains and aid in the development of vaccines against a deadly flu pandemic. January 6

MIT economist sees U.S. weathering $100 oil - As the price of oil hit the $100 mark for the first time on Jan. 2, it may have looked like 1973 all over again to some observers. But research by an MIT macroeconomist shows that a return to 1970s-style gas lines and stagflation isn't in the cards. January 2