Bioengineering and biotechnology

Scientists decipher 3-billion-year-old genomic fossilsAnalysis of modern-day genomes finds evidence for ancient environmental change and a massive expansion in genetic diversity.

The code for survivalCells fight stress by reprogramming a system of RNA modifications, researchers find.

Suresh discusses the role of engineering in the study of infectious diseaseIn public lecture at MIT, former dean describes progress in understanding malaria.

Emeritus: On the trail of aflatoxinToxicologist Gerald Wogan has dedicated his career to understanding — and fighting — a deadly carcinogen.

MIT senior wins Rhodes ScholarshipJennifer Lai, who is majoring in biological engineering and music and theater arts, is headed to Oxford.

Going nature one betterMIT researchers aim to learn biology’s secrets for making tough, resilient materials out of simple components, and then improve on them.

Biology rides to computers’ aidPhotonic crystals could usher in an age of low-power optical computing, but they’re hard to manufacture. Maybe adding a little DNA would help.

Teasing out malaria’s genetic secretsBiological engineer’s new approach to studying gene control could lead to new drug targets.

Roger Kamm elected to the Institute of MedicineOne of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine

5 from MIT win NIH awardsThe grants are designed to promote risky, innovative research with the potential to transform a field of study.

Putting carbon dioxide to good useMIT biological engineers have found a way to convert carbon-dioxide emissions to useful building materials, using genetically altered yeast.

A pharmacy on the back of a cellDrugs encapsulated in new MIT nanoparticles can hitch a ride to tumors on the surface of immune-system cells.

RNA offers a safer way to reprogram cellsNew technique holds promise to revert cells to an immature state that can develop into any cell type.

Imaging fish on the flyNew MIT technology allows high-speed study of zebrafish larvae, often used to model human diseases.

A new use for goldEngineers turn a drawback — the stickiness of gold nanoparticles — into an advantage.

Building organs block by blockTissue engineers create a new way to assemble artificial tissues, using ‘biological Legos’ — cells transformed into bricks.

Explained: Directed evolutionSpeeding up protein evolution in the lab can yield useful molecules that nature never intended.

Genes as fossilsMIT researchers discover the DNA responsible for creating fossil-like molecules found in ancient rocks.

Rapid analysis of DNA damage now possibleTechnology offers a new way to test potential cancer drugs, detect effects of hazardous agents in our environment.

Viruses harnessed to split waterMIT team’s biologically based system taps the power of sunlight directly, with the aim of turning water into hydrogen fuel.

Weighing the cellMIT biological engineers devise a way to measure, for the first time, how single cells accumulate mass.

Slackers and superstars of the microbial workplaceMIT chemical engineers find that yeast engineered to manufacture drugs vary widely in their productivity

Zooming in on cellsNew microscopy technique offers close-up, real-time view of how proteins kill bacteria

Ecological balancing actPhytoplankton diversity depends on balance between competition and the ocean’s physical dynamics, new research suggests

New technique offers a more detailed view of brain activity‘Cleverly designed' MRI sensors detect dopamine, offering a high-resolution look at what’s happening inside the brain.

Cell-inspired electronicsBy mimicking cells, MIT researcher designs electronic circuits for ultra-low-power and biomedical applications.

With $25 million grant, NSF funds center to investigate the creation of biological machinesHeadquartered at MIT, the new initiative aims to dramatically advance research in complex biological systems and engage underrepresented minority groups

Engineering a new way to study hepatitis CTissue engineers have successfully infected liver cells in the laboratory, allowing a better way to test new drugs.