Biology

Microbiologists eavesdrop on the hidden lives of microbesScientists track ocean microbe populations in their natural habitat to create a ‘day in the life’ montage.

Possible role for Huntington’s gene discoveredMutant forms of the gene disrupt chemical modifications that control access to genes necessary for normal brain cell function.

Study finds a new culprit for epileptic seizuresDiscovery that some seizures arise in glial cells could offer new targets for epilepsy treatment.

Editing the genome with high precisionNew method allows scientists to insert multiple genes in specific locations, delete defective genes.

New insights into how brain synapses transmit informationTwo essential proteins regulate the molecular machinery that controls neuronal communication and the release of signals between neurons.

Professor Roger Kamm visualizes sneaky tumor cells with 3-D assayKamm is studying the mechanics of metastasis, the process of cancer-cell migration from one location in the body to another and the cause of more than 90 percent of cancer deaths.

Evolution: It’s all in how you splice itMIT biologists find that alternative splicing of RNA rewires signaling in different tissues and may often contribute to species differences.

Inspiration from a porcupine’s quillsUnderstanding the mechanisms behind quill penetration and extraction could help engineers design better medical devices.

The music of the silksResearchers synthesize a new kind of silk fiber — and find that music can help fine-tune the material’s properties.

All that is solid melts into air: Tomás Saraceno visits MITCAST visiting artist creates inflatable and airborne biospheres: speculative models for alternate ways of living.

Sitting still or going hunting: Which works better?If you’re a microbe floating in the ocean, there’s no single best strategy for getting food, MIT research shows.

Jaenisch, Suresh named Franklin Institute laureates

Department snapshot: Mechanical EngineeringMore MechE students choose to design their own education.

Mehrdad Jazayeri to join BCS, McGovern Institute faculty

Probing matters of the heartNew study of stem cell differentiation could help researchers better understand the genetic basis of heart disease.

Tracking stem cell reprogrammingBiologists reveal genes key to development of pluripotency, in single cells.

Four from MIT win NIH grantsBrown, Gore, Ploegh and Zhang receive grants for innovative biomedical research.

Converting plant waste into biofuelsPromising advances using yeast and fungi.

Fundamentals of Biology now available in OCW Scholar formatCourse is the last of seven OCW has published this year specifically to meet the needs of independent learners.

Researchers engineer light-activated skeletal muscleTechnique may enable robotic animals that move with the strength and flexibility of their living counterparts.

Seth Mnookin wins 2012 Science in Society AwardNational Association of Science Writers honors his book The Panic Virus.

Turning on key enzyme blocks tumor formationDrug-like molecule restores normal cell metabolism, preventing cancer cells from growing.

Teaching a microbe to make fuelGenetically modified organism could turn carbon dioxide or waste products into a gasoline-compatible transportation fuel.

Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers findBiological structures may help engineers design new materials.

Protein that boosts longevity may protect against diabetesSirtuins help fight off disorders linked to obesity, new MIT study shows.

New study finds link between cell division and growth rateFindings answer puzzling question of how cells know when to progress through the cell cycle.

Berger named ISCB fellowApplied mathematics, computer science professor honored for contributions in computational biology and bioinformatics.