Research

Astronomers find a dark matter galaxy far, far awayDiscovery could offer clues on the nature of dark matter.

The quantifierBy helping biologists turn their hunches into rigorous mathematical models, Polina Golland builds software that interprets medical images.

How research goes viralWhat makes a new finding in biology circulate widely? An MIT economist knows: Make the original research materials accessible.

Making her moveMIT senior overcame disabilities to study materials science, hoping to pave the way for other aspiring engineers.

Boyden named inaugural recipient of IET’s Harvey Engineering Research PrizeHonored for his pioneering research contributions to the field of optogenetics, in which neurons are genetically modified to respond to light.

Knittel named first energy faculty chair at MIT

3-D cameras for cellphonesClever math could enable a high-quality 3-D camera so simple, cheap and power-efficient that it could be incorporated into handheld devices.

How to kick-start new energy technologiesThree-year study produces proposals for boosting energy innovation to meet growing demand, curb global warming.

Sep Kamvar joins the MIT Media Lab

Proposal for MIT Global Environment Initiative seeks public commentInitiative expected to focus on six broad environmental research themes.

MISTI 2.0 selects 2011-2012 grantees

Traditional social networks fueled Twitter’s spreadSite’s U.S. growth relied primarily on media attention, geographic proximity of users.

Need a new material? New tool can helpExhaustive reference system and interactive toolkit could revolutionize materials research, potentially enabling new types of manufacturing.

Data mining without prejudiceA new technique for finding relationships between variables in large datasets makes no prior assumptions about what those relationships might be.

Up, down and all aroundOne MIT senior traveled the planet’s most remote areas before landing at the Institute, where he now works on engineering better thermoelectric devices.

$26.5 million Simons gift to catalyze autism research at MITCreates the Simons Center for the Social Brain

Energy Education Task Force marks five-year surge in energy focused offeringsNearly $9 million raised for curriculum development so far.

Trillion-frame-per-second videoBy using optical equipment in a totally unexpected way, MIT researchers have created an imaging system that makes light look slow.

Robert van der Hilst named head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesSucceeds Maria Zuber, who led department for the last eight years.

Putting the ‘art’ in artificial intelligenceCSAIL associate professor develops AI systems that can interpret images.

Researchers link patterns seen in spider silk, melodiesAnalogy could help engineers develop materials that make use of repeating patterns.

How to stop the fluEngineering-systems researchers identify proven strategies to prevent influenza from spreading through a household.

With changes, the grid can take itMIT report shows that with new policies, U.S. electric grid could handle expected influx of electric cars and wind and solar generation.

Digging for answersMIT, Pfizer hold groundbreaking for new biomedical research facility in Kendall Square.

Inside an innovation ecosystemHistory, proximity and serendipity make Kendall Square fertile ground for the next big idea.