Research

Reducing wasted energy in commercial buildingsMuch energy is wasted heating and cooling indoor spaces when no one or almost no one is present. Now, MIT researchers have used their own campus to demonstrate a means of measuring that energy/occupancy mismatch.

Lawmakers focus on MIT fusion researchThree Congressmen visited the Plasma Science and Fusion Center last week.

Purification on the cheapSystem developed at MIT cleans ‘produced water’ from natural gas wells, could lead to improved desalination plants for developing countries.

Some cancer mutations slow tumor growthSurprising result suggests that enhancing these mutations’ impact could offer a new way to treat cancer.

Undergraduate contributes to fusion reactor advancementJake Jurewicz, a nuclear science and engineering-physics double major, received a fellowship to develop new simulation and visualization software at the National Fusion Facility in California.

MIT researchers improve quantum-dot performanceNew production method could enable everything from more efficient computer displays to enhanced biomedical testing.

Toward practical compressed sensingResearchers show how the vagaries of real-world circuitry affect the performance of a promising new technique in signal processing and imaging.

A physicist and her neutrinosMIT senior Christie Chiu has found her focus: the study of tiny particles.

Cardiac development needs more than protein-coding genesBiologists find that long non-coding RNA molecules are necessary to regulate differentiation of embryonic stem cells into cardiac cells.

Capturing energy from the sunMIT investigators are inspired by a deep-sea bacterium that is able to harvest tiny amounts of incoming solar energy with exquisite efficiency.

SuperUROP propels undergraduate research to next levelPoster session showcases student advances in key technologies and attracts faculty, venture capitalists and industry sponsors.

Putting the squeeze on cellsBy deforming cells, researchers can deliver RNA, proteins and nanoparticles for many applications.

Two from MIT win AFOSR Young Investigator AwardAeroAstro assistant professor, RLE research scientist among 40 winners

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

Rare earth oxides make water-repellent surfaces that lastCeramic forms of hydrophobic materials could be far more durable than existing coatings or surface treatments.

Hard times in ChicagoMIT anthropologist’s new book recounts the painful aftermath when steel plants suddenly closed in the American heartland.

Research update: Multiple steps toward the ‘quantum singularity’Over three days in December, four research groups announced progress on a quantum-computing proposal made two years ago by MIT researchers.

Finding his voiceFirst-generation college student Eric Trac makes the most of MIT — whether through medical research or community service.

The right’s resistance to regulationBook details how conservatives have changed the terms of the environmental debate in recent decades.

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.

MIT researchers win Pyke Johnson AwardKarplus, Paltsev honored for their study on the impacts of vehicle efficiency standards.

Clark and Sollins receive Test of Time AwardMIT researchers honored for their paper 'Tussle in Cyberspace: Defining Tomorrow’s Internet.'

Susan Solomon wins international climate awardMIT professor honored by BBVA for discovering links between atmosphere, climate and human activity.

The natural experimenter

New material harvests energy from water vaporPolymer film could be used in artificial muscle and to power micro- and nanoelectronic devices.