Research

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.

Chips that can steer lightRecord-setting ‘optical phased arrays’ could lead to better laser rangefinders, smaller medical-imaging devices and even holographic TVs.

Measuring MIT’s plug loadUndergrad project offers glimpse of electricity consumption on campus.

Guaranteed delivery — in ad hoc networksA new algorithm for message dissemination in decentralized networks is faster than its predecessors but, unlike them, guarantees delivery.

How to stop leaks — the way blood doesHarnessing the principle that allows blood to clot, MIT researchers are working on new synthetic materials to plug holes.

Tiny tools help advance medical discoveriesMIT researchers are designing tools to analyze cells at the microscale.

Research update: Jumping droplets help heat transferScalable nanopatterned surfaces designed by MIT researchers could make for more efficient power generation and desalination.

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

Simons Center for the Social Brain offering seed grants, postdoc fellowshipsDeadline for applications is February 28.

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.

Recent Course X grad named one of Forbes magazine's '30 Under 30'Pedro Valencia PhD '12 honored for drug research.

Improving the accuracy of cancer diagnosesNew spectroscopy technique could help doctors better identify breast tumors.

Flexible, light solar cells could provide new opportunitiesMIT researchers develop a new approach using graphene sheets coated with nanowires.

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.