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McGovern Institute

Newly tenured MIT science professors include: (top row, l-r) Ibrahim Cissé, Mehrdad Jazayeri, Lindley Winslow; (middle row, l-r) Adam Willard, Yogesh Surendranath, Mark Vogelsberger; (bottom row, l-r) Joshua McDermott, Jörn Dunkel, Yen-Jie Lee.

Nine MIT School of Science professors receive tenure for 2020

Professors earn tenure in the departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics.

July 7, 2020

Through research trips to the remote Bolivian rainforest, researchers in the McDermott lab at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research has found that aspects of the perception of note combinations may be universal.

Universal musical harmony

Acoustic and biological constraints shape how we hear harmony across cultures.

July 1, 2020

Photo shows the device the team developed. The tube at top is connected to a supply of the precursor material, sodium nitrite, which then passes through a channel in the fiber at the bottom and into the body, which also contains the electrodes to stimulate the release of nitric oxide. The electrodes are connected through the four-pin connector on the left.

Producing a gaseous messenger molecule inside the body, on demand

Method could shed light on nitric oxide’s role in the neural, circulatory, and immune systems.

June 29, 2020

Using a new calcium indicator that accumulates in the cell bodies of neurons (boxes at right), MIT neuroscientists are able to more accurately image neuron activity. Traditional calcium indicators (boxes at left) can generate crosstalk that blurs the images.

A focused approach to imaging neural activity in the brain

New molecule for imaging calcium in neurons reduces crosstalk from neighboring neurons.

June 26, 2020

Optogenetics is a technique in which genes for light-sensitive proteins are introduced into specific types of brain cells in order to monitor and control their activity precisely using light signals.

Optogenetics with SOUL

The Feng lab has developed a next-generation optogenetic system for non-invasive stimulation of neurons.

May 7, 2020

Results of the STOPCovid test appear as a single or double line on a paper strip akin to a pregnancy test. In this photo, test strips showing a single line (left panel) indicate no infection. Test strips revealing double lines (right panel) indicate the presence of the virus.

SHERLOCK-based one-step test provides rapid and sensitive Covid-19 detection

New CRISPR-based research tool delivers results in an hour; researchers share protocol and kits to advance research and move toward clinical validation.

May 5, 2020

McGovern scientists are studying the toll of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Examining the social impact of Covid-19

Survey from the Saxe Lab aims to measure the toll of social isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

April 21, 2020

2020 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellows include (left to right) Sabine Iatridou, professor of linguistics; Jonathan Gruber, professor of economics; and Rebecca Saxe, professor of cognitive neuroscience.

Three from MIT awarded 2020 Guggenheim Fellowships

MIT professors Sabine Iatridou, Jonathan Gruber, and Rebecca Saxe have been selected to pursue their work “under the freest possible conditions.”

April 14, 2020

McGovern Institute scientists Jonathan Gootenberg (left) and Omar Abuddayeh in the lab

3 Questions: How Covid-19 tests work and why they’re in short supply

MIT scientists Omar Abudayyeh and Jonathan Gootenberg explain the current state of Covid-19 testing, and how a CRISPR tool may help solve the supply problem.

April 10, 2020

MIT engineers have developed magnetic nanoparticles (shown in white squares) that can stimulate the adrenal gland to produce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.

Researchers achieve remote control of hormone release

Using magnetic nanoparticles, scientists stimulate the adrenal gland in rodents to control release of hormones linked to stress.

April 10, 2020

McGovern research scientist Jill Crittenden helped the N95DECON consortium assess face mask decontamination protocols so health-care workers can easily access them for Covid-19 protection.

MIT scientist helps build Covid-19 resource to address shortage of face masks

Jill Crittenden and colleagues in a new consortium provides guidance for health care workers on decontamination and reuse of N95 face masks.

April 3, 2020

MIT biological engineers have created a specialized sensor that allows them to track dopamine in the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as shown in the bottom row. Images in the top row show overall brain activity, as measured by functional MRI.

How dopamine drives brain activity

A specialized MRI sensor reveals the neurotransmitter’s influence on neural activity throughout the brain.

April 1, 2020

MIT neuroscientist Ed Boyden has received the 2020 Wilhelm Exner Medal.

Ed Boyden wins prestigious Wilhelm Exner Medal

Entrepreneurial science award recognizes scientists whose work opens up “new dimensions of economic progress."

March 18, 2020

MIT neuroscientists have identified a “landmark code” that helps the brain navigate our surroundings.

How the brain encodes landmarks that help us navigate

Neuroscientists discover how a key brain region combines visual and spatial information to help us find our way.

March 10, 2020

Left to right: The Machu Picchu Design Heritage project is a past Global Seed Fund recipient. Paloma Gonzalez, Takehiko Nagakura, Chang Liu, and Wenzhe Peng pose with a panoramic view of Machu Picchu in Peru. They are part of an MIT team that has worked to digitally document the site.

Empowering faculty partnerships across the globe

MISTI Global Seed Funds program has delivered $22 million to faculty since 2008.

March 3, 2020