Silent synapses are abundant in the adult brain
These immature connections may explain how the adult brain is able to form new memories and absorb new information.
Mysteriously bright flash is a black hole jet pointing straight toward Earth, astronomers say
The observations could illuminate how supermassive black holes feed and grow.
Spreading joy with Wide Tim
MIT senior Tianyuan (Margaret) Zheng uses art as a bonding enzyme to join STEM, culture, and community.
The task of magnetic classification suddenly looks easier
MIT undergraduate researchers Helena Merker, Harry Heiberger, and Linh Nguyen, and PhD student Tongtong Liu, exploit machine-learning techniques to determine the magnetic structure of materials.
New CRISPR-based tool inserts large DNA sequences at desired sites in cells
Known as PASTE, the technique holds potential for treating a variety of diseases caused by faulty genes.
Teresa Gao named 2024 Mitchell Scholar
The MIT senior will pursue postgraduate studies in computer science in Ireland.
International team observes innermost structure of quasar jet
New observations show the deepest parts of the quasar's plasma jet in a project led by MIT Haystack Observatory.
Alzheimer’s risk gene undermines insulation of brain’s “wiring”
In people carrying APOE4, a key brain cell mismanages cholesterol needed to insulate neurons properly — another sign APOE4 contributes to disease by disrupting brain lipids.
Scientists unveil the functional landscape of essential genes
Researchers harness new pooled, image-based screening method to probe the functions of over 5,000 essential genes in human cells.
Celebrating open data
New prize program recognizes MIT researchers who make data openly accessible and reusable.
Are Covid-19 “comas” signs of a protective hibernation state?
Scientists hypothesize that, as in a hibernating turtle, the brain under sedation and deprived of oxygen may assume a protective state.
Study: Zebrafish are smarter than we thought
Researchers have discovered that the brains of these simple fish can create three-dimensional maps of their surroundings.
Honoring Salvador Luria, longtime MIT professor and founding director of the MIT Center for Cancer Research
Koch Institute event celebrates the new MIT Press biography “Salvador Luria: An Immigrant Biologist in Cold War America.”
Ila Fiete wins Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience
Society for Neuroscience honors BCS professor for breakthrough research modeling a component of the brain’s navigational system.
New faculty join the School of Science in 2022
Seven professors join the departments of Biology; Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Mathematics; and Physics.