Revealing causal links in complex systems
MIT engineers’ algorithm may have wide impact, from forecasting climate to projecting population growth to designing efficient aircraft.
Study: Marshes provide cost-effective coastal protection
As climate change accelerates sea-level rise and intensifies storms, marsh-fronted seawalls can provide an economical coastal defense, MIT engineers report.
Study: Titan’s lakes may be shaped by waves
MIT researchers find wave activity on Saturn’s largest moon may be strong enough to erode the coastlines of lakes and seas.
Microscopic defects in ice influence how massive glaciers flow, study shows
The findings should help scientists refine predictions of future sea-level rise.
The origin of the sun’s magnetic field could lie close to its surface
Sunspots and flares could be a product of a shallow magnetic field, according to surprising new findings that may help scientists predict space weather.
Study: Heavy snowfall and rain may contribute to some earthquakes
The results suggest that climate may influence seismic activity.
3 Questions: A shared vocabulary for how infectious diseases spread
Lydia Bourouiba’s research on fluid dynamics influenced new guidance from the World Health Organization that will shape how health agencies respond to respiratory infectious diseases.
MIT-derived algorithm helps forecast the frequency of extreme weather
The new approach “nudges” existing climate simulations closer to future reality.
Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage
The sustainable and cost-saving structure could dissipate more than 95 percent of incoming wave energy using a small fraction of the material normally needed.
With a new experimental technique, MIT engineers probe the mechanisms of landslides and earthquakes
The behavior of granular materials has been difficult to visualize, but a new method reveals their internal forces in 3D detail.
New tool predicts flood risk from hurricanes in a warming climate
Using New York as a test case, the model predicts flooding at the level experienced during Hurricane Sandy will occur roughly every 30 years by the end of this century.
Turning history of science into a comic adventure
Associate Professor Lydia Bourouiba and artist Argha Manna take readers through a series of discoveries in infectious disease.
Stripes in a flowing liquid crystal suggest a route to “chiral” fluids
Study finds chiral structures, with mirror-image configurations, can emerge from nonchiral systems, suggesting new ways to engineer these materials.
Researchers 3D print components for a portable mass spectrometer
Lightweight and inexpensive, miniaturized mass filters are a key step toward portable mass spectrometers that could identify unknown chemicals in remote settings.
MIT researchers observe a hallmark quantum behavior in bouncing droplets
In a study that could help fill some holes in quantum theory, the team recreated a “quantum bomb tester” in a classical droplet test.