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.
Scientists 3D print self-heating microfluidic devices
The one-step fabrication process rapidly produces miniature chemical reactors that could be used to detect diseases or analyze substances.
Boom, crackle, pop: Sounds of Earth’s crust
MIT scientists find the sounds beneath our feet are fingerprints of rock stability.
Coloring outside the lines
Mathias Kolle’s color-changing materials take inspiration from butterflies and mollusks.
Studying rivers from worlds away
A new technique uses remote images to gauge the strength of ancient and active rivers beyond Earth.
Megawatt electrical motor designed by MIT engineers could help electrify aviation
Technology demonstrations show the machine’s major components achieve the required performance.
River erosion can shape fish evolution, study suggests
The new findings could explain biodiversity hotspots in tectonically quiet regions.
Helping robots handle fluids
Researchers create a new simulation tool for robots to manipulate complex fluids in a step toward helping them more effortlessly assist with daily tasks.
Researchers 3D print a miniature vacuum pump
The device would be a key component of a portable mass spectrometer that could help monitor pollutants, perform medical diagnoses in remote areas, or test Martian soil.