School of Science

Side-by-side photos: On the left, Eric Wang speaks into a microphone while other contestants observe. On the right, Alaa Algargoosh presents research with an image of the interior of a historic building in the background.

Third annual MIT Research Slam showcase highlights PhD and postdoc communication skills

The 2023 competition featured three-minute talks on cutting-edge research from across MIT in an engaging, live competition.

May 3, 2023

A dynamic rendering shows, on the left, the edge of a gigantic, yellow spherical star. A tiny red planet is in the middle and has skimmed the star. Rays of white light and blue energy radiate out from their touch.

In a first, astronomers spot a star swallowing a planet

Earth will meet a similar fate in 5 billion years.

May 3, 2023

Two by two grid featuring soft robotic animal designs. One resembles a manatee, one looks like a bear, another suggests a shark, and the last looks like a caterpillar

Open-source platform simulates wildlife for soft robotics designers

SoftZoo is a soft robot co-design platform that can test optimal shapes and sizes for robotic performance in different environments.

May 2, 2023

A moderator and seven MIT faculty members sit on stage. Professor Anne White, in the center, is speaking while the others look on.

MIT faculty tackle big ideas in a symposium kicking off Inauguration Day

Ahead of the Institute’s presidential inauguration, panelists describe advances in their research and how these discoveries are being deployed to benefit the public.

May 1, 2023

Sally Kornbluth, wearing grey and red academic regalia, speaks at a podium with a large MIT seal on the front.

“Join us in something important and new”

In her inaugural address, President Sally Kornbluth urges the MIT community to tackle pressing challenges, especially climate change, with renewed urgency.

May 1, 2023

Kate Zernike and Nancy Hopkins sit at a table addressing an audience in a classroom. A blackboard appears behind them.

The measuring tape heard round the world

Professor Emerita Nancy Hopkins and journalist Kate Zernike discuss the past, present, and future of women at MIT and beyond.

May 1, 2023

Scientists discover anatomical changes in the brains of the newly sighted

Following cataract removal, some of the brain’s visual pathways seem to be more malleable than previously thought.

May 1, 2023

Head-and-shoulders photo of President Yoon Suk Yeol, looking into the camera while speaking

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea visits MIT

A campus summit with the leader and his delegation centered around dialogue on biotechnology and innovation ecosystems.

April 28, 2023

4 panels, 3 in monochrome with the bottom right in full color. The top two show similar pixelated, fuzzy white ovals, with the top right having a slightly larger oval. The bottom left shows a pixelated white circle with some grey fuzzy rays slightly protruding from it. The bottom right panel shows a swirling blue galaxy with a white center in black space.

Astronomers detect the closest example yet of a black hole devouring a star

The event was spotted in infrared data — also a first — suggesting further searches in this band could turn up more such bursts.

April 28, 2023

Against a dark background and in colorful, vivid light, about 200 worms are in ball. They are somewhat transparent.

How to untangle a worm ball: Mathematicians solve a knotty mystery

California blackworms tangle themselves up by the thousands, then separate in a split second. Their trick may inspire the design of self-detangling materials and fibers.

April 27, 2023