AI model discovers powerful antibiotic that knocks down superbugs
Bacteria are increasingly developing ways of resisting antibiotics, putting the future of global public health under serious threat. Now, using artificial intelligence, researchers have discovered a powerful new antibiotic that kills some of the most dangerous superbugs in the world. To find the Read More...
Public vehicles in New York are doubling as air pollution monitors
New York City operates over 30,000 city-owned vehicles, the largest municipal fleet in the country. Police cars, fire engines, and public buses drive up and down the city streets performing their public services duties. But what if while completing their routine routes, doing their regular jobs, Read More...
Scientists come up with a much greener way to make parts for airplanes
The extremely sturdy yet lightweight carbon-fiber materials used to build airplanes and spacecraft require a whole lot of energy to produce, which, in turn, creates a lot of emissions. The good news MIT engineers have recently figured out a way to create these aerospace-grade composites using Read More...
This coating allows seeds to sprout in soil that would typically be too salty
Too much salt isn’t only bad for our bodies, it’s bad for our crops, which don’t grow well in highly saline soil. As climate change, poor water quality, and the misuse of agrochemicals degrades our land, the world’s soil is becoming saltier, threatening the global food system. The good Read More...
New study suggests you can hack your brainwaves to improve your attention span
Having trouble paying attention? MIT neuroscientists may have a solution for you: Turn down your alpha brain waves. In a new study, the researchers found that it’s possible to teach people, particularly those with learning disabilities, how to improve their focus through neurofeedback. Read More...
How MIT is deploying artificial intelligence to improve breast cancer screening
When MIT computer scientist Adam Yala witnessed his mentor have a bout with breast cancer in 2014, he got a glimpse into the subjective side of the healthcare system and how much work needed to be done to improve breast cancer screening. For many patients, their ability to receive effective Read More...
This wound-healing sticky tape was inspired by spiders in the rain
When it comes to design, there’s no better source of inspiration than nature. Recently, scientists at MIT took inspiration from spiders to create a double-sided tape that sticks body issues together after surgery. When it rains, spiders exude a special type of “glue” that allows them to Read More...
MIT scientists have figured out how to make cement without emissions
The production of cement currently accounts for about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, leading to calls for architects to stop using it. That’s a hard sell, considering cement is such useful material. Fortunately, researchers at MIT have demonstrated an experimental way of Read More...
New NASA telescope project will allow us to foresee what the dinosaurs could not
Most of us probably don’t worry about asteroids on a daily basis, but for NASA, this is one of the threats to our planet that must be considered. In an effort to avoid meeting the same fate as the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, NASA is planning to launch a space telescope to monitor for Read More...
MIT researchers have created a sensor that could detect deadly sepsis in minutes
Sepsis (where your immune system starts a chain of inflammation reactions) is potentially deadly, especially if septic shock leads your organs to fail, but diagnosing that in a timely fashion is still difficult or requires an unwieldy device. Thankfully, MIT researchers might have a way to Read More...