Microbes can colonize space, produce drugs and create energy − researchers are simulating their inner workings to harness how

Using digital blueprints of the metabolism of microbes, scientists can simulate expensive and time-intensive experiments set in space, power plants and farm fields.

Blaise Manga Enuh, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Microbial Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison • conversation
Jan. 6, 2025 ~8 min

An abundant phytoplankton feeds a global network of marine microbes

New findings illuminate how Prochlorococcus’ nightly “cross-feeding” plays a role in regulating the ocean’s capacity to cycle and store carbon.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Jan. 3, 2025 ~10 min


A new computational model can predict antibody structures more accurately

Using this model, researchers may be able to identify antibody drugs that can target a variety of infectious diseases.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Jan. 2, 2025 ~8 min

MIT’s top research stories of 2024

Stories on tamper-proof ID tags, sound-suppressing silk, and generative AI’s understanding of the world were some of the most popular topics on MIT News.

MIT News • mit
Dec. 24, 2024 ~4 min

Bacteria in the human gut rarely update their CRISPR defense systems

A new study of the microbiome finds intestinal bacterial interact much less often with viruses that trigger immunity updates than bacteria in the lab.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Dec. 23, 2024 ~7 min

Ecologists find computer vision models’ blind spots in retrieving wildlife images

Biodiversity researchers tested vision systems on how well they could retrieve relevant nature images. More advanced models performed well on simple queries but struggled with more research-specific prompts.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
Dec. 20, 2024 ~9 min

Need a research hypothesis? Ask AI.

MIT engineers developed AI frameworks to identify evidence-driven hypotheses that could advance biologically inspired materials.

Zach Winn | MIT News • mit
Dec. 19, 2024 ~10 min

Surface-based sonar system could rapidly map the ocean floor at high resolution

A small fleet of autonomous surface vessels forms a large sonar array for finding submerged objects.

Ariana Tantillo | MIT Lincoln Laboratory • mit
Dec. 18, 2024 ~10 min


MIT engineers grow “high-rise” 3D chips

An electronic stacking technique could exponentially increase the number of transistors on chips, enabling more efficient AI hardware.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Dec. 18, 2024 ~8 min

MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems unveils plans for the world’s first fusion power plant

The company has announced that it will build the first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Zach Winn | MIT News • mit
Dec. 17, 2024 ~6 min

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