Tiny diamond rotor could improve protein studies

A new way of machining microscale rotors from diamond crystal can enable ultrasensitive NMR devices for probing proteins and other materials.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office • mit
May 24, 2023 • ~10 min

‘Stack of pancakes’ may explain odd magnet behavior

"Stacked pancakes of liquid magnetism" may account for the strange electronic behavior of some layered helical magnets.

Jade Boyd-Rice • futurity
May 15, 2023 • ~9 min

Quantum physics proposes a new way to study biology – and the results could revolutionize our understanding of how life works

Studying the brief and tiny quantum effects that drive living systems could one day lead to new approaches to treatments and technologies.

Clarice D. Aiello, Quantum Biology Tech (QuBiT) Lab, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
May 15, 2023 • ~9 min

Room-temperature superconductors could revolutionize electronics – an electrical engineer explains the materials' potential

Superconductors make highly efficient electronics, but the ultralow temperatures and ultrahigh pressures make them costly and difficult to use. Room-temperature superconductors promise to change that.

Massoud Pedram, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California • conversation
March 28, 2023 • ~8 min

How do superconductors work? A physicist explains what it means to have resistance-free electricity

Superconductors are materials that can transmit electricity without any resistance. Researchers are getting closer to creating superconducting materials that can function in everyday life.

Mishkat Bhattacharya, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
March 24, 2023 • ~6 min

MIT physicists predict exotic new phenomena and give “recipe” for realizing them

Work with skyrmions could have applications in future computers and more.

Elizabeth A. Thomson | Materials Research Laboratory • mit
March 17, 2023 • ~7 min

Studies of unusual brains reveal critical insights into brain organization, function

Ev Fedorenko’s Interesting Brains Project highlights the human brain’s remarkable capacity to adapt, reorganize in the face of early damage.

Thea Singer | McGovern Institute for Brain Research • mit
Feb. 21, 2023 • ~10 min

Visualizing the inside of cells at previously impossible resolutions provides vivid insights into how they work

Many microscopy techniques have won Nobel Prizes over the years. Advancements like cryo-ET that allow scientists to see the individual atoms of cells can reveal their biological functions.

Jeremy Berg, Professor of Computational and Systems Biology, Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Science Strategy and Planning, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
Jan. 6, 2023 • ~7 min

This is your brain. This is your brain on code

MIT researchers are discovering which parts of the brain are engaged when a person evaluates a computer program.

Steve Nadis | MIT CSAIL • mit
Dec. 21, 2022 • ~9 min

London Underground polluted with particles small enough to enter the human bloodstream -- new research

New research reveals that the London Underground is polluted with small particles which may carry negative health effects for humans.

Hassan Aftab Sheikh, PhD Researcher in Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge • conversation
Dec. 19, 2022 • ~7 min

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