Engineered bacteria emit signals that can be spotted from a distance

These bacteria, which could be designed to detect pollution or nutrients, could act as sensors to help farmers monitor their crops.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
April 11, 2025 ~8 min

High-speed videos show what happens when a droplet splashes into a pool

Findings may help predict how rain and irrigation systems launch particles and pathogens from watery surfaces, with implications for industry, agriculture, and public health.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Feb. 21, 2025 ~8 min


AI system predicts protein fragments that can bind to or inhibit a target

FragFold, developed by MIT Biology researchers, is a computational method with potential for impact on biological research and therapeutic applications.

Lillian Eden | Department of Biology • mit
Feb. 20, 2025 ~9 min

Kingdoms collide as bacteria and cells form captivating connections

Studying the pathogen R. parkeri, researchers discovered the first evidence of extensive and stable interkingdom contacts between a pathogen and a eukaryotic organelle.

Lillian Eden | Department of Biology • mit
Jan. 24, 2025 ~8 min

A new way to determine whether a species will successfully invade an ecosystem

MIT physicists develop a predictive formula, based on bacterial communities, that may also apply to other types of ecosystems, including the human GI tract.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Jan. 6, 2025 ~7 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

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

Killing the messenger

A newly characterized anti-viral defense system in bacteria aborts infection through a novel mechanism by chemically altering mRNA.

Lillian Eden | Department of Biology • mit
Nov. 1, 2024 ~7 min


MIT engineers find a way to protect microbes from extreme conditions

By helping microbes withstand industrial processing, the method could make it easier to harness the benefits of microorganisms used as medicines and in agriculture.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
July 5, 2024 ~8 min

When an antibiotic fails: MIT scientists are using AI to target “sleeper” bacteria

Most antibiotics target metabolically active bacteria, but with artificial intelligence, researchers can efficiently screen compounds that are lethal to dormant microbes.

Alex Ouyang | Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health • mit
April 8, 2024 ~4 min

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