MIT community members made headlines around the world for their innovative approaches to addressing problems local and global.

The year’s popular research stories include a promising new approach to cancer immunotherapy, the confirmation of a 50-year-old theorem, and a major fusion breakthrough.

Mathematical simulations show the new approach may offer faster, cheaper, and more accurate detection, including identifying new variants.

Infection during pregnancy with elevated levels of the cytokine IL-17a may yield microbiome alterations that prime offspring for aberrant immune responses, mouse study suggests.

Paper-based blood test developed by SMART researchers can rapidly determine the presence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.

Comparison of four oxidation-based cleaners suggests the devices produce their own pollutants and vary in effectiveness.

The prevalence of auditory symptoms in Covid-19 patients is unknown, but infection of the inner ears may be responsible for hearing and balance problems.

The technology could be developed as a rapid diagnostic for Covid-19 or other emerging pathogens.

Neural network identifies synergistic drug blends for treating viruses like SARS-CoV-2.

Results show infection rates increase across communities; individuals in low-income areas and those in poor health are at highest risk.