Mark Vogelsberger wins 2020 Buchalter Cosmology Prize for simulating a “fuzzy” universe

Associate professor of physics shares the honor with colleague Phillip Mocz for their novel dark matter research.

---

physics astrophysics astronomy dark-matter research awards-honors-and-fellowships school-of-science faculty computer-modeling kavli-institute space-astronomy-and-planetary-science galaxy-formation

RNA molecules are masters of their own destiny

Research suggests the products of transcription — RNA molecules — regulate their own production through a feedback loop.

---

physics chemistry genetics biology rna research drug-development school-of-engineering school-of-science whitehead-institute chemical-engineering

Aerosols from pollution, desert storms, and forest fires may intensify thunderstorms

Researchers identify a mechanism by which small particles in the atmosphere can generate more frequent thunderstorms.

---

physics environment climate pollution emissions research weather school-of-science national-science-foundation-nsf eaps earth-and-atmospheric-sciences

Ultracold atoms reveal a new type of quantum magnetic behavior

The findings may help researchers design “spintronic” devices and novel magnetic materials.

---

physics photonics quantum-computing light research school-of-science research-laboratory-of-electronics national-science-foundation-nsf materials-research-laboratory

New type of atomic clock keeps time even more precisely

The design, which uses entangled atoms, could help scientists detect dark matter and study gravity’s effect on time.

---

physics photonics quantum-mechanics light research school-of-science research-laboratory-of-electronics national-science-foundation-nsf defense-advanced-research-projects-agency-darpa

A cool advance in thermoelectric conversion

A quantum effect in topological semimetals demonstrated by MIT researchers could allow for the utilization of an untapped energy source.

---

physics semiconductors electronics quantum-mechanics research school-of-engineering school-of-science materials-science-and-engineering nuclear-science-and-engineering department-of-energy-doe thermoelectricity

A technique to sift out the universe’s first gravitational waves

Identifying primordial ripples would be key to understanding the conditions of the early universe.

---

physics astrophysics research black-holes school-of-science kavli-institute space-astronomy-and-planetary-science ligo

Physicists capture the sound of a “perfect” fluid

The results should help scientists study the viscosity in neutron stars, the plasma of the early universe, and other strongly interacting fluids.

---

physics photonics light research school-of-science research-laboratory-of-electronics national-science-foundation-nsf

Pulling the secrets of dark matter out of a hat

Grad student Chiara Salemi and Professor Lindley Winslow use the ABRACADABRA instrument to reveal insights into dark matter.

---

physics astrophysics dark-matter profile research students graduate-postdoctoral school-of-science national-science-foundation-nsf laboratory-for-nuclear-science space-astronomy-and-planetary-science department-of-energy-doe center-for-theoretical-physics

An escape route for seafloor methane

Leakage from frozen layers was a puzzle, but a new study shows how the potent greenhouse gas breaks through icy barriers.

---

physics climate research mechanical-engineering school-of-engineering school-of-science alumniae civil-and-environmental-engineering oceanography-and-ocean-engineering eaps department-of-energy-doe fluid-dynamics