Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust
Researchers at MIT, NASA and elsewhere have detected a possible planet, some 1,500 light years away, that appears to be evaporating under the blistering heat of its parent star. The scientists infer that a ...
May 18, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (10) |
7
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The elusive capacity of data networks
In its early years, information theory — which grew out of a landmark 1948 paper by MIT alumnus and future professor Claude Shannon — was dominated by research on error-correcting codes: How do yo ...
Technology / Computer Sciences
May 15, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
2
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Excel programming for nonprogrammers
Microsoft’s Visual Basic programming language lets Excel users customize their spreadsheets in all kinds of time-saving ways, but few people take advantage of it. Although designed to be intuitive and ...
Technology / Computer Sciences
May 08, 2012 |
4.2 / 5 (16) |
2
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New material shares many of graphene's unusual properties
Graphene, a single-atom-thick layer of carbon, has spawned much research into its unique electronic, optical and mechanical properties. Now, researchers at MIT have found another compound that shares many ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Apr 24, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
4
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New coating for hip implants could prevent premature failure
Every year, more than a million Americans receive an artificial hip or knee prosthesis. Such implants are designed to last many years, but in about 17 percent of patients who receive a total joint replacement, ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Apr 19, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
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Hybrid copper-gold nanoparticles convert CO2
Copper -- the stuff of pennies and tea kettles -- is also one of the few metals that can turn carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon fuels with relatively little energy. When fashioned into an electrode and stimulated ...
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Apr 11, 2012 |
4.7 / 5 (7) |
7
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Nano-sized 'factories' churn out proteins
Drugs made of protein have shown promise in treating cancer, but they are difficult to deliver because the body usually breaks down proteins before they reach their destination.
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Apr 09, 2012 |
5 / 5 (6) |
0
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Single gene mutation can sweep through bacterial population, opening the door for the concept of 'species'
Bacteria are the most populous organisms on the planet. They thrive in almost every known environment, adapting to different habitats by means of genetic variations that provide the capabilities essential ...
Apr 05, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
3
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Self-sculpting sand could allow spontaneous formation of new tools, duplication of broken mechanical parts
Imagine that you have a big box of sand in which you bury a tiny model of a footstool. A few seconds later, you reach into the box and pull out a full-size footstool: The sand has assembled itself into a large-scale ...
Technology / Computer Sciences
Apr 02, 2012 |
4.7 / 5 (15) |
6
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Innovative 3-D designs can more than double solar power generated from a given area
(PhysOrg.com) -- Intensive research around the world has focused on improving the performance of solar photovoltaic cells and bringing down their cost. But very little attention has been paid to the best ways ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
Mar 26, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (13) |
22
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'Buckliball' opens new avenue in design of foldable engineering structures (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Motivated by the desire to determine the simplest 3-D structure that could take advantage of mechanical instability to collapse reversibly, a group of engineers at MIT and Harvard University ...
Mar 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (10) |
1
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A close-up view of Mercury: Researchers find the planet may have had a dynamic past
New observations from a spacecraft orbiting Mercury have revealed that the tiny, pockmarked planet harbors a highly unusual interior — and the craft’s glimpse of Mercury’s surface topography ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Mar 22, 2012 |
4.4 / 5 (8) |
4
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A camera that peers around corners (w/ video)
In December, MIT Media Lab researchers caused a stir by releasing a slow-motion video of a burst of light traveling the length of a plastic bottle. But the experimental setup that enabled that video was des ...
Mar 20, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (9) |
7
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Fiber laser points to woven 3-D displays
Most light emitters, from candles to light bulbs to computer screens, look the same from any angle. But in a paper published this week on the Nature Photonics website, MIT researchers report the development of a n ...
Mar 12, 2012 |
4.7 / 5 (9) |
1
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New design for a metamaterial could be far more efficient at capturing sunlight than existing solar cells
Metamaterials are a new class of artificial substances with properties unlike anything found in the natural world. Some have been designed to act as invisibility cloaks; others as superlenses, antenna systems ...
Mar 09, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (20) |
7
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