Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

How to expand the US economy: In “Priority Technologies,” MIT faculty examine key areas of innovation that can drive American prosperity and security — now and in the decades ahead. news.mit.edu/2026/how-to-ex…

A new breakthrough from @MIT could enable compact, high-performance #LiDAR sensors with no moving parts. Using advanced #siliconphotonics design, researchers reduced signal interference & improved beam steering for wider field-of-view sensing. news.mit.edu/2026/photonics…

The flexible material could enable on-demand heat dissipation for electronics, fabrics, and buildings. For instance, switchable fibers could be woven into apparel that normally retains heat. When stretched, the fabric would instantly conduct heat away from a person’s body to cool them down. news.mit.edu/2026/quick-str…

MIT researchers have created an AI model that guides scientists through the process of making materials by suggesting promising synthesis routes. The researchers believe their new model could break the biggest bottleneck in the materials discovery process.news.mit.edu/2026/how-gener…

In late October 2025, Tropical Storm Melissa moved through the Caribbean Sea with moderate winds that didn’t get much attention. But on Oct. 25, aided by a patch of warm ocean, the storm rapidly intensified. By the time it made landfall in Jamaica, it was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Ravi Pappu SM ’95, PhD ’01 blames the surprise on our inability to gather high-quality ocean data. news.mit.edu/2026/apeiron-l…

Astronomers uncovered the origins of a puzzling odd couple: a gas giant, or “hot Jupiter,” which is typically found alone, sharing space with a “mini-Neptune.” This rare system probably formed in the cold outer reaches of its host star, then gradually migrated inward. news.mit.edu/2026/astronome…

Joey Davis' work has helped reveal that unlike building a house, which happens in a prescribed sequence of steps — pouring the foundation, building the frame, putting on the roof — ribosomes can be assembled in a more flexible way. Understanding how these structures form and later break down could help researchers learn more about how disruptions of these fundamental processes can lead to disease. news.mit.edu/2026/biologist…

The Millennium Falcon came for some upgrades. Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! #Maythe4thbewithyou

The new scope has allowed MIT physicists to observe terahertz “jiggles” in a superconducting fluid. news.mit.edu/2026/terahertz…

To help search for new liver disease treatments, MIT engineers have developed an advanced tissue model that more accurately recreates the liver’s structure, complete with blood vessels and immune cells. .news.mit.edu/2026/new-tissu…

Birders, this one’s for you. 🐦 Written for birders and the bird‑curious (no engineering background required!), “Birds Up Close,” by MIT professor Lorna J. Gibson, blends materials science with natural history to explain how birds do what they do so effortlessly. news.mit.edu/2026/engineers…

The cancer immunotherapy saving lives today? It started 30-40 years ago with scientists just following their curiosity. President Sally Kornbluth joined Lizzie O’Leary of Slate’s "What Next: TBD" podcast. Basic science isn't always flashy, but it's how we get to the breakthroughs that matter. Sometimes the best investments take decades. youtu.be/N6ETeg7dgkw?si…

A new method developed by MIT researchers can accelerate a privacy-preserving artificial intelligence training method by about 81 percent. This advance could enable a wider array of resource-constrained edge devices, like sensors and smartwatches, to deploy more accurate AI models while keeping user data secure. news.mit.edu/2026/enabling-…

Researchers have found that a “pencil beam” laser allows brain imaging 25 times faster than current methods. This could help scientists quickly test whether new drugs for diseases like Alzheimer’s or ALS are reaching their targets in the brain. news.mit.edu/2026/self-orga…

In the past year, two separate experiments in two different materials captured the same confounding scenario: the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism. Scientists had assumed that these two quantum states are mutually exclusive; the presence of one should inherently destroy the other. In certain fractions, the quasiparticles should flow together without friction, similar to how regular electrons can pair up to flow in conventional superconductors. news.mit.edu/2025/anything-…

The modern world runs on chemicals and fuels that require a huge amount of energy to produce: Industrial chemical separation accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the world’s total energy consumption. The MIT spinout Osmoses is making industrial chemical separations more efficient. news.mit.edu/2026/osmoses-t…

Detecting cancer in the earliest stages could dramatically reduce cancer deaths because cancers are usually easier to treat when caught early. To help achieve that goal, MIT and Microsoft researchers are using artificial intelligence to design molecular sensors for early detection. news.mit.edu/2026/ai-genera…

Future quantum computers could break tried-and-true security schemes that now keep sensitive data secure. MIT Engineers developed an ultra-efficient microchip to help protect power-constrained medical devices, like insulin pumps and pacemakers, from quantum attacks. news.mit.edu/2026/new-chip-…

As people age, their immune system function declines. T cell populations decline and can’t react to pathogens as quickly, making people more susceptible to infections. To try to overcome that decline, researchers at MIT and the Broad Institute have found a way to temporarily program cells in the liver to improve T-cell function. news.mit.edu/2025/new-study…

Antibody treatments for cancer and other diseases are typically delivered intravenously, because of the large volumes that are needed per dose. This means patients have to spend hours in a hospital for every treatment. MIT engineers have now taken a major step toward reformulating antibodies so that they can be injected using a standard syringe. news.mit.edu/2025/new-way-d…