MIT engineers repurposed a 19th-century photography technique to produce stretchy, color-changing films.

MIT researchers captured the initial moments during a butterfly's metamorphosis, as an individual scale begins to develop its characteristic ridged pattern. The findings could help engineers design materials for light and heat management.

The School of Engineering has granted tenure to Guy Bresler, Otto Cordero, Michael Carbin, Ming Guo, Stefanie Jegelka, Jeehwan Kim, Angela Koehler, Mathias Kolle, Tim Kraska, James LeBeau, Luqiao Lui, Robert Macfarlane, Desirée Plata, and C. Cem Tasan.

In MIT class 2.788 (Mechanical Engineering and Design of Living Systems), students explore how mechanics, structure, and materials intersect with biological systems by studying butterflies at every stage of their metamorphosis.

For the past decade MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) has supported interdisciplinary collaborations and high-risk, high-reward projects, enabling MIT faculty to pursue groundbreaking research that addresses some of the world's most pressing challenges facing our water and food systems.

Imagine stretching a piece of film to reveal a hidden message. Or checking an arm band's color to gauge muscle mass. Or sporting a swimsuit that changes hue as you do laps. Such chameleon-like, color-shifting materials could be on the horizon, thanks to a photographic technique that's been resurrected and repurposed by MIT engineers.

New findings about this aspect of metamorphosis could help engineers design materials for managing light and heat.

Materials scientists have unlocked a rich and easily controlled material design space by harnessing the pioneering color photography work of Nobel laureate Gabriel Lippmann.

Andrew Parker has produced some of the brightest hues in the world. So, what's his secret?