Michael Strano

Researchers at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology develop a near-infrared fluorescent nanosensor that simultaneously detects and distinguishes Fe(II) and Fe(III) in living plants.

MIT faculty, researchers, students, alumni and staff brought their trademark inventiveness and curiosity-driven spirit to the news, making headlines for their work on everything from examining the impact of AI on the labor market to new methods for screening for cancer and addressing climate change.

Taking advantage of a phenomenon known as emergent behavior, MIT engineers have designed simple microparticles that can collectively generate complex behavior. Working together, the microparticles can generate a beating clock that oscillates at a very low frequency. These oscillations can then be harnessed to power tiny robotic devices.

MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel, as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities.

MIT engineers have unveiled a groundbreaking tiny battery that could transform the deployment of cell-sized, autonomous robots for applications such as drug delivery within the human body...

A zinc-air microbattery designed by MIT engineers could enable the deployment of cell-sized, autonomous robots for drug delivery within in the human body, as well as other applications such as locating leaks in gas pipelines.

The new 2D polymer, named 2DPA-1, is stronger than steel and as light as plastic; it self-assembles into sheets, unlike all other polymers, which form spaghetti-like 1D chains.

Using a pair of sensors made from carbon nanotubes, researchers discovered signals that help plants respond to stresses such as heat, light, or attack from insects or bacteria. Farmers could use these sensors to monitor threats to their crops, allowing them to intervene before the crops are lost.

Engineers have found a way to dramatically improve the signal emitted by fluorescing nanosenors. The researchers showed they could implant sensors as deep as 5.5 centimeters in tissue and still get a strong signal. The advance allows the particles to be placed deeper within biological tissue, which could aid with cancer diagnosis or monitoring.

Stronger than steel, as light as plastic

An internal power source could enable the development of tiny robots for applications like drug delivery and remote sensing.

A computational model predicts how the human body will respond to different versions of glucose-responsive insulins. Using this model, researchers could design novel GRIs and obtain better predictions of whether a particular GRI would work in patients with diabetes before launching a costly clinical trial.

Roads of the future could be lit by glowing trees instead of streetlamps, thanks to a breakthrough in creating bioluminescent plants.

MIT engineers found a way to dramatically improve the signal emitted by fluorescing nanosenors. The researchers showed they could implant sensors as deep as 5.5 centimeters in tissue and still get a strong signal.

The new substance is the result of a feat thought to be impossible: polymerizing a material in two dimensions. Using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel and as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quan

Using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel and as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities.

The world's first covalent organic framework sensors can detect pH changes in living plants, which can provide early warning of drought stress in plants up to 48 hours before traditional methods.

Researchers across MIT are taking on the agricultural challenges posed by climate change, from engineering plants that sound an alarm when they're under stress to making seeds more resilient to drought.

Chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel, as light as plastic, and can be easily manufactured in large quantities.