Content by Anne Trafton
Inspired by Kombucha Tea, Engineers Create ‘Living Materials’A symbiotic culture of specialized yeast and bacteria can generate tough materials able to perform a variety of functions
Thu, 03/25/2021 - 12:02
Engineers at MIT and Imperial College London have developed a new way to generate tough, functional materials using a mixture of bacteria and yeast similar to the “kombucha mother” used to ferment tea. Using this mixture, also called a SCOBY (…
The (Robotic) Doctor Will See You NowStudy finds patients are receptive to interacting with robots designed to evaluate symptoms in a contact-free way
Tue, 03/23/2021 - 12:03
In the era of social distancing, using robots for some healthcare interactions is a promising way to reduce in-person contact between healthcare workers and sick patients. However, a key question that needs to be answered is how patients will react…
Coding? Your Brain Doesn’t Have an App for ThatTo the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
Wed, 02/17/2021 - 12:01
This story was originally published by MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL). In some ways, learning to program a computer is similar to learning a new language. It requires learning new symbols and terms, which must be…
‘Lean Lab’ Approach Reduces Spending and Increases ProductivityMIT lab offers a model for using 5S to ensure labs are efficient, data-driven, productive, and safe
Wed, 06/03/2020 - 12:01
When MIT announced in March 2020 that most research labs on campus would need to ramp down to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, Canan Dagdeviren’s lab was ready. For the past two years, Dagdeviren and her lab manager, David Sadat, have run the…
Technique Reveals Whether Models of Patient Risk Are AccurateCould help doctors choose better treatments for some patients
Thu, 02/13/2020 - 12:03
After a patient has a heart attack or stroke, doctors often use risk models to help guide their treatment. These models can calculate a patient’s risk of dying based on factors such as the patient’s age, symptoms, and other characteristics. While…
Controlling Attention With Brain WavesStudy shows that people can boost attention by manipulating their own alpha brain waves
Wed, 01/15/2020 - 12:01
Having trouble paying attention? MIT neuroscientists may have a solution for you: Turn down your alpha brain waves. In a new study, the researchers found that people can enhance their attention by controlling their own alpha brain waves based on…