New Atlas

Space Audio available

Revolutionary new telescope picks up 13 fast radio burst signals, including one repeater

Michael Irving January 9, 2019

The CHIME telescope has picked up 13 unexplained radio signals coming from beyond the Milky Way. These fast radio bursts are part of one of the strangest mysteries of modern astronomy, but the new detections could help unlock their source, thanks to a rare one that seems to be repeating.

The revolutionary radio telescope CHIME has now detected 13 new fast radio burst signals, including a ...

Medical Audio available

Inhalable RNA could breathe new life into lung cancer treatments

Michael Irving January 6, 2019

In the body, mRNA molecules are in charge of instructing cells to produce specific proteins, and hijacking this natural system is emerging as a promising new way to treat a wide variety of illnesses. A new inhalable mRNA aerosol could be a potential new treatment for cystic fibrosis or lung cancer.

Lung epithelial cells that have taken up the mRNA particles (yellow dots), which makes them glow ...

Space Audio available

Laser CubeSats could become artificial stars to keep space telescopes focused

David Szondy January 5, 2019

NASA is poised to send larger and larger telescopes into space over the next couple of decades and a team of researchers at MIT is working out how to use laser-equipped CubeSats to keep them fixed on target.

MIT researchers say that small satellites can follow future space telescopes, and act as “guide stars,” ...

Quantum Computing Audio available

Physicists measure how long graphene qubits hover in "alive/dead" superposition

Michael Irving January 1, 2019

Practical quantum computers may be another step closer to reality, thanks again to graphene. The bits of information in quantum computers (qubits) can exist in two states at once, and now researchers have managed to record just how long that superposition state can last in a qubit made of graphene.

Researchers have managed to record how long graphene "qubits" can stay in a superposition state

Space

Lasers help keep CubeSats on target to handle large data downlinks

David Szondy December 14, 2018

An MIT team is working on a new aiming system that will allow CubeSats to use lasers for high-bandwidth communications with Earth. The new laser-pointing platform uses a second directional beam to keep the primary data beam on focus, allowing the CubeSat to transmit large amounts of data.

A new laser-pointing platform developed at MIT may help launch CubeSats into the high-rate data game

Medical

Bluetooth-equipped capsule communicates from the gut

Ben Coxworth December 13, 2018

It was just last month that we heard the latest about a multi-dose capsule that stays in the stomach for up to two weeks, gradually releasing medication. The scientists that created it have now taken things further, with a similar capsule that can communicate from within the body using Bluetooth.

The capsule was 3D-printed in alternating layers of stiff and flexible polymers, helping it to withstand ...

Science

MIT system uses sunlight to produce super-heated steam

Ben Coxworth December 12, 2018

Back in 2014, MIT scientists developed a graphite/carbon "sponge" which used sunlight to convert water into steam. They've now improved on the design, creating a device that produces super-heated steam. It could be used in remote regions to sterilize medical equipment, among other applications.

The system has been tested on a rooftop, where it produced 146 ºC (295 ºF) steam ...

Electronics Audio available

Smallest 3D transistors ever made measure a minuscule 2.5 nanometers

Michael Irving December 9, 2018

Engineers from MIT and the University of Colorado have developed a new microfabrication technique and used it to produce the smallest 3D transistors ever made, measuring about a third the size of the current leading commercial products.

Engineers at MIT and the University of Colorado have developed a new fabrication technique to make ...

Science

Promising antibiotic derived from wasp venom

Ben Coxworth December 7, 2018

As harmful bacteria continue to become resistant to standard antibiotics, it gets increasingly important to come up with alternatives. With that in mind, scientists at MIT have looked to a species of wasp, and found an effective antibiotic in its venom.

MIT scientists have produced an antibiotic that's derived from wasp venom (although not from the species ...

Energy Audio available

MIT's conceptual "sun-in-a-box" energy storage system plugs into molten silicon

Michael Irving December 6, 2018

Lithium-ion batteries aren't necessarily the best choice for grid-scale energy storage. Researchers at MIT have outlined a new system they call a “sun in a box,” which stores energy as heat in molten silicon and harvests it by tapping into the bright light it emits.

A render of MIT's new grid-scale energy storage system