Jennifer Chu

Life can survive, and thrive in a hydrogen world, an MIT study finds. In search for extraterrestrial life, astronomers may want to look first for planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres.

A new solar desalination system takes in saltwater and heats it with natural sunlight. The system flushes out accumulated salt, so replacement parts aren’t needed often, meaning the system could potentially produce drinking water that is cheaper than tap water.

MIT scientists find the sounds beneath our feet are fingerprints of rock stability.

NASA’s Psyche mission, a project with deep roots at MIT, is setting course for a metallic space rock that could be the remnant of a planetary core like our own. Its principal investigator is MIT alumna and former professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton, who leads a team including longtime MIT colleagues on the first mission to a metal world.

MIT engineers designed a system that can efficiently produce “solar thermochemical hydrogen.” It harnesses the sun’s heat to split water and generate hydrogen — a clean fuel that emits no greenhouse gas emissions.

When stacked in five layers in a rhombohedral pattern, graphene takes on a rare “multiferroic” state, exhibiting both unconventional magnetism and an exotic electronic behavior known as ferro-valleytricity.

A new study reveals the pitfalls of deep generative models when they are tasked with solving engineering design problems. The MIT researchers say if mechanical engineers want help from AI for novel ideas and designs, they’ll have to refocus those models beyond “statistical similarity.”

New soft, implantable fibers can deliver light to major nerves through the body. Developed at MIT, they are an experimental tool for scientists to explore the causes and potential treatments for peripheral nerve disorders in animal models.

MIT engineers designed a sort of workout mat for cells that can help scientists zero in, at the microscopic level, on exercise’s mechanical effects. The results suggest regular mechanical exercise can help muscle fibers grow in the same direction.

LIRAS is a new technique that offers a safe, reliable, and high-throughput way to dynamically characterize microscale metamaterials. The method could speed the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials.