OceansApril 8, 2022
Probiotics Could Help Save Overheated Corals
Think of the process as a kind of marine fecal transplant—except the restorative bacteria do not come from stool; they come from other corals.
Stories by Sarah Vitak
Sarah Vitak is a maker, scientist, radio producer, writer, science communicator and artist. She is currently the lab manager of the Sculpting Evolution group at the M.I.T. Media Lab.
Artificial IntelligenceMarch 15, 2022
Are You Better Than a Machine at Spotting a Deepfake?
New research shows that detecting digital fakes generated by machine learning might be a job best done with humans still in the loop.
EvolutionNovember 26, 2021
Redo of a Famous Experiment on the Origins of Life Reveals Critical Detail Missed for Decades
The Miller-Urey experiment showed that the conditions of early Earth could be simulated in a glass flask. New research finds the flask itself played an underappreciated, though outsize, role.
CancerNovember 10, 2021
Engineered Bacteria Use Air Bubbles as Acoustically Detonated Tumor TNT
Ultrasound triggered cells home in on tumors and then self destruct to deliver damage or therapeutics from inside.
Materials ScienceOctober 5, 2021
The Mystery of Water Drops That Skate Across Oil at Impossible Speeds
The speed of these self-propelling droplets on a hot-oil surface seemed to defy physics until researchers broke out the super-slow-motion camera.
MicrobiologyAugust 10, 2021
Inside Millions of Invisible Droplets, Potential Superbug Killers Grow
New research has created microscopic antibiotic factories in droplets that measure a trillionth of liter in volume.
EngineeringJune 2, 2021
New 3-D-Printed Material Is Tough, Flexible—and Alive
Made from microalgae and bacteria, the new substance can survive for three days without feeding. It could one day be used to build living garments, self-powered kitchen appliances or even window coverings that sequester carbon.
ElectronicsMarch 18, 2021
Smartphones Can Hear the Shape of Your Door Keys
Can you pick a lock with just a smartphone? New research shows that doing so is possible.