Science

Why happiness is not the best indicator of well-being

Achieving values and pursuing growth is the real secret to a fulfilled life.

Jason Crawford

How Arc Institute is bringing science into the century of biology

Stephen Johnson

A vibrant graphic illustration featuring a large leafy plant with integrated plant sensors, comic-style speech bubbles containing exclamation marks, and a round bubble depicting ants, set against a blue textured background.

Agriculture

Plant sensors could act as an early warning system for farmers

Using sensors made from carbon nanotubes, researchers discovered signals that help plants respond to stresses like heat, light, or attack.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office

A person cutting yellow flowers in a garden affected by water pollution.

Sustainability

Flowers grown floating on polluted waterways can help clean up nutrient runoff and turn a profit

Flowers grown on inexpensive floating platforms can help clean polluted waterways and even make a profit from cut flower sales.

Krishnaswamy Jayachandran and Jazmin Locke-Rodriguez

A woman holds a heart-shaped potato, mutated by nuclear radiation, in her hands.

Agriculture

How potatoes can keep an eye on nuclear radiation

Plants scientists are researching how fields of genetically modified potato plants could detect radiation.

Neal Stewart and Robert Sears

CRISPR

CRISPR could eradicate horrific parasite that’s killing cattle

Uruguay is developing a CRISPR gene drive to eradicate the New World screwworm fly, a horrific agricultural pest.

Kristin Houser

stylized grains of rice colored blue and red

Food

Korean scientists grow beef inside of rice

By growing cow cells inside rice, Korean researchers boosted its protein content by 8%, without substantially increasing its cost.

Kristin Houser

A glowing green plant is illuminated against a black background, creating a mesmerizing scene.

Genetics

Bioluminescent plants don’t exist in nature — but you can buy one for $29

Biotech firm Light Bio is selling gene-edited bioluminescent plants that glow green in the dark for just $29.

Kristin Houser

Brain

Scientists create the first “functional” 3D-printed mini brains

The first 3D-printed brain organoids that function like natural brain tissue could lead to breakthroughs in neuroscience.

Kristin Houser

a collage of different organisms under a microscope

Biology

“Insane” new type of virus-like organisms found in human gut

Stanford scientists have discovered a strange new class of virus-like organisms, called “obelisks,” in the human gut microbiome.

Kristin Houser

An MPI EVA researcher in the lab (left) and two stone tools from the LRJ found at the site in Ranis, Germany (right)

Genetics

New DNA testing reveals who made ancient stone tools

Using modern DNA analysis techniques, archaeologists have solved the mystery of who made a class of ancient stone tools.

Kristin Houser

a collage showing tomatoes growing on a vine and a model of DNA being edited

CRISPR

New CRISPR tomatoes need less watering

Gene-edited tomatoes that can grow with less water could help solve the problem of feeding a world battling increased water scarcity.

Kristin Houser

Engineering

A new way to swiftly eliminate micropollutants from water

Scientists at MIT are using zwitterionic hydrogels to sustainably capture both organic and inorganic micropollutants from water.

Carolyn Blais | Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab | MIT News

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