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 closeup of a hand in a field holding rice that appears damaged

CRISPR

CRISPR’d plant is resistant to the “cancer of rice”

CRISPR’d plants resistant to the devastating fungal disease rice blast could help shore up the world’s food supply.

Kristin Houser

An aerial view of a dry landscape undergoing prescribed burns.

Disaster Response

California will begin backing intentional burns to control wildfire

After decades of suppression, California is now supporting prescribed burns and cultural burns.

B. David Zarley

Biology

Plants perform quantum mechanics feats that scientists can only do at ultra-cold temperatures

There may be a link between quantum mechanics and photosynthesis explaining why plants are so effective at converting light to food.

Elizabeth Fernandez

Genetics

“Spooky” quantum biology might cause your DNA to mutate

Research suggests that quantum effects could drive mutations in human DNA — the latest development in the emerging field of quantum biology.

Jenny Morber

a colorful image of a human embryo at Day 11 under a microscope

Biology

Model human embryo, created from stem cells, survives past two weeks

A model human embryo capable of developing past day 14 could revolutionize our understanding of human development.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

How years of fighting every wildfire helped fuel the Western megafires of today

The current approach to fire management poses unnecessarily high stakes for forests. Here's why fighting every fire does more harm than good.

Paul Hessburg and Keala Hagmann and Susan J. Prichard

rows of black rock with the gloved hands of a scientist in the background

Planet Earth

Record-breaking amount of Earth’s mantle drilled out of ocean floor

Scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution have retrieved “a staggering” amount of mantle rock from below the ocean floor.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Sound waves can trigger torpor-like state in mice and rats

Ultrasound stimulation triggers a torpor-like state in animals, suggesting a noninvasive way to put people into the state.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

The first 10 minutes of sleep can unlock your creative potential

According to prior research, the first ten minutes of sleep, called N1, can provide a creative boost when it comes to solving problems.

Ross Pomeroy

Engineering

Graphene is a Nobel Prize-winning “wonder material.” Graphyne might replace it.

A two-dimensional material made entirely of carbon called graphene won the Nobel Prize in 2010. Graphyne might be even better.

Sachin Rawat

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