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

Agriculture

Breakthrough in photosynthesis boosts plant growth up to 30%

In a small study, researchers have engineered soy plants to have higher yields thanks to improved photosynthesis.

B. David Zarley

New algorithm aces university math course questions

Researchers use machine learning to automatically solve, explain, and generate university-level math problems at a human level.

Adam Zewe | MIT News Office

Biology

Mouse embryos with beating hearts have been created entirely in the lab

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have developed mouse embryos, complete with organ structures, purely from stem cells.

B. David Zarley

Sustainability

Harnessing nature’s secret: How synthetic biology could save the planet

In partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks

Did nature hold the key to reversing climate change all along? Synthetic biologists think so.

Freethink Team

Hacking DNA to beat climate change

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In partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks

Nature already has a secret way to combat climate change. What if we could harness it?

Agriculture

Weed’s “superpower” could help feed the planet

A Yale study focused on how photosynthesis works in the common weed purslane puts us closer to engineering crops resistant to climate change.

Kristin Houser

Aging

Transhumanism: Savior of humanity or false prophecy?

While many of the technologies upon which transhumanists base their dream are real and world-changing, they have major limitations.

Sachin Rawat

Animals

Yale team partially revives dead pig organs an hour after death

Yale’s OrganEx technology has been used to partially revive the organs of dead pigs an hour after their hearts stopped beating.

Kristin Houser

Food

This fermented cooking oil could replace vegetable oil

Zero Acre Farms is using fermentation to create a cultured oil that’s healthier and more sustainable than traditional cooking oils.

Kristin Houser

Biology

How will humans change in the next 10,000 years?

If humans don’t die out in a climate apocalypse or asteroid impact in the next 10,000 years, are we likely to evolve further?

Nicholas R. Longrich

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