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May 24, 2025
Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.
 
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World Without MIT
MIT Great Dome entrance and trees
     
In a world without MIT, radar wouldn’t have been available to help win World War II. We might not have email, CT scans, time-release drugs, photolithography, or GPS. And we’d lose over 30,000 companies, employing millions of people. Can you imagine?
Top Headlines
MIT scientists discover potential new targets for Alzheimer’s drugs
Their study revealed genes and cellular pathways that haven’t been linked to Alzheimer’s before, including one involved in DNA repair.
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A new type of superconductor is also a magnet
MIT physicists discover a “one-of-a-kind” phenomenon in ordinary graphite.
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With AI, researchers predict the location of virtually any protein within a human cell
Trained with a joint understanding of protein and cell behavior, the model could help with diagnosing disease and developing new drugs.
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A new technology for extending the shelf life of produce
Researchers used microneedles to inject fresh-cut crops with melatonin and delay spoilage.
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A cool new way to study gravity
A technique developed at MIT enables a new class of experiments that could finally let physicists test whether gravity needs to be described by quantum theory.
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Startup enables 100-year bridges with corrosion-resistant steel
Allium Engineering, founded by two MIT alumni, has developed a process for improving steel rebar to triple the lifetime of bridges and other infrastructure.
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#ThisisMIT
Instagram photo of 19 people posing together on stairs with balloons that say “25.” Text via TPP MIT: Cheers to the Class of 2025!
In the Media
MIT team develops a robot that could help older people stay safe at home // CBS Boston
MIT researchers created a mobile robot that can physically support the elderly and prevent them from falling as they move around their homes.
Forget humanoids. At MIT, worms and turtles are inspiring a new generation of robots // The Wall Street Journal
Professor Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL, discusses her vision for the future of robots as soft, squishy, flexible, and maybe even edible.
America is getting older. How to play the longevity economy. // Barron’s
Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, speaks about the longevity economy, workforce trends, and why he sees opportunities for innovation and growth as the senior population in the U.S. increases.
While digital currency initiatives expand, what’s the future of cash? // USA Today
Neha Narula, director of the MIT Digital Currency Initiative, joins USA Today’s The Excerpt podcast to discuss the future of cash as the use of digital currencies expands.
Watch This
Stylized greyscale headshots of Michael Schrage and David Kiron
Ethics isn’t the only philosophical issue that organizations need to grapple with when developing and deploying artificial intelligence. In this video, MIT Sloan’s Michael Schrage and MIT Sloan Management Review’s David Kiron explain why leaders need to rigorously cultivate philosophical conversation if they want to realize strong returns and competitive advantage from their organizations’ generative and predictive AI investments.
Digit
350
Number of student organizations at MIT
Listen
Logo features “Chalk Radio from MIT OpenCourseWare” in white text on a black and red background
In this episode of the Chalk Radio podcast from MIT OpenCourseWare, MIT Senior Lecturer Ana Bell discusses creativity, logic, and learning to code. She describes why everyone — even in the age of generative AI — ought to study at least the basics of programming, why it can be useful to speak to an inanimate object when your coding project is stuck in the debugging stage, and how programming can help you choose your own adventure.
Listen to the episode |
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