Science

Side by side of mouse embryos. The one on the left appears to be developing normally, but the one on the right has an extra pair of legs.

How turning off one gene causes mice to grow 6 legs

A study of embryo development in mice led to the creation of a mutant mouse fetus with an extra pair of legs in place of genitals.

Kristin Houser

a rendering of three massive silver containers with "Ark" written on them

Food

This startup is trying to solve lab-grown meat’s biggest problem

A biotech startup has developed a new kind of bioreactor that could help increase cultivated meat production.

Kristin Houser

A man in a suit stands next to a robotic arm with computer-brain interfaces on a stage under blue lighting.

Big Tech

In a future with brain-computer interfaces like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, we may need to rethink freedom of thought

In a future with more “mind reading,” thanks to computer-brain interfaces, we may need to rethink freedom of thought.

Parker Crutchfield

Physics

The true meaning of Einstein’s most famous equation: E=mc²

Although most people can name Einstein's most famous equation, E = mc², very few people can explain what it means.

Ethan Siegel

Animals

Dolphins use signature whistles to represent other dolphins – like names

Bottlenose dolphins are extremely social animals that communicate constantly, and consistently use signature whistles for one another.

Jason Bruck

CRISPR

CRISPR fully reprograms mammal genome for the first time

CRISPR has been used to rearrange the chromosomes of lab mice, a world’s first in mammals and a breakthrough in bioengineering.

Kristin Houser

Books

Is your mind just a parasite on your physical body?

What if there is nothing special about self-awareness? What if it is just evolutionary dead weight, bound to disappear soon?

Adam Frank

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

Watch

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

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