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In 1960, engineers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in India developed the nation’s first computer, named the “Automatic Calculator.” Equipped with ferrite-core memory similar to IBM’s advanced machines, this device, known as TIFRAC, was a significant achievement despite limited resources. “The engineers hadn’t seen an operational computer before,” says Dwai Banerjee, an…

A peculiar pair of planets is orbiting a star roughly 190 light years away in the Milky Way galaxy. This strange duo, a hot Jupiter and a mini-Neptune, has puzzled astronomers since it was discovered in 2020. Now, researchers from MIT have examined the mini-Neptune’s atmosphere, revealing insights into the origins of this unusual planetary…

The Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute holds over 600 scrapbooks that offer unique insights into lesser-known histories and the daily lives of people from past eras. These collections are particularly valuable for understanding women’s history, which is often underrepresented in official records. Victor Betts, a curator at the library, highlights the diverse nature of…

In 1985, the Innovative Design Fund advertised in Scientific American, offering up to $10,000 for innovative prototypes in clothing, home decor, and textiles. William Freeman, who was an electrical engineer at Polaroid and is now an MIT professor, submitted a unique idea: a three-sided zipper. Unlike traditional zippers for clothing, this was envisioned to switch…

Annually, over 1,500 researchers at MIT.nano depend on more than 200 tools and instruments for experiments, generating 160,000 hours of work in 88,000 tool uses. This requires a robust operational system to ensure fair access and smooth research processes. The facility uses an automated reservation system to coordinate demands and maintain an efficient shared lab…

Researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have discovered that different mutations in the gene MECP2 cause various abnormalities in Rett syndrome, challenging the notion that the disorder arises from a general gene dysfunction. The study found that each mutation needed a unique treatment approach to correct the specific issues they caused. “Individual…

The control of gene expression partially relies on interactions between genes and regulatory elements along the genome. These interactions are influenced by chromatin, a DNA-protein mix, which moves within a crowded environment. MIT researchers have, for the first time, quantified chromatin movement over timescales from microseconds to hours. Their study shows chromatin exists in two…

Student evaluations are a common method for measuring teaching effectiveness in higher education. Many institutions use standardized forms at the end of courses, and the scores significantly impact faculty promotions, tenure, and merit reviews. While student feedback offers valuable insights, relying heavily on these evaluations can lead to inaccurate or unfair assessments of faculty performance….

Some students hesitate to articulate their thoughts, not due to a lack of ideas, but out of fear that their opinions might be incorrect. In my introductory music class, students are tasked with writing about unfamiliar compositions from day one. This unfamiliarity often results in self-censorship. They listen, form impressions, and even find words to…

Researchers from Harvard suggest that the creation of startups indicates quantum computing technology might be advancing more rapidly than previously thought. Mihir Bhaskar, who earned his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard in 2021, was fascinated with computing history in his youth. His dedication has contributed to significant progress in quantum computing, which may one day…