An air pump from the year 1770 is among the historical items featured in a new exhibit at the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. Curated by Emma Mendoza Broder, Ph.D. ’25, the display highlights 18th-century technology that fueled early America and is supported by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation and Revolution250. Harvard College, established in 1636,…

Carbon capture plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change, yet it encounters technological challenges and can be both energy-intensive and costly. MIT researchers, with backing from the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium (MCSC), are investigating more energy-efficient and scalable alternatives to traditional carbon dioxide (CO2) capture techniques. The standard method, amine scrubbing, is energy-intensive…

The Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI), led by MIT, has secured renewed funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for another five years. The annual grant has increased from $4 million to $4.98 million. This renewal signifies a new chapter for IAIFI, which has spent its initial five years developing a research…

Twenty faculty research initiatives have received grants from Harvard University’s new Frontiers of Innovation for Societal Impact Fund, which allocated $4 million to projects addressing societal issues in fields such as medicine, climate, civics, and arts. The fund, managed by Harvard’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research, aims to promote projects with potential industry…

In today’s era of constant distractions, who would commit to watching a 439-minute film? Sarah Lamodi, a correspondent for Harvard, explored this question. Modern life is filled with interruptions, affecting how people engage with arts and culture. Reading habits are declining, songwriters are crafting shorter tunes, and film students are reportedly watching fewer movies. Despite…

Trey Leveque, Liz Schwartz, Olivia Field, Tracey Crouch, and Alex Smith participated in a webinar moderated by Schwartz. The event, captured by Stephanie Mitchell of Harvard, addressed loneliness as a growing public health concern. Initial national efforts to address loneliness as a societal health issue dwindled after the pandemic, amid economic challenges and political divisions….

By 2026, the buzz surrounding artificial intelligence agents has reached new heights. These semi-autonomous systems, which use language models (LMs), are effective in tasks such as customer service and software development. However, they encounter difficulties in areas like medical diagnosis and scientific research, where they must navigate complex environments and seek numerous solutions. Researchers from…

MIT chemists, using a new cross-linking molecule, have significantly enhanced the ballistic impact resistance of commonly used polymers, including polystyrene and a type of rubber found in shoe soles. Polystyrene, a rigid polymer, is used in various plastic items like bottles, mugs, and disposable cutlery, and serves as coatings for electronics and in foam form…

In the U.S., children typically receive a polio vaccine via injection, which effectively prevents the disease but is less efficient at halting virus transmission compared to the oral version. Poliovirus commonly spreads through contaminated food or water, initially affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The oral vaccine induces a mucosal immune response in the GI tract,…

In the fast-paced global economy, companies may use generative AI models to quickly interpret and summarize the charts found in market reports and financial documents. However, even cutting-edge vision-language models can struggle with this task, as it requires them to understand visual, numerical, and linguistic elements. Even with advanced models, companies may still face issues…