Engineers turn the body’s goo into new glue

They combined a blend of slimy and sticky proteins to produce a fast-acting, bacteria-blocking, waterproof adhesive for use in biomedical applications.

Jennifer Chu | MIT News • mit
Feb. 17, 2025 ~7 min

Evolving intelligent life took billions of years − but it may not have been as unlikely as many scientists predicted

Humans evolved late in Earth history. While this timing inspired the conclusion that humanlike life is a cosmic improbability, a new study pushes back.

Jennifer L. Macalady, Professor of Geoscience, Penn State • conversation
Feb. 14, 2025 ~10 min


AI model deciphers the code in proteins that tells them where to go

Whitehead Institute and CSAIL researchers created a machine-learning model to predict and generate protein localization, with implications for understanding and remedying disease.

Greta Friar | Whitehead Institute • mit
Feb. 13, 2025 ~11 min

Enzymes are the engines of life − machine learning tools could help scientists design new ones to tackle disease and climate change

Enzymes significantly speed up the chemical reactions that keep you alive. Researchers are using AI to create new ones to tackle modern challenges.

Sam Pellock, Postdoctoral Scholar in Biochemistry, University of Washington • conversation
Feb. 13, 2025 ~9 min

Mirror life is a scientific fantasy leading to a dangerous reality − a synthetic biologist explains how mirror bacteria could conquer life on Earth

Synthetic cells that look just like natural cells but are chemically reversed could outcompete other living organisms − with dire consequences for human health and the environment.

Kate Adamala, Assistant Professor of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota • conversation
Feb. 11, 2025 ~10 min

With generative AI, MIT chemists quickly calculate 3D genomic structures

A new approach, which takes minutes rather than days, predicts how a specific DNA sequence will arrange itself in the cell nucleus.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Jan. 31, 2025 ~8 min

Kingdoms collide as bacteria and cells form captivating connections

Studying the pathogen R. parkeri, researchers discovered the first evidence of extensive and stable interkingdom contacts between a pathogen and a eukaryotic organelle.

Lillian Eden | Department of Biology • mit
Jan. 24, 2025 ~8 min

Trees ‘remember’ wetter times − never having known abundant rain could buffer today’s young forests against climate change

Water availability regulates tree growth and can have ‘legacy effects’ long after conditions change.

Marcus Schaub, Group Leader, Forest Dynamics and Ecophysiology, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) • conversation
Jan. 9, 2025 ~11 min


Spiders ‘smell’ with their legs – new research

As spiders do not have antennae as insects, it’s long been a mystery how they can smell.

Hong-Lei Wang, Researcher, Sensory Biology, Lund University • conversation
Jan. 7, 2025 ~7 min

Planning for spring’s garden? Bees like variety and don’t care about your neighbors’ yards

A biologist explains what to focus on if you’re designing a garden with pollinators in mind − and what you don’t need to worry about.

Laura Russo, Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Jan. 7, 2025 ~7 min

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