MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems unveils plans for the world’s first fusion power plant

The company has announced that it will build the first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Zach Winn | MIT News • mit
Dec. 17, 2024 ~6 min

MIT researchers introduce Boltz-1, a fully open-source model for predicting biomolecular structures

With models like AlphaFold3 limited to academic research, the team built an equivalent alternative, to encourage innovation more broadly.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
Dec. 17, 2024 ~7 min


A new method to detect dehydration in plants

Sensors developed by SMART researchers are capable of detecting pH changes in plant xylem enable farmers to detect drought stress up to 48 hours before visible physical symptoms manifest.

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology • mit
Dec. 16, 2024 ~7 min

Study reveals AI chatbots can detect race, but racial bias reduces response empathy

Researchers at MIT, NYU, and UCLA develop an approach to help evaluate whether large language models like GPT-4 are equitable enough to be clinically viable for mental health support.

Alex Ouyang | Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health • mit
Dec. 16, 2024 ~6 min

Teaching a robot its limits, to complete open-ended tasks safely

The “PRoC3S” method helps an LLM create a viable action plan by testing each step in a simulation. This strategy could eventually aid in-home robots to complete more ambiguous chore requests.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
Dec. 12, 2024 ~6 min

Enabling a circular economy in the built environment

A better understanding of construction industry stakeholders’ motivations can lead to greater adoption of circular practices.

CK Taylor | Climate and Sustainability Consortium • mit
Dec. 11, 2024 ~9 min

Noninvasive imaging method can penetrate deeper into living tissue

Using high-powered lasers, this new method could help biologists study the body’s immune responses and develop new medicines.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
Dec. 11, 2024 ~9 min

Researchers reduce bias in AI models while preserving or improving accuracy

A new technique identifies and removes the training examples that contribute most to a machine-learning model’s failures.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
Dec. 11, 2024 ~7 min


Cambridge to trial cutting-edge semiconductor technologies for wider use in major European project

The University of Cambridge is one of two UK participants named as part of the PIXEurope consortium, a collaboration between research organisations from across

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Dec. 10, 2024 ~5 min

Pearl Young, the first woman to work in a technical role at NASA, overcame barriers and ‘raised hell’ − her legacy continues today

Many of her male colleagues believed Pearl Young had an attitude problem based on her efforts to advocate for herself and her team.

Caitlin Milera, Research Assistant Professor of Aerospace, University of North Dakota • conversation
Dec. 10, 2024 ~8 min

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