Modern spacesuits have a compatability problem. Astronauts’ lives depend on fixing it

Making spacesuits compatible with different spacecraft could protect astronauts during an emergency evacuation.

Berna Akcali Gur, Lecturer in Outer Space Law, Queen Mary University of London • conversation
yesterday ~7 min

A new way to make graphs more accessible to blind and low-vision readers

The Tactile Vega-Lite system, developed at MIT CSAIL, streamlines the tactile chart design process; could help educators efficiently create these graphics and aid designers in making precise changes.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
yesterday ~6 min


Decoding a medieval mystery manuscript

Using tech tools and a human touch, Arthur Bahr sheds light on the original volume containing “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and “Pearl.”

Peter Dizikes | MIT News • mit
yesterday ~8 min

Fossil face discovery highlights challenges faced by Europe’s earliest settlers

Western Europe appears to have been difficult territory for early human relatives to settle in.

Suzy White, Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Reading • conversation
March 19, 2025 ~6 min

3D printing approach strings together dynamic objects for you

“Xstrings” method enables users to produce cable-driven objects, automatically assemble bionic robots, sculptures, and dynamic fashion designs.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
March 18, 2025 ~7 min

Long, unplanned stay in space will have taken a toll on minds and bodies of stranded astronauts

The astronauts were due to spend eight days on the ISS but ended up staying for nine months.

Craig Jackson, Professor of Occupational Health Psychology, Birmingham City University • conversation
March 18, 2025 ~8 min

Genetic study reveals hidden chapter in human evolution

Modern humans descended from not one, but at least two ancestral populations that drifted apart and later reconnected, long before modern humans spread across

Cambridge University News • cambridge
March 18, 2025 ~6 min

New platform lets anyone rapidly prototype large, sturdy interactive structures

The system uses reconfigurable electromechanical building blocks to create structural electronics.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
March 18, 2025 ~8 min


When did human language emerge?

A new analysis suggests our language capacity existed at least 135,000 years ago, with language used widely perhaps 35,000 years after that.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News • mit
March 14, 2025 ~8 min

Inside the sex lives of chimpanzees: it’s about much more than just reproduction

Any notion of a dominant alpha chimp getting all the action is far from reality.

Zanna Clay, Professor in the Department of Psychology, Durham University • conversation
March 11, 2025 ~9 min

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