Science Spotlights

Phoenix Rising: A Galaxy Cluster That's Breaking Cosmic Records

Aug 15, 2012

On the eve of their NASA press conference, Michael McDonald, Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at MIT, and Bradford Benson, Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, discuss the discovery of the Phoenix Cluster -- a galaxy cluster for the record books.

The Fantastic Plastic Brain

Jul 30, 2012

Recent research is beginning to answer these fundamental questions by exploring the plasticity of the adult brain—its ability to readily be shaped by experience. Contrary to the common assumption that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, there is increasingly strong evidence that the adult human brain is remarkably malleable and capable of new feats even in the last decades of life.

"Dark Matters" - Incredible Simulations of an Invisible Universe

Jul 6, 2012

At the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, scientists are using massive computer simulations to create 3-D movies that reveal the mysteries of the universe in ways that almost let you reach out and grasp entire galaxies... and from any angle.

How Atomic Scale Devices Are Transforming Electronics

Jun 9, 2012

With advances such as a working transistor made from a single atom, scientists and technologists are learning to measure and manipulate matter to create fundamentally different electronic devices. Three experts discuss how nanotechnology is likely to affect computing, and whether we have the research infrastructure necessary to commercialize today's latest nanoelectronic findings.