Results tagged “mit” from 60 Second Science

From the people who brought us Kismet…

Meet Nexi, an oddly expressive robot from MIT's Media Lab.

MIT researcher Sangeeta N. Bhatia has enlisted a powerful new ally in the fight against cancer: superparamagnetic nanoparticles! They’re tiny, they’re tough, and they target tumors.

“Superparamagnetic” particles release heat in the presence of a magnetic field, and in the Nov. 15 issue of Advanced Materials, Bhatia and her colleagues report success in using the tiny particles to deliver cancer-fighting drugs.

Here’s how they work. The nanoparticles, injected into the bloodstream of the patient, zero in on tumors and clump together. (This innovative and still-experimental searching mechanism was also devised by Bhatia’s team.) Doctors can find the particles—and the tumors—with an MRI.

Continue reading 'Superparamagnetic nanoparticles to the rescue!' >

Undergraduates from 59 countries are gathering at MIT for the 2007 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, or iGEM Jamboree, to showcase the designer biological systems they have spent all summer building.

These are the up-and-coming practitioners of the hot new field of synthetic biology displaying their finest work.

Continue reading 'World’s largest synthetic biology competition this weekend' >