At MIT, groundbreaking ideas blend science and breast cancer detection innovation
Scientists uncover hidden asteroids while wearable ultrasound devices help detect cancer
Updated: 8:14 PM EDT Apr 2, 2025
AT MIT, THEY’RE WORKING ON DODGING ASTEROIDS. MOTHER EARTH RECENTLY DODGED A BULLET. AN ASTEROID THE SIZE OF AN EIGHT STORY BUILDING. BUT WE’RE NOT ENTIRELY IN THE CLEAR. YEAH, THERE MIGHT BE MORE BULLETS COMING. OR RATHER, THEY ARE JUST MORE BULLETS. AS HUMANITY KEEPS ON IMPROVING ITS TECHNOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK TO FIND THIS KIND OF THING, NEVER FEAR, EARTHLINGS. JULIAN DEWITT AND ARTEM BOGDANOV HAVE US COVERED. THESE SCIENTISTS AT MIT ARE PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL PLANETARY DEFENSE TEAM. BURDENOF RECENTLY DISCOVERED SOMETHING THAT GRABBED HIS ATTENTION. I EVEN HAD TO DOWNLOAD A SPECIAL. GIF OR GIF WITH THE PERSON DOES LIKE THIS. SO I JUST SENT IT TO JULIAN AND SAID, LOOK, THIS IS WHAT I SEE. NOW THIS IS MIND BLOWING. BERNOFF HAS DISCOVERED THAT LAYERING MULTIPLE INFRARED IMAGES TAKEN BY THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE REVEALS SCORES OF PREVIOUSLY UNDETECTABLE ASTEROIDS. THE NEW TECHNIQUE CAN NOW TRACK ASTEROIDS 100 TIMES SMALLER THAN BEFORE. A HUGE ADVANTAGE FOR OUR PLANETARY DEFENSE. AND NOW WE HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE’LL BE ABLE TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THESE OTHER BULLETS SO THAT IF THERE IS ONE THAT WE CANNOT DODGE, WE’LL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. EARLY DETECTION IS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE. ON THE FOURTH FLOOR OF MIT’S MEDIA LAB AS WELL. IF YOU CANNOT DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER AT AN EARLY ONSET, THEN YOUR SURVIVAL RATE DECREASES TO 22 PERCENTILE. JOHN AND ARDAVAN HEADS UP THE CONFORMABLE DECODERS RESEARCH GROUP. ITS FOCUS CREATING WEARABLE SENSORS TO MONITOR PHYSICAL PATTERNS SO YOU CAN THINK OF THIS LIKE A GOOGLE TRANSLATE. YOU TRANSLATE A BIOLOGICAL LANGUAGE INTO ELECTRICAL LANGUAGE THROUGH THESE DECODERS, THROUGH THE DEVICES THAT WE DEVELOP IN OUR LAB. DART, AVON AND HER GROUP HAVE CREATED AN ULTRASOUND DEVICE THAT CAN BE WORN IN A BRA BY THOSE AT HIGH RISK FOR BREAST CANCER. A NEW, SOFTER ITERATION IS IN THE WORKS. YOU WANT YOUR DAILY BRA. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PLACE THIS AS A SINGLE LIKE INTERFACE, AND WITHIN ONE SCAN YOU WILL ACTUALLY GET THE ENTIRE SNAPSHOT OF YOUR ENTIRE BREAST TISSUE. THE IDEA AROSE WHEN DEVENS FAVORITE AUNT WAS DYING OF BREAST CANCER. IN BETWEEN REGULAR SCREENINGS, A DEADLY CANCER HAD TAKEN HOLD. AND I SAT BY HER BEDSIDE AND TOOK A PIECE OF PAPER, AND I WAS SKETCHING A BRA AND ASKING FEEDBACK FROM MY AUNT. AND SHE LOVED IT. DART AVON THINKS HER DEVICE FILLS A BIG VOID IN WOMEN’S HEALTH, OFFERING A HUGE PAYOFF FOR A REASONABLE COST. BASED ON OUR CALCULATION, ONE SCAN WILL COST LESS THAN A CUP OF COFFEE AROUND $3. AND AGAIN, WITH OUR HUMBLE CALCULATION, TELLS US THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY HAS A POTENTIAL TO SAVE 12 MILLION LIVES PER YEAR GLOBALLY. BIOMEDICAL DEVICES IN THE MEDIA LAB. ORIGAMI IN A COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE. FASHION TECHNOLOGY IN THE ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT. BIG IDEAS HAVE A WAY OF BREAKING OUT OF CONVENTIONAL BOUNDARIES. JUST PART OF WHAT MAKES MIT ONE GIANT LABORATORY OF GROUNDBREAKING IDEAS. MIT IS A REALLY WILD PLACE, AND MOST PEOPLE KNOW OF IT FOR ITS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, PLACE FOR AI AND COMPUTING OR PHYSICS AND MATH AND ENGINEERING. BUT WHAT I’M REALLY INSPIRED BY IS ALSO ON THE CREATIVE END, THE DESIGN SPECTRUM. I THINK THE MIX OF THOSE TWO IS SUPER SPECIAL. IT’S PLAYFUL. WE CAN IMAGINE, WE CAN DREAM, WE CAN EXPERIMENT. WE CAN DISCOVER, BUT WE CAN ALSO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND DISCOVER NEW SCIENCE. AND WE CAN ALSO SOLVE THE RIGHT PROBLEMS THROUGH ENGINEERING. AND WE ASKED MIT ABOUT THE CURRENT CLIMATE FOR RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES, GIVEN THE CUTS BEING CALLED FOR IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THEY REFERRED US TO A STATEMENT ISSUED BY MIT PRESIDENT SALLY KORNBLUTH, WHICH READS IN PART, WE OPPOSE THESE CUTS BECAUSE THEY WILL ERODE AMERICA’S GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC LEADERSHIP AND DEPRIVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE OF THE FRUITS OF RESEARCH AND UNTOLD POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR THEIR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. MIT HAS JOINED WITH A NUMBER OF TOP UNIVERSITIES IN FILING A SUIT I
At MIT, groundbreaking ideas blend science and breast cancer detection innovation
Scientists uncover hidden asteroids while wearable ultrasound devices help detect cancer
Updated: 8:14 PM EDT Apr 2, 2025
Exploring Innovation at MIT: A Glimpse Behind the ScenesAt MIT, innovation ranges from awe-inspiring technology to down-to-earth creativity. Professor Erik Demaine’s work in computational origami blends art and mathematics to solve intricate problems, while doctoral student Sandy Curth explores eco-friendly construction using programmable mud. In the Self Assembly lab, progress is being made on making our clothing, furniture, and buildings smarter. Some of their work has been integrated into the methods and materials used at the clothing store Ministry of Supply in Boston.In the Media Lab, Canan Dagdeviren’s Conformable Decoders group develops life-saving wearable ultrasound devices for breast cancer detection. And our planetary defense is in good hands, given the recent MIT breakthroughs on detecting ever smaller asteroids. On the more playful side, MIT students work together on “team builds” such as the Combat Robotics club and the First Nations Launch team. All clubs fall under the purview of the Edgerton Center where students are given the tools and instruction to undertake their projects.MIT nurtures groundbreaking efforts, reminding us that creativity and science thrive together, inspiring future advancements in engineering, medicine, and beyond.MIT President Sally Kornbluth has issued a statementon the impacts of the proposed reduction of federal funding for MIT, and research universities in general.
Exploring Innovation at MIT: A Glimpse Behind the Scenes
At MIT, innovation ranges from awe-inspiring technology to down-to-earth creativity. Professor Erik Demaine’s work in computational origami blends art and mathematics to solve intricate problems, while doctoral student Sandy Curth explores eco-friendly construction using programmable mud.
In the Self Assembly lab, progress is being made on making our clothing, furniture, and buildings smarter. Some of their work has been integrated into the methods and materials used at the clothing store Ministry of Supply in Boston.
In the Media Lab, Canan Dagdeviren’s Conformable Decoders group develops life-saving wearable ultrasound devices for breast cancer detection. And our planetary defense is in good hands, given the recent MIT breakthroughs on detecting ever smaller asteroids.
On the more playful side, MIT students work together on “team builds” such as the Combat Robotics club and the First Nations Launch team. All clubs fall under the purview of the Edgerton Center where students are given the tools and instruction to undertake their projects.
MIT nurtures groundbreaking efforts, reminding us that creativity and science thrive together, inspiring future advancements in engineering, medicine, and beyond.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth has issued a statementon the impacts of the proposed reduction of federal funding for MIT, and research universities in general.