Tag: astrophysics

  • MIT School of Science News: Black Hole Echoes, Climate Adaptation, and More

    MIT School of Science News: Black Hole Echoes, Climate Adaptation, and More

    Listening for the Echoes of Black Holes

    Erin Kara employs X-ray reverberations and other astrophysical data to investigate the most extreme objects in the universe. Read full story

    MIT in the Media: Curiosity-Driven Science and National Success

    Scientific American highlights the role of curiosity-driven research in America’s achievements, showcasing young scientists and MIT icons. Read full story

    Summer 2026 Recommended Reading from MIT

    Explore recent titles authored by MIT faculty and staff for the summer reading list. Read full story

    When Environmental Change Outpaces Adaptation

    A new model links Earth’s mass extinctions to mismatches between the rate of environmental change and biological adaptation. Read full story

    Characterizing Earth’s Damping Mechanisms

    PhD candidate Perrin Davidson studies the carbon cycle to understand the planet’s response to global disturbances. Read full story

    Meet the Leader of the Biology Department’s Kitchen

    Karen O’Leary, lab associate and acting supervisor of the Glassware Sterilization Facility, has become a cornerstone of department operations. Read full story

    QS Ranks MIT World’s No. 1 University for 2026-27

    MIT tops the ranking for the 15th consecutive year and places first in 12 subject areas. Read full story

    Susan Solomon Named 2026 Tang Prize Laureate

    The MIT professor’s work on atmospheric chemistry helped pave the way for ozone layer recovery and highlighted carbon emission impacts. Read full story

    MIT Open Learning Reaches the South Pole

    John Della Costa uses OpenCourseWare to teach physics and build community among Antarctica winterovers. Read full story

    Harriet Having It All: A Career in Molecular Biology

    Harriet Latham Robinson SM ’61, PhD ’65 balanced a career at the forefront of molecular biology with family and adventure. Read full story

    MIT Affiliates Win 2026 Hertz Foundation Fellowships

    Fellowships support doctoral students tackling pressing challenges in science, engineering, and mathematics. Read full story

    Would You Return a Favor? It Depends on the Relationship

    A study shows people expect reciprocal generosity only with friends or those of equal social status. Read full story

    Advancing Stem Cell Research and Building the Next Generation

    Biology PhD student Giselle Valdes studies stem cell regeneration while mentoring aspiring researchers. Read full story

    Myriam Heiman Named Director of Picower Institute

    Heiman, who studies neurodegenerative diseases, will lead the institute starting July 1. Read full story

    Pablo Jarillo-Herrillo Wins Kavli Prize in Nanoscience

    The MIT physicist shares the honor for foundational research establishing twistronics. Read full story

    For more news, visit the MIT School of Science news page.

  • Exploring the Extremes: MIT’s Recent Discoveries on Black Holes

    Exploring the Extremes: MIT’s Recent Discoveries on Black Holes

    MIT researchers continue to push the boundaries of black hole astrophysics, unveiling new insights into these cosmic enigmas. From the earliest flickering quasars to the echoes of gravitational waves, recent studies from MIT News highlight the relentless pursuit of understanding the most extreme objects in the universe.

    • Listening for the echoes of black holes – By analyzing X-ray reverberations, Erin Kara seeks to understand black holes’ extreme environments. (June 26, 2026)
    • MIT astronomers discover the earliest known flickering quasar – A voracious black hole was already surprisingly mature when the universe was just 850 million years old. (June 8, 2026)
    • The Haystack 37m Telescope: A new era of astrophysical research – The legendary radio astronomy telescope returns to its science and educational mission. (May 19, 2026)
    • A new way to spot signs of dark matter – Gravitational waves from colliding black holes may bear imprints of dark matter, detectable with a new model. (May 12, 2026)
    • Two physicists and a curious host walk into a studio… – MIT LIGO researchers discuss discovery science and planetary defense on GBH’s The Curiosity Desk. (March 31, 2026)
    • New catalog more than doubles the number of gravitational-wave detections – The latest crop includes heavy, fast-spinning, and lopsided colliding black holes. (March 5, 2026)
    • Could a primordial black hole’s last burst explain a mysteriously energetic neutrino? – A record-setting neutrino might be the first evidence of elusive Hawking radiation. (September 18, 2025)
    • Ten years later, LIGO is a black-hole hunting machine – LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA verify Stephen Hawking’s black hole area theorem. (September 10, 2025)
    • Professor Emeritus Rainer Weiss dies at 92 – Weiss shared a Nobel Prize for developing LIGO and detecting gravitational waves. (August 26, 2025)
    • Astronomers discover star-shredding black holes hiding in dusty galaxies – These dormant black holes wake briefly to feast on a passing star. (July 24, 2025)
    • Viewing the universe through ripples in space – Physicist Salvatore Vitale searches for new gravitational wave sources. (February 18, 2025)
    • Study reveals the Phoenix galaxy cluster in extreme cooling – Webb Telescope observations explain the cluster’s mysterious starburst. (February 13, 2025)
    • Eleven MIT faculty receive Presidential Early Career Awards – Faculty and alumni recognized for outstanding leadership. (February 3, 2025)
    • Rare and mysterious cosmic explosion: Gamma-ray burst or jetted tidal disruption event? – Characterizing the peculiar Einstein Probe transient EP240408a. (January 29, 2025)
    • X-ray flashes from a nearby supermassive black hole accelerate mysteriously – The source could be the core of a dead star teetering at the black hole’s edge. (January 13, 2025)

    These findings represent just a glimpse of MIT’s ongoing contributions to black hole research. For the full stories, visit the MIT News Black Holes topic page.