“You still had to prove yourself.” “Every cloud has a blue lining!” Which of those sentences are you most likely to remember a few minutes from now? If you guessed the second, you’re probably correct. According to a new study from MIT cognitive scientists, sentences that stick in your mind longer are those that have […] The post MIT cognitive scientists reveal why some sentences stand out from others appeared first on MIT McGovern Institute.| MIT McGovern Institute
In a world full of competing sounds, we often have to filter out a lot of noise to hear what’s most important. This critical skill may come more easily for people with musical training, according to scientists at MIT’s McGovern Institute who used brain imaging to follow what happens when people try to focus their […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Some people, especially those in public service, perform admirable feats—healthcare workers fighting to keep patients alive or a first responder arriving at the scene of a car crash. But the emotional weight can become a mental burden. Research has shown that emergency personnel are at elevated risk for mental health challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder. How can people undergo such stressful experiences and also maintain their well-being?| MIT McGovern Institute
Sensing the World Why do we feel pain? What causes us to have intense cravings? How do we manage move so effortlessly through the world? Fan Wang’s research focuses on the neural circuits governing the bidirectional interactions between the brain and body. She is specifically interested in the circuits that control the sensory and emotional […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Alan Lightman has spent much of his authorial career writing about scientific discovery, the boundaries of knowledge, and remarkable findings from the world of research. His latest book “The Shape of Wonder,” co-authored with the lauded English astrophysicist Martin Rees and published this month by Penguin Random House, offers both profiles of scientists and an examination of scientific methods, humanizing researchers and making an affirmative case for the value of their work. Lightman is...| MIT McGovern Institute
Alan Lightman has spent much of his authorial career writing about scientific discovery, the boundaries of knowledge, and remarkable findings from the world of research. His latest book “The Shape of Wonder,” co-authored with the lauded English astrophysicist Martin Rees and published this month by Penguin Random House, offers both profiles of scientists and an […] The post 3 Questions: On humanizing scientists appeared first on MIT McGovern Institute.| MIT McGovern Institute
The first comprehensive map of mouse brain activity has been unveiled by a large international collaboration of neuroscientists. Researchers from the International Brain Laboratory (IBL), including McGovern Investigator Ila Fiete, published their findings today in two papers in Nature, revealing insights into how decision-making unfolds across the entire brain in mice at single-cell resolution. This […] The post International neuroscience collaboration unveils comprehensive cellular-resolut...| MIT McGovern Institute
This story also appears in the Fall 2025 issue of BrainScan. ___ The question of how we know ourselves might seem the subject of philosophers, but it is just as much a matter of biology. As modern neuroscientists obtain an increasingly sophisticated understanding of how the brain generates emotions, responds to the external world, and […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Scientists at the McGovern Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have reengineered a compact RNA-guided enzyme they found in bacteria into an efficient, programmable editor of human DNA. The protein they created, called NovaIscB, can be adapted to make precise changes to the genetic code, modulate the activity of specific genes, or carry out other editing tasks. Because its small size simplifies delivery to cells, NovaIscB’s developers say it is a promising candidate for deve...| MIT McGovern Institute
One in every eight people—970 million globally—live with mental illness, according to the World Health Organization, with depression and anxiety being the most common mental health conditions worldwide. Existing therapies for complex psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia have limitations, and federal funding to address these shortcomings is growing increasingly uncertain.| MIT McGovern Institute
One in every eight people—970 million globally—live with mental illness, according to the World Health Organization, with depression and anxiety being the most common mental health conditions worldwide. Existing therapies for complex psychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia have limitations, and federal funding to address these shortcomings is growing increasingly uncertain. Patricia and James […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Images of Mind John Gabrieli’s goal is to understand the organization of memory, thought, and emotion in the human brain. In collaboration with clinical colleagues, Gabrieli uses brain imaging to better understand, diagnose, and select treatments for neurological and psychiatric diseases. A major focus of the Gabrieli lab is the neural basis of learning in […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Press Mentions| MIT McGovern Institute
From toddlers’ timeouts to criminals’ prison sentences, punishment reinforces social norms, making it known that an offender has done something unacceptable. At least, that is usually the intent—but the strategy can backfire. When a punishment is perceived as too harsh, observers can be left with the impression that an authority figure is motivated by something […] The post Learning from punishment appeared first on MIT McGovern Institute.| MIT McGovern Institute
Imagine a ball bouncing down a flight of stairs. Now think about a cascade of water flowing down those same stairs. The ball and the water behave very differently, and it turns out that your brain has different regions for processing visual information about each type of physical matter. In a new study, MIT neuroscientists […] The post How the brain distinguishes oozing fluids from solid objects appeared first on MIT McGovern Institute.| MIT McGovern Institute
Exploration is essential to learning—and a new study from scientists at MIT’s McGovern Institute suggests that students may be less willing to explore if they come from a low socioeconomic environment. The study, which focused on adolescents and was published July 9, 2025, in the journal Nature Communications, shows how differences in learning strategies might […]| MIT McGovern Institute
MIT researchers have developed a new bionic knee that can help people with above-the-knee amputations walk faster, climb stairs, and avoid obstacles more easily than they could with a traditional prosthesis.| MIT McGovern Institute
The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), a professional non-profit organization dedicated to promoting international research in life sciences, announced its new members today. Among the 69 new members recognized for their outstanding achievements is Feng Zhang, the James and Patricia Poitras Professor of Neuroscience at MIT and an investigator at the McGovern Institute. Zhang, who […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Scientists at the McGovern Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have reengineered a compact RNA-guided enzyme they found in bacteria into an efficient, programmable editor of human DNA. The protein they created, called NovaIscB, can be adapted to make precise changes to the genetic code, modulate the activity of specific genes, or […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Engineering the Brain Ed Boyden develops advanced technologies for analyzing, engineering, and simulating brain circuits to reveal and repair the fundamental mechanisms behind complex brain processes. Boyden may be best known for pioneering optogenetics, a powerful method that enables scientists to control neurons using light. He also led the team that created expansion microscopy, which expands nanoscale […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Nearly 50 years ago, neuroscientists discovered cells within the brain’s hippocampus that store memories of specific locations. These cells also play an important role in storing memories of events, known as episodic memories. While the mechanism of how place cells encode spatial memory has been well-characterized, it has remained a puzzle how they encode episodic […]| MIT McGovern Institute
Language is a defining feature of humanity, and for centuries, philosophers and scientists have contemplated its true purpose. We use language to share information and exchange ideas—but is it more than that? Do we use language not just to communicate, but to think? In the June 19, 2024, issue of the journal Nature, McGovern Institute […]| MIT McGovern Institute