Jason Kelly ’03, PhD ’08, co-founder and CEO of MIT startup Ginkgo Bioworks, told the New York Times that “the ultimate goal for Ginkgo is to make it as easy to program a cell as it is to program a computer.”

Mining previously inaccessible, declassified archives and vast public databases, Emilia Simison is creating a new picture of how autocratic regimes function — ranging from Francisco Franco’s Spain to more recent dictatorships in Brazil and Argentina.

As the most consumed material after water, concrete is indispensable to many essential uses, from roads to buildings. Researchers have now outlined how to cut concrete’s environmental impacts, even as its use continues to increase.

Via @omp.mit on Instagram: “Hi everyone, meet Thalia Peña! We are so excited to have Thalia serve as our OMP LCC Graduate Assistant! Thalia will be working on campus on Tuesdays from 1-5 PM ET.”

Using specialized nanoparticles embedded in plant leaves, engineers have created a light-emitting plant that can be charged by an LED. After 10 seconds of charging, plants glow brightly for several minutes, and they can be recharged repeatedly.

Still in the experimental stage, cancer vaccines are designed to stimulate the body’s own immune system to destroy a tumor. Biologists have identified new protein targets for these vaccines, which help rejuvenate “exhausted” T cells and boost the immune response.