Have you ever seen an X-ray of fluid flow through rocks? 🩻🪨
EAPS geophysicists collected samples of basalt from Iceland so that they could study how fluid flow alters the porosity and permeability of the rocks. They placed the samples in a custom-built holder that could take frequent, three-dimensional snapshots of the flow using an X-ray CT scanner. They found that, while there’s a quick drop in permeability (and thus fluid flow), porosity decreased at a much slower rate. When it comes to applying this research to carbon mineralization efforts – which is a way of sequestering carbon in rock – it may look like a clog, but there’s still more room in the rock.
Image credit: Jonathan Simpson, EAPS postdoc and co-author of the study
#CarbonSequestration #CarbonMineralization #EAPS #EarthSciences #ThisIsMIT research
Finding life outside our planet is both inevitable and could happen sooner than we think, shared Julien de Wit PhD ’14 of @MIT_EAPS at the November MIT Alumni Forum, “How Exoplanetary Science is Powering Planetary Defense.”
At the link in the comments and bio, watch his full talk and register to attend “From Cells to Circuits: Restoring Aging Brain Health in Alzheimer’s Disease” on February 18.
Image: An artist's illustration of TRAPPIST-1 planets, in their respective orbits.
NASA-JPL/Caltech
It may be cold out, but the boulders in the Building 55 lawn are used to it. They’re erratics, rocks that have been transported by glaciers over vast distances. Look again: watch as it sails across a frozen landscape in remembrance of home.
Sometimes, the best class work happens outside classroom! Last semester, Introduction to Geology (12.001) students explored local geologic evidence of plate tectonic action out in the field. They spent three days camping in Western Massachusetts and upstate New York, investigating plate tectonic records of the assembly and breakup of supercontinents, as well as the collision of volcanic island arcs with Laurentia, a part of North America’s geologic core. These are key events that built the foundation of modern eastern North America.
According to EAPS PhD student Angelina Serafini, her favorite part was getting to see dinosaur footprints in Western Massachusetts. They used the distance between footprints to calculate the dinosaur’s size and track changes in the region’s geology over time.
Image credit: @angie.serafini
#ThisIsMIT #eaps #geology #fieldwork #PlateTectonics #NorthAmerica
A successful EAPS-Wallace Observatory tour brought members of the EAPS community out to the Wallace Astrophysical Observatory, located in Westford, MA. Clear skies meant they had the chance to peer through some of the telescopes located on site and see several planets, as well as warm up inside to learn about the research done at the observatory.
Plus, a special shout out to the Wallace staff and student volunteers (final picture) who made the night a success!
Image credits: Isabella Macias
#ThisIsMIT #eaps #WallaceObservatory #astronomy #stargazing
Congratulations to Prof. Sara Seager on receiving a 2025 NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award for her ongoing work exploring the chemistries that might support life on Venus and other extraterrestrial environments 🌌
“If my team can come up with a double helix of some sort of molecule, then it’s like: wow,” Seager says of her research. “It doesn’t mean there is life on Venus, but it means there could be.”
Read more at the 🔗 link in our bio
@ali_rufo is a second-year student studying @mitpolisci and @mit_eaps .
In this video spotlight, Alison talks about the impact of spending time in Peru in summer of 2025 through the @mistiatmit program. During her trip, she worked with Q’ochas Resilientes, a multidisciplinary project focused on investigating and revitalizing indigenous water technologies in the Lake Titicaca region.
Can telescopes 🔭 reveal alien worlds AND protect our own 🌎?
This MIT Alumni Forum with EAPS Associate Professor Julien de Wit PhD ’14 will take you on a journey across two frontiers of planetary science: the search for life beyond Earth and the quest to safeguard our planet from celestial threats.
Thanks to breathtaking visuals from the James Webb Space Telescope and advanced image-processing techniques, you’ll witness the cosmos in ways never before possible—from the atmospheric fingerprints of distant exoplanets to the faintest, bus-sized asteroids hiding in our solar system’s main belt.
These tiny cosmic wanderers hold big secrets: the origins of our planet, the pathways of near-Earth objects, and strategies to refine impact-risk models—like the recent study of asteroid 2024 YR4, which drew global attention.
Discover how two seemingly separate missions—finding life among the stars and protecting life on Earth—are intertwined scientific endeavors, with profound implications for habitability, risk, and planetary stewardship.
Alumni and current students and postdocs can register for this FREE livestream: check out the link in our bio for more information!
MIT Henge is here – are you ready? Remember to follow a few etiquette rules:
⏰ Arrive early and stay for the whole event
↔️ Stand to the side
🤝 Share the space
We can’t wait to see you on the third floor of the Infinite Corridor!
#mithenge #eaps #thisismit
Poor weather conditions means we won't be able to watch MIT Henge this year... but don't worry, your next opportunity will be January 29th and 30th! We can't wait to see you then.
Want to travel the solar system without leaving Cambridge? Explore the Infinite Solar System, an installation that shows our solar system scaled to the length of the Infinite Corridor. EAPS Professor Richard Binzel will be giving FREE tours over the weekend; follow the link in our bio to sign up and secure a slot before time runs out!
Watch the sun cross the Infinite! ☀️ The celestial event known as MIT Henge is happening on Monday, November 10th. Join EAPS Professor Richard Binzel as the sun perfectly aligns with the Infinite Corridor, with refreshments to follow. Learn more about the event at the link in our bio. #mithenge #eaps #thisismit
