You may know us for our science - but you should also know that our researchers are *more* than just scientists. Meet Nikasha Patel - a second-year grad student in Mehrdad Jazayeri who also DJs 🎧, dances 🪩, and digs 🏐

This #TalkTuesday we invite you to explore new insights into the effects of meditation and mindfulness on brain health, featuring Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Northeastern U. UW–Madison cognitive neuroscientists and Tibetan Buddhist master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. youtu.be/Gfp7mlzj5Gw?si…

Say "Brainy!" 📸 🧠 All smiles during our joint retreat with @mit_bcs and @mit_picower this past week in Newport, Rhode Island! The retreat featured talks, career panels, storytelling, community bonding, and (of course) dancing. Until next time!

As we navigate, neural activity patterns can encode competing hypotheses about which landmark will lead to the correct destination, according to a paper by Mark Harnett and Jakob Voigts published today Nature Neuroscience. MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences mcgovern.mit.edu/2025/06/06/how…

As part of our recent 25th anniversary celebration, our Director Bob Desimone reflected on some of our greatest accomplishments and described what we might expect to see from the McGovern Institute in the next decade. Watch his talk below 👇#TalkTuesday youtu.be/vpkcTL-YKPc?si…

A study out of Mehrdad Jazayeri shows that humans flexibly deploy different reasoning strategies to tackle challenging mental tasks — offering insights for building machines that think more like us. MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences MIT Science mcgovern.mit.edu/2025/06/11/how…

Did you know that C. elegans, a microscopic roundworm without eyes, can sense color and taste light? Learn about this and other surprising discoveries made by H. Robert Horvitz, who has dedicated his entire career to studying this tiny worm: indd.adobe.com/view/e2a246e0-…

In Alan Jasanoff's lab, postdoc Miranda Dawson studies how fentanyl changes the brain. Outside of lab, she serves on the executive board of End Overdose Boston, and spends her free time hiking, biking, and practicing yoga. #MeetMcGovern

Congrats to molecular biologist Feng Zhang Feng Zhang for being elected to EMBO membership! He is among 69 new members recognized for their outstanding contributions to life sciences. 🍾 MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences MIT Science mcgovern.mit.edu/2025/07/01/fen…

This #TalkTuesday McGovern Investigator Feng Zhang speaks with former US Senator Bill Bradley about coming to the US as a child, the benefits of his public school education, and advances he's making in gene editing to improve human health. youtube.com/watch?v=ODJdFu…

We are thrilled to announce that Sven Dorkenwald Sven Dorkenwald will join the McGovern Institute faculty in January 2026! 🎉 Sven uses advanced computational methods to build and analyze comprehensive maps of the brain. MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences MIT Science mcgovern.mit.edu/2025/07/02/mit…

MIT researchers have developed a new bionic knee that helps people with above-the-knee amputations walk faster, climb stairs, and avoid obstacles more easily than they could with a traditional prosthesis. McGovern Institute Associate Investigator Hugh Herr, who is also

Exploration is essential to learning—and a new study from Alexandra (Lexi) Decker + John Gabrieli suggests that students may be less willing to explore if they come from a low socioeconomic environment. mcgovern.mit.edu/2025/07/29/ado…

If your brain is an organ that controls your body, how is it also the source of your thoughts, feelings, and personality? MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences Prof. Nancy Kanwisher explains. Explore the secrets of the mind in her course on MIT Learn: bit.ly/4mtfFpb

In a paper publishing in PNASNews this week, McGovern researchers Setayesh Radkani + Rebecca Saxe show the same punishment can either build respect for authority or deepen distrust—depending on what people already believe. mcgovern.mit.edu/2025/08/04/lea…