MIT in Maine

A man smiles while leaning against a wall near a large window.

Characterizing Earth’s damping mechanisms

MIT PhD student Perrin Davidson, who grew up on a farm in Freeport, now studies how Earth's carbon cycle damps global disturbances across geological timescales.

Two workers in orange waders dump a netful of oysters into plastic bins on a shoreline, with a small boat and a third worker visible in the background.

Carbon removal project supports Maine’s blue economy, broader marine health

Ocean acidification threatens shellfish; MIT is partnering with the University of Maine to help fisheries pull carbon dioxide from seawater using electrodes.

A color-coded map of the United States showing energy burden by county, with a gradient from green (lower burden) to red (15% or higher), concentrated heavily in the Southeast.

The changing geography of “energy poverty”

MIT researchers analyzed shifting patterns of “energy poverty” nationwide, with Maine emerging as a key focus due to its unique energy challenges.

A school of yellowfin tuna swimming together against a dark blue ocean background.

Deep-dive dinners are the norm for tuna and swordfish, MIT oceanographers find

Scientists at MIT and the University of Maine uncovered tuna's deep secrets, discovering they source much of their diet from the ocean's twilight zone.

An illustration of a radial phylogenetic tree with green fan-like branches on a light blue background, surrounded by oval cell-like shapes.

Scientists discover a new way of sharing genetic information in a common ocean microbe

Researchers at MIT and Maine’s Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences found a novel method of genetic transfer in the ocean's most abundant photosynthetic organism.

A satellite image of a coastline showing swirling turquoise and teal phytoplankton blooms spreading across deep blue ocean water.

Study: The ocean’s color is changing as a consequence of climate change

A study led by researchers at MIT and the University of Maine revealed that climate change is altering the color of the world’s oceans.

A close-up image of the sun's surface overlaid with white curved lines tracing its magnetic field patterns against a golden solar atmosphere.

The origin of the sun’s magnetic field could lie close to its surface

Researchers at MIT and Bates College uncovered evidence that the sun’s magnetic field may originate much closer to its surface than previously believed.

An illustration of hands reaching through blue prison bars to deposit red ballots labeled "VOTE" into a ballot box.

Where legal, voting by those in prison is rare, study shows

MIT political scientists studied voting among incarcerated individuals in Maine, finding a turnout rate of only 6 percent despite legal voting rights.