New York Times reporter Elaine Glusac spotlights a study by Prof. Arnold Barnett that examines the safety of flying during the Covid-19 pandemic. Barnett found that “on a fully loaded flight, the chance of contracting Covid-19 was one in 4,300. If the middle seat is empty, the risk falls to one in 7,700.”

Prof. Charles Stewart III speaks with Audie Cornish of NPR about the security of absentee and mail-in voting. Stewart notes that states that have offered mail-in voting for years, such as Oregon, Washington and Colorado, have not had issues with widespread voter fraud.

A paper by MIT researchers details how they outfitted a Boston Dynamics robotic dog with contactless vital sign monitoring equipment to help clinicians care for patients with Covid-19 without risking exposure, reports Darrell Etherington for TechCrunch. Etherington writes that the system, “has the potential to not only reduce the risk of exposure for medical personnel, but also drastically reduce use of personal protective equipment.”

In a letter to the Financial Times, graduate student Daniel Aronoff underscores his view that central banks should proceed with caution when considering digital currencies. “The US Fed and other central banks are wise to embark on the research that will keep them at the forefront of knowledge and, possibly, enable them to develop implementations that are safe and beneficial to the citizens of their countries,” writes Aronoff.

Writing for The New York Times, Anthony Doerr reviews Prof. Sara Seager’s new book “The Smallest Lights in the Universe” and alumna Sarah Stewart Johnson’s '08 book, “The Sirens of Mars.” Doerr notes that “both writers exemplify the humanity of science: Seager and Johnson laugh, grieve, hope, fail, try, fail and try again.”

Writing for Fortune, graduate student Nina McMurry examines how public health authorities can allay fears about contact tracing apps. “Public health authorities need to make sure that the public understands what the technology is doing,” McMurry and her co-authors write. “Even if an app is privacy-preserving, the public may not perceive it as such.”

Peter Hirst, senior associate dean for executive education at MIT Sloan Executive Education, speaks with Arianne Cohen of Bloomberg about the lessons he’s learned from managing a hybrid team of staff members who worked both remotely and in the office. Hirst advises supervisors to manage by “defining outcomes—coaching people, giving them tools and resources, and really trusting people to get their work done.”