MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The work of Professors David Autor and Daron Acemoglu is highlighted in an article for The Economist that examines “how jobs are being transformed for the better.” A recent paper co-authored by Autor “demonstrated that tight American labour markets are leading to fast wage growth,” while a study from Acemoglu and others found “that use of robots meant higher wages for workers who were not replaced, and that these benefits spread beyond the automating firms.”

MIT researchers have developed a new cell imaging technique that offers “the ability to observe up to seven different molecules simultaneously,” writes Amal Jos Chacko for Interesting Engineering. “This could open the door to a deeper understanding of cellular functions, aging, and diseases.”

Prof. Adam Berinsky speaks with MSNBC’s Morning Joe about the impact of misinformation on democracy and the upcoming 2024 election. “The larger issue is that there is this climate of distrust,” says Berinsky. 

MIT Sloan Lecturer Shira Springer speaks with WBUR host Robin Young about the future of women’s sports coverage. “It does require extra effort on the part of the fan to find coverage on the streaming platforms,” says Springer. “And that is a problem because what you are trying to do in women’s sports is convert casual fans to avid fans and maybe bring in people who simply were not aware of what women’s sports offers, and to do what you need to be easily discoverable.”

Joy Buolamwini PhD '22 joins Tonya Mosley on NPR’s Fresh Air podcast to discuss her new book, Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines. "With the adoption of AI systems, at first I thought we were looking at a mirror, but now I believe we're looking into a kaleidoscope of distortion," Buolamwini says. "Because the technologies we believe to be bringing us into the future are actually taking us back from the progress already made."

MIT researchers have “used an algorithm to sort through millions of genomes to find new, rare types of CRISPR systems that could eventually be adapted into genome-editing tools,” writes Sara Reardon for Nature. “We are just amazed at the diversity of CRISPR systems,” says Prof. Feng Zhang. “Doing this analysis kind of allows us to kill two birds with one stone: both study biology and also potentially find useful things.”

Principal Research Scientist Emre Gençer speaks with The Independent reporter Louise Boyle about natural hydrogen and its potential as a future renewable energy source. “There is a ‘mismatch’ where natural hydrogen is being discovered and where it could be used, which would require massive investments in completely new infrastructure,” says Gençer. “I think it will be part of the solution but we need to take it with a grain of salt.”

Grace Colón PhD '95, a board member of the MIT Corporation, writes for The Hill about how to transform cities into biotech innovations hubs. “The best path to biotech success will be different for each city,” writes Colón. “But by building on institutional strengths, investing in workers, and knocking down barriers to success, there’s no reason more of them can’t get there.”

Forbes reporter Nancy Wang spotlights Tara Bishop '97 and Eileen Tanghal '97, co-founders of Black Opal Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on health tech. “Tara and Eileen’s story at Black Opal Ventures is a testament to how diversity and innovation can disrupt traditional landscapes,” writes Wang. “Their pioneering strategies and investments herald a new era for healthcare venture capitalism, where diversity and technology converge to create a more inclusive and impactful future.”

Prof. Russ Tedrake and Max Bajracharya '21 MEng '21 speak with TechCrunch reporter Brian Heater about the impact of generative AI on the future of robotics. “Generative AI has the potential to bring revolutionary new capabilities to robotics,” says Tedrake. “Not only are we able to communicate with robots in natural language, but connecting to internet-scale language and image data is giving robots a much more robust understanding and reasoning about the world.”

New Scientist reporter Alice Klein writes that MIT researchers have developed an ingestible electronic device that “can measure your breathing and heart rate from inside your gut [and] could potentially diagnose sleep apnea and even detect opioid overdoses.” The device could one day allow “people to be assessed for sleep apnea wirelessly and cheaply while at home.”

Prof. Jessika Trancik speaks with Bloomberg reporter Kyle Stock about the importance of scrappage programs, especially those that incentivize electrifying the current fleet of vehicles in the United States. “At any given point in time, you care about the composition of the fleet,” says Trancik. “Funding programs that would help turn over the fleet more rapidly makes a lot of sense.”