New York Times contributor Alex Stone highlights research by Profs. Catherine Tucker and Duncan Simester analyzing the retail, real estate and political habits of consumers dubbed “harbingers of failure.” Tucker explains that, “I think what we’re picking up on is that there are just some people who, for whatever reason, have consistently nonmajority tastes.”
Fast Company reporter Mark Wilson spotlights a new study co-authored by Prof. David Rand that finds tagging some stories as false on social media platforms makes readers more willing to believe other stories and share them with friends. “When you start putting warning labels on some things, it makes everything else seem more credible,” says Rand.
Students from MIT and other institutions have observed a black hole flare using the Regolith X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS), reports Jennifer Leman for Popular Mechanics. “Detecting this X-ray burst is a proud moment for the REXIS team,” explains graduate student Madeline Lambert. “It means our instrument is performing as expected and to the level required of NASA science instruments.”
Senior lecturer John Parsons speaks with Marketplace host David Brancaccio about a study showing that trading energy resources with Quebec could help parts of New England and New York transition away from carbon technologies.
A new study by MIT researchers provides evidence that an effort to increase communication between the government and the people was instrumental in slowing the spread of the Ebola virus in Liberia, reports Bruce Lee for Forbes.
Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Prof. Simon Johnson examines the health care plans of two Democratic presidential candidates.
Writing for The Boston Globe, Prof. Dennis Frenchman argues that there should be a mandatory, nationwide system for rating homes based on their energy performance. “A labeling system will also bring about greater engagement on energy efficiency,” writes Frenchman. “As people compare energy ratings, they will be advancing environmental awareness and exhibiting greater care about our fragile ecosystem.”
Popular Mechanics reporter Courtney Linder writes that CSAIL researchers have developed a new system that helps self-driving cars navigate in the snow. The system “borrows from existing ground-penetrating radar tech,” writes Linder, “to measure specific composition of rocks, soil, and roots underneath the road.”
A study by Prof. Jackson Lu examines “why are there so few Asians among America’s business elite,” reports The Economist.
Financial Times reporter Caroline Roux spotlights Prof. Neri Oxman’s new exhibit at the MOMA. “Design as a discipline should not be about ‘beautifying’ the world,” says Oxman, “but one that questions our relationship with the physical world around us.”
Jeremy Gregory, executive director of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, speaks with Ira Flatow of Science Friday about creating more sustainable concrete and cement. Gregory explains that researchers are working on developing “concrete that has a net zero or even a negative carbon footprint.”
Prof. Richard Binzel speaks with New York Times reporter Shannon Hall about why leap days would need to be incorporated on other planets to keep calendars in sync. “On Jupiter, it would be hopeless,” says Binzel. “It’s a gas planet and different latitudes have different rotation periods. I think the Jovians would find themselves very confused.”
Fast Company reporter Lauren Steele spotlights Atolla, an MIT startup that is aimed at leveraging “machine learning to deliver personalized skin serums using an individual’s actual skin data.”
Reporting for WBUR, Angus Chen spotlights how Prof. Feng Zhang is currently working on a test strip that could identify pieces of the coronaviruses’ genetic material, speeding the diagnostic. “You see if the strip has one or two lines,” says Zhang,. “We’re working on trying to develop it as quickly as we can.”
Wired reporter Daniela Oberhaus spotlights Prof. Angela Belcher’s work using viruses to assemble lithium-ion batteries, noting that her “approach to biologically-driven nanoengineering holds immense promise.”