In the Media

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.” 

New York Times reporter Shola Lawal writes that a study by MIT researchers uncovers evidence that seeding oceans with iron may not be an effective method of combatting climate change. The researchers found that “more iron in the sea would deplete other nutrients, cause plankton death and have negative effects on marine life,” Lawal explains.

Boston 25’s Chris Flanagan visits MIT to learn about how researchers developed a smart diaper that alerts caregivers when moisture is detected. “It can help in identifying skin hydration and prevent rashes from happening on the skin because, if the diaper is left on for too long, it can lead to skin rashes," says research associate Pankhuri Sen.

Writing for the Financial Times, Margaret Heffernan spotlights how a study by Prof. Alex “Sandy” Pentland underscores the importance of social interactions in work environments. Pentland found that during shared coffee breaks “people were sharing information, problem-solving, motivating and helping one another.”

Reporting for CBS Boston, Dr. Mallika Marshall spotlights how MIT researchers have uncovered a new antibiotic using a deep-learning algorithm. Marshall notes that the researchers tested the new antibiotic “against dozens of bacteria in lab dishes and found it could kill many strains that are resistant to treatment.”