Writing for The Atlantic, Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, examines the potential impacts of AI on human culture, history and civilization. “We should accept that AI is bound to become increasingly sophisticated and ubiquitous, and ask ourselves: How will its evolution affect human perception, cognition, and interaction? What will be its impact on our culture and, in the end, our history?”
The Economist highlights a study by MIT researchers examining the impact of happiness on voting patterns. The researchers found that life satisfaction “was twice as important in explaining how incumbents did as the unemployment rate and about 30% more important than GDP growth.”
In an article for CNN, Jim Walsh, a research associate at the Center for International Studies, examines how the U.S. can avoid pushing Iran to build a nuclear bomb. “The President can begin to quietly ratchet down his maximum pressure campaign, for example, by issuing waivers on oil sanctions,” writes Walsh. “He can find third parties to communicate with the Iranians.”
The Economist highlights how MIT startup Indigo is developing an engine system that could be incorporated within an electric vehicle’s wheels. The Economist notes that Indigo believes their system, “a module that incorporates brakes, steering and an active suspension, as well as a motor, overcomes both the electrical problem and the unsprung-weight problem, thus paving the way for in-wheel drives to become mainstream.”
MIT researchers have developed artificial muscles that can stretch more than 1,000 percent of their size and lift more than 650 times their weight, reports Sid Perkins for Scientific American. The new fibers could have applications in robotics and prosthetic devices, Perkins explains, and “work more like real muscles: they do work by pulling on or lifting objects.”
MIT researchers have developed a new method for potentially increasing solar cell efficiency beyond the theoretical limit, reports Daniel Oberhaus for Wired. “What’s cool here is that this is a fundamentally different approach from traditional photovoltaics,” says Joseph Berry of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
A study by Prof. Daniel Rothman finds that if carbon emissions exceed a critical threshold, it could lead to a mass extinction, reports Martin Finucane for The Boston Globe. "We should limit carbon dioxide emissions,” says Rothman. “The carbon cycle is a non-linear system, and if you perturb it, surprising things may happen.”
Smithsonian reporters Abigail Croll and Maddi Hellmich spotlight Margaret Hamilton’s work developing the coding used in the Apollo 11 onboard flight software and lunar landing machinery. “Because software was a mystery, a black box, upper management gave us total freedom and trust,” says Hamilton. “Looking back, we were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers."
Reporting for WBUR, Carey Goldberg highlights how MIT researchers have developed a new RNA editing tool that could be used to tweak a gene that raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. As the effects of RNA editing are not permanent, “it's almost like a small, pill-like version of gene therapy,” explains research scientist and McGovern Fellow Omar Abudayyeh.
New York Times reporter Neil Genzlinger memorializes the work of Philip Freelon, an MIT alumnus and well-known architect. Genzlinger writes that Freelon’s “long list of credits includes museums and other cultural institutions devoted to the black experience, among them the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the Mall in Washington.”
Writing for PBS’ American Experience about the women who helped ensure the success of the Apollo 11 mission, Nathalia Holt highlights the work of Margaret Hamilton, who led the development of software for the Apollo missions while at MIT.
MIT alumnus Philip Freelon, a renowned architect known for his work designing the National Museum of African American History and Culture, has died at 66, reports Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan for Fast Company. Campbell-Dollaghan notes that Freelon was also known for his efforts to make the field of architecture more diverse and inclusive.
In this WGBH documentary, Prof. Jeff Hoffman, a former astronaut, discusses what inspired him to pursue a career in space exploration and recounts his experiences voyaging in space. “There is something very, very powerful about looking at the Earth from the outside,” says Hoffman. “It’s a different place than when you are actually standing on it.”
WCVB-TV’s Chronicle spotlights how researchers at the MIT Instrumentation Lab developed the technology needed to successfully bring Apollo astronauts to the moon.
WCVB-TV’s Chronicle highlights MIT startup Lunar Station, which is developing navigational services for companies and organizations looking to travel to the moon. Chronicle explains that the Lunar Station team “maps the lunar surface to ensure safe and profitable missions.”