A working paper by Prof. Christopher Knittel finds that even “modest” carbon taxes could help reduce carbon emissions as much as vehicle and power plant regulations, reports Ben Geman for Axios. Knittel explains that the study’s findings “underscore the economic power of a carbon tax" compared to "economically inefficient" regulations.
MIT alumna Payal Kadakia speaks with New York Times reporter David Gelles about her startup ClassPass, a platform that allows users to access a myriad of fitness classes. Kadakia explains that she was inspired to attend MIT, as “the curriculum is so mathematical. Everything is numbers. It was this idea of this world that I lived in.”
STAT reporter Kate Sheridan spotlights MIT startup Lyra Therapeutics, which is developing a long-acting treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis.
Verge reporter Justine Calma writes that states in the Midwest and Great Lakes region could see $4.7 billion in health benefits by maintaining current renewable energy standards. “This research shows that renewables pay for themselves through health benefits alone,” explains Emil Dimanchev, senior research associate at MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research.
A new study by MIT researchers examining the impact of energy policies that reduce fine particulates in the air finds that there are “substantial health benefits in Rust Belt states when utilities are required to supply escalating amounts of renewable power,” reports Ben Geman for Axios.
MIT researchers have developed an AI system that can predict Alzheimer’s risk by forecasting how patients will perform on a test measuring cognitive decline up to two years in advance, reports Casey Ross for STAT.
Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray writes that MIT startup DUST Identity has developed a technique that uses diamond dust to identify counterfeit products. The diamond dust is sprayed onto a product to tag it, and “because the bits of diamond are distributed at random inside the material, no two tags will ever be the same,” Bray explains.
A new paper by MIT researchers finds that instead of raising prices, companies are replying on “shrinkflation - reducing the size of products or their quality while charging the same price,” reports Dion Rabouin for Axios.
Writing for Science, Derek Lowe spotlights how MIT researchers are developing a platform that could be used to automate the production of molecules for use in medicine, solar energy and more. “The eventual hope is to unite the software and the hardware in this area,” reports Lowe, “and come up with a system that can produce new compounds with a minimum of human intervention.”
Forbes contributor Alex Ledsom highlights a study by MIT researchers examining how a spike in attendance at the Louvre has impacted visitor behavior. “People stay for shorter periods of time visiting artwork if there are more people,” Ledsom explains, “but interestingly, people move about the Louvre in the same way regardless of whether they stay for one hour or six. They simply move around the space quicker.”
ELLE reporter Molly Langmuir spotlights the work of Prof. Neri Oxman, who is known for “producing radically interdisciplinary work.” Oxman has produced everything from “a silk pavilion—a suspended dome of silk fibers spun by a robotic arm, completed by 6,500 live silkworms—to a design concept for a wearable digestive system incorporating photosynthetic bacteria that convert solar energy into sugar.”
A study by Prof. Jessika Trancik examines how cheap energy storage must be for the U.S. to rely on renewable energy, reports David Roberts for Vox. The research demonstrates how “a US energy grid run entirely on renewable energy (at least 95 percent of the time), leaning primarily on energy storage to provide grid flexibility, may be more realistic, and closer to hand, than conventional wisdom has it,” writes Roberts.
WCVB-TV’s Mike Wankum visits MIT to learn about the Solar Electric Vehicle Team. “We are trying to prove that we can move away from cars that rely on gasoline or diesel,” explains undergraduate Salem Ali, “and move towards more electric vehicles, and potentially even vehicles that you don’t have to plug in.”
Writing for The New York Times, Prof. Yasheng Huang examines how the U.S.-China trade war is influencing public perceptions in China. “Maximum-pressure tactics have delivered no meaningful results — other than undermining the good will of the Chinese public and its liberals toward America,” writes Huang. “The United States should de-escalate tensions and help China come back to the negotiating table.”
Prof. David Keith argues in The Boston Globe for implementing congestion pricing to help alleviate traffic congestion in the Greater Boston area. “Pricing access to roads moderates demand for driving at peak times,” writes Keith, “while also generating revenue from drivers that can be reinvested in building a 21st century mobility infrastructure.”