Prof. Maria Zuber, MIT’s vice president for research, speaks with Boston Globe reporter Jon Marcus about the growing interest in space and exploration in America. “Discovery, pure and simple, is truth. It’s pure. It’s a beautiful thing,” says Zuber, who has directed several NASA missions and chairs the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Advisory Council.
A study co-authored by Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and graduate student Daniel Rock finds that specific tasks, not jobs, are likely to become automated, writes Joe McKendrick for Forbes. The researchers explain that, “machine learning technology can transform many jobs in the economy, but full automation will be less significant than the re-engineering of processes and the reorganization of tasks."
UPI reporter Brooks Hays writes that MIT researchers have successfully snapped a strand of spaghetti into only two pieces, solving an age-old mystery about why dry spaghetti noodles typically break into many pieces. “Scientists believe the discovery could help material scientists control for the fracturing patterns in other materials,” explains Hays.
A study by MIT researchers shows that by twisting and bending dry spaghetti past a certain angle, the noodles can be successfully split into two pieces, reports Travis Anderson for The Boston Globe. Anderson explains that the breakthrough, “could have implications far beyond the kitchen,” and could shed light on crack formation and how to control fractures in rod-like materials.
Will Shortz, crossword editor for The New York Times and chair of the World Puzzle Federation, reports from Beijing on the second China Sudoku Championship. Shortz notes that incoming MIT freshman Shiyu Chen was crowned the winner of the U18 category (the most advanced group).
In an article for the Pacific Standard about dispelling rumors and conspiracy theories, Nathan Collins highlights research by Prof. Adam Berinsky examining how information sources impact voters. “People speaking against their interests [are] more credible,” Berinsky explains. “What’s more credible: the surgeon general or McDonald’s saying you shouldn’t eat French fries?”
Research scientist Joshua Siegel speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter A.J. Baime about his 1955 Chevrolet 210. Siegel recounts how restoring the car drove him to pursue a career in engineering, explaining that his research involves “putting sensors and modems all over vehicles so that you can know everything you need to know about your car through a device.”
Gizmodo reporter Ryan Mandelbaum highlights how MIT researchers used data from the CLAS particle accelerator and detector to determine that neutron stars are heavily influenced by protons. Prof. Or Hen explains that the findings show that, “protons are much more important in determining the properties of neutron stars than we thought.”
New Scientist reporter Frank Swain writes that MIT researchers have snapped dry spaghetti into two pieces, shedding light on the “conditions under which similar materials, such as steel rods in buildings, fracture under stress.” Prof. Jörn Dunkel explains that the spaghetti challenge has perplexed scientists for years, as it’s “one of those intrinsically interesting things that goes on around us.”
MIT researchers have found that holding back-and-forth conversations with young children may help boost a child’s language development, report Drs. Edith Bracho-Sanchez and Richa Kalra for ABC News. The study found that conversations created “stronger connections between the brain regions responsible for comprehension and production of speech.”
MIT researchers have found that warmer temperatures caused by climate change could cause increases in fatal car crashes, food safety violations and even violent crime, writes Alan Neuhauser for U.S. News. The researchers hope that their findings will, “spur agencies to consider more closely how to help their workers – whether cops or health inspectors or elsewhere – cope with the heat.”
Zofia Niemtus writes for The Guardian about tech startups focused on helping breastfeeding mothers. Niemtus notes that MIT’s second “Make The Breast Pump Not Suck!” hackathon, which focused on marginalized groups in society, resulted in projects like “a pop-up shelf for pumping in unsanitary public places; a lactation kit for use in disaster zones; and a virtual reality app.”
In this video, NBC Mach highlights the robotic cheetah developed by MIT researchers that can navigate without cameras or sensors. While most robots require light to explore their surroundings, the “Cheetah 3 will be able to feel its way through light-less situations such as caves or mines.”
MIT has been named to MONEY’s 2018-2019 Best Colleges list. MONEY notes that MIT is, “one of the world's most respected science schools.”
Reuters reporter Lisa Rapaport writes about a new study that shows back-and-forth conversations between adults and young children could help build speech and language skills. “We found that the most relevant component of children’s language exposure is not the sheer number of words they hear, but the amount of back-and-forth adult-child conversation they experience,” explains research affiliate Rachel Romeo.