Researchers at the Broad Institute revealed a new editing technique that utilizes CRISPR enzymes to target RNA for gene therapies. “One of the key features of the new system is that it relies on an enzyme that is physically smaller than those used in previous work,” writes Kristen Brown for Gizmodo.
Pilot, a startup founded by MIT alumni, automates bookkeeping and can integrate data into existing expense tracking software. The service, which still uses humans to organize and structure the data, “has now raised $15 million” in financing, writes Matthew Lynley of TechCrunch.
Researchers have developed a microfluidic platform called “physiome on a chip”, which allows them to determine how certain drugs will affect up to 10 different organs. “Because the animal and human immune systems are different, [drug] testing is difficult in non-human trials,” writes Allen Cone for UPI, “but [this] system could help with that.”
Prof. Alan Lightman celebrates the life of Stephen Hawking in this opinion piece for The Washington Post. “The passing of Stephen Hawking gives us the opportunity to celebrate the best in ourselves, to reaffirm the power of the human mind and the majesty of our desire to know and to understand this strange universe we find ourselves in.”
Prof. Linda Griffith has created a “complex platform where researchers can put up to 10 organ tissues in separate compartments, regulating the flow of substances and medications between them in real time,” to determine how each organ will react, writes Devin Coldewey for TechCrunch. The scale of this model “represents a huge jump in the capabilities of this kind of system.”
Cristela Guerra of The Boston Globe highlights Pi Day celebrations around Boston, including the Star Wars-themed MIT admissions decision video starring Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill as Luke Skywalker.
Prof. Linda Griffith has developed ten miniature models of human organs “to create the closest we’ve come yet to a human-on-a-chip,” writes Jessica Hamzelou for New Scientist. “This is still only a minimal representation of a human,” said Griffith, but this kind of system could eventually eliminate the need for animal testing.
New research from visiting scientist Judah Cohen suggests that “severe winter weather in the United States is often tied to (relatively) high heat in the North Pole,” writes Eleanor Cummins for Popular Science. “If the Arctic is cold, that favors less severe winter in the eastern U.S.,”said Cohen. “When the Arctic is warm, it’s the opposite relationship.”
Deepa Seetharaman of The Wall Street Journal speaks to Michael Casey, Senior Advisor for Blockchain Opportunities at the Digital Currency Initiative about new uses for blockchain and its potential to cut costs. “[B]ecause of all of this reconciliation, all of this multiple back-checking” Casey suggests that logistics and the financial sector are two areas that will benefit from blockchain technology.
Matt Simon of Wired describes research led by visiting scientist Judah Cohen, which used the “Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index”, to reveal that warming in the arctic is associated with severe winter weather conditions. “[The researchers] looked at peaks in arctic temperatures and found that these anticipated severe weather by five days, which would suggest a link,” Simon writes.
A study from senior researcher Rolland Pellenq finds that grid-like cities retain more heat than those that are less-linear, due to the “Urban Heat Island” effect. “For new cities, or even neighborhoods, our findings can be used…in designing block layouts that would help optimize temperature,” Pellenq explains to Marlene Cimons of Popular Science.
Robert C. Pozen, a senior lecturer at Sloan, writes for The Boston Globe about how the new tax act would create potentially major fiscal challenges for “cities with large unfunded liabilities for pension benefits and retiree health care.” He addresses several ways in which cities might make adjustments to mitigate the losses, citing data from JP Morgan.
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard is utilizing cloud computing to support its genomic sequencing programs, which “allows for large-scale data processing, and makes it easier for researchers to share data securely,” writes Steven Norton for The Wall Street Journal. Currently, the Institute has reduced the cost of genome processing on the cloud from about $45 to $5.
A study led by graduate student Hilary Richardson provides evidence that by age 3, children “have begun developing brain networks used to understand the beliefs and feelings of others,” writes Laney Ruckstuhl for The Boston Globe. “Richardson said researchers previously believed the networks used in theory of mind reasoning were not developed until at least age 4,” explains Ruckstuhl.
Prof. Junot Diaz appeared on CBS This Morning to speak about his new children’s book "Islandborn," which was partly inspired by his experience as a young immigrant from the Dominican Republic. "A lot of us can't remember our origins,” said Diaz. “We're shaped by places and people that we've never, ever met. And that's something important to recognize."