Hydrogen detected via radio waves by MIT researchers indicates the presence of stars 180 million years after the Big Bang, reports Will Dunham of Reuters. The radio waves also indicate that the universe was likely twice as cold as was previously believe, which Research Affiliate Alan Rogers suggests “might be explained by interaction between the gas and dark matter.”
Prof. Li-Huei Tsai found that use of a small flickering light could prevent plaque-forming proteins in the brains of mice - a practice that has potential to combat Alzheimer’s disease. “The work offers the possibility of forestalling or even reversing the damage caused by such conditions without using a drug,” writes Helen Thomson for Nature.
Autosaw, the robotic carpenter developed by researchers from CSAIL, can cut pieces for furniture building, as long as you provide the raw materials. “It’ll cut pieces to shape, drill the necessary holes and even move them around the workshop for you,” writes Thomas Tamblyn for Huff Post.
A video from Financial Times highlights work being done by CSAIL to develop robot teams. Prof. Daniela Rus discusses how partnering robots has the potential to “form much more adaptive and complex systems that will be able to take on a wider set of tasks."
Research led by Prof. Shigeru Miyagawa finds that cave art may be symbolic of early human languages. “The cognitive functions needed to transfer acoustic sounds to pictures are the same cognitive functions needed in language,” senior researcher Cora Lesure tells Sarah Gibbens of National Geographic.
Alan Rogers of MIT's Haystack Observatory co-authored a study that identifies the earliest traces of hydrogen in the universe. The gas is “from 180 million years after the Big Bang,” writes Elise Takahama for The Boston Globe, which suggests that stars would have appeared around this time, creating a “cosmic dawn.”
MIT spinout Myomo has developed a robotic brace to aid in the reduction of neurological-related limb paralysis. “With the robotic brace, patients use their own muscle signals to control movements of a paretic or injured arm,” writes Jennifer Kite-Powell for Forbes. “[T]he brace amplifies their weak muscle signal to help move the limb.”
AutoSaw, developed in CSAIL, is “a new system of robot-assisted carpentry that could make the creation of custom furniture and fittings safer, easier, and cheaper,” writes James Vincent of The Verge. As postdoc Jeffrey Lipton explains, AutoSaw “shows how advanced robotics could fit into the workflow of a carpenter or joiner.”
Katie Rae, managing director of The Engine, has collaborated with other Boston-based female investors to create FemaleFounders.org. The group will hold “office hours” that will encourage “entrepreneurs to get to know women investors and build a community,” writes Ron Miller for TechCrunch.
Using a modified Roomba vacuum, CSAIL researchers are able to autonomously cut pieces of wood for assembling furniture, writes Leah Crane for New Scientist. “Two lifting robots pick up a piece of wood, bring it over to a chop saw, and hold it in place while the saw cuts it to size,” Crane explains.
Prof. Paul Osterman speaks with WBUR On Point’s Jane Clayson about the home healthcare worker crisis in the United States. “We need to find ways to make home care workers more productive to save the healthcare system. The payers…would find it in their interest to improve the compensation and training of these folks,” said Osterman.
CSAIL postdoc Jeffrey Lipton, along with Prof. Daniela Rus and PhD candidate Adriana Schulz, has developed AutoSaw, a software-driven carpentry system that readies wood pieces for hand assembly, writes Mark Wilson of Co.Design. “We’re moving toward a new manufacturing revolution with 3D printers and robots to make objects with unprecedented complexity,” says Schulz.
Led by Prof. Tim Lu, Senti Biosciences has received $53 million in venture capital funding to launch their startup that will focus on cancer therapies, writes Jonathan Shieber for TechCrunch. Ideally, these therapies “are able to be controlled (programmed) at the cellular level and respond to conditions in a variety of ways,” Shieber explains.
Research published in Neuron may allow for the development of new treatments for disorders associated with memory loss. “It’s possible that further research on the dentate gyrus-CA3 pathway could lead to ways to restore the synapses to allow memory formation again,” Prof. Yingzi Lin told Elise Takahama for the Boston Globe.
InsideHigherEd's Scott Jaschik reports that admissions leaders have sought to reassure high school students facing suspension for their activism since last week's deadly shootings in Parkland, Fla. "One of the most detailed statements came from Stu Schmill, dean of admissions and financial services at MIT," writes Jaschik.