Damien Garde of STAT highlights Prof. Li-Huei Tsai’s research on the HDAC2 enzyme in an article about Alzheimer’s research. “If we can reduce HDAC2 expression in Alzheimer’s disease models, we can reactivate the genes [that] actually rescue learning and memory,” says Prof. Tsai.
A study co-authored by MIT researchers shows that climate change will cause toxic cyanobacteria algae to increase. The algae, which thrive in warmer conditions, can cause “neurological damage, liver damage, gastrointestinal problems, irritation of eyes, ears and skin, and other health problems,” if ingested, writes Craig Lemoult of WGBH.
An MIT study finds that the Earth’s mantle was 200 degrees Celsius hotter three billion years ago than it is today. That finding shows “that the Earth's ancient crust was made up of a much denser, iron- and magnesium-enriched material than today's rocky mantle,” writes Amy Wallace for UPI.
Lowell Sun reporter Chris Lisinski spotlights the total eclipse viewing party held at MIT’s Wallace Observatory in Westford. Lisinski notes that the Observatory, “hosted close to 200 people, many of them young children, for a viewing of Monday's "Great American Eclipse."
Salon’s Heather Digby Parton highlights research from Prof. Ethan Zuckerman regarding the effects of online media on the last election. The study found that clickbait news sites “received amplification and legitimation through an attention backbone that tied the most extreme conspiracy sites.”
Jessica Van Sack writes for The Boston Herald about the book “Whiplash,” which was co-written by Media Lab director, Prof. Joi Ito. With the nine principles of the Media Lab as a guide, the book functions as a user’s manual for the 21st century, writes Van Sack.
Large crowds gathered at MIT's Kresge Oval to observe the solar eclipse using special glasses or catching a glimpse from telescopes, reports Monica Madeja of NECN.
In this Wall Street Journal article, senior MIT Sloan lecturer Robert Pozen and Prof. S.P. Kothari explain the causes of inflated executive pay. As a solution, Pozen and Kothari write that compensation committees should, “be required to disclose the revenues and market capitalizations of the peers they select.”
More than 100 people gathered on the lawn of the Wallace Observatory to view the solar eclipse, reports CBS Boston. “I think it just happens to be a special event where the entire country is able to see the same event at the same time,” says Senior Research Support Associate Tim Brothers.
More than 5,000 people gathered at MIT’s Kresge Oval to watch the solar eclipse, reports Michael Levenson, Steve Annear and Sara Salinas of The Boston Globe. In addition to a few hundred pairs of eclipse glasses, two telescopes were available to detect sunspots and sun flares.
Asst. Prof. Fikile Brushett has been chosen as one of C&EN Magazine’s “Talented Twelve” for his history of work with batteries. “A major focus of his lab is understanding how chemical structure affects the function of redox active molecules, with the goal of expanding the toolbox for engineering batteries,” writes Celia Henry Arnaud.
In this video, Jason Brewer of FOX 25 reports from MIT’s Kresge Oval, where an estimated 5,000 people gathered to watch the partial solar eclipse.
Carey Goldberg of WBUR speaks to Prof. Kevin Esvelt and graduate student Joanna Buchthal about the next steps in engineering mice that are immune to Lyme disease. With the Lyme disease antibodies identified, the next step is “to encode that mouse DNA back in the mouse genome so that it can be inherited by future generations,” says Esvelt.
Research from Profs. Daniela Rus and Julie Shah is highlighted in an Economist article about collaborative robots. Rus’ team is developing softer robots, while Shah and her colleagues are tracking human movements in order to help robots avoid human contact while working, the article states.
MIT scientists have discovered that memory creation and memory recall are not connected to the same detour circuit in the brain, reports Alyssa Meyers of the Boston Globe. With this new information, the researchers plan to study how “the circuit functions in the brains of patients with early stages of Alzheimer’s,” explains Meyers.