New Scientist reporter Evelyn Wang writes that a study by MIT researchers finds that, “the question of whether a scrambled Rubik’s cube of any size can be solved in a given number of moves is what’s called NP-complete – that’s maths lingo for a problem even mathematicians find hard to solve.”
Times Higher Education reporter Nicola Ingram examines Prof. Peter Temin’s latest book, which examines the state of the U.S. economic system. Temin, “provides an engaging commentary on the complexities of policy developments and their impact on workers’ conditions, as well as the problematic voting behaviour that seals their fate.”
Writing for Science, Jeffrey Mervis features NASA’s 2017 astronaut candidates, which included three MIT affiliates. Mervis highlights how at MIT, Prof. Warren Hoburg, one of this year’s candidates, was focused on developing an, “unmanned, solar-powered airplane that could fly nonstop around the world.”
In an article for HuffPost, Alvaro Fernandez writes about Solve’s 2017 Global Challenge, which is dedicated to brain health. Fernandez writes that, “through the Brain Health Challenge, we are seeking to unearth and support innovative solutions to improving brain health and fitness for all.”
In an article for Bloomberg, Peter Coy examines Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee’s latest book, which examines how smart machines might be integrated into the businesses of the future. Coy explains that the book is written for, “executives and entrepreneurs trying to make their way in this brave new world of driverless cars and hackathons.”
Wired reporter Matt Simon writes that CSAIL researchers have developed a system of drones that can successfully fly and drive through a city-like setting. Simon explains that the framework is a good step, “toward imagining a transportation infrastructure that works in three dimensions, not just two.”
Boston Globe reporter Steve Annear spotlights how MIT students have transformed the walls of a pedestrian tunnel that runs underneath Ames Street into a giant work of art. Annear notes that, “in true MIT fashion, they rolled out an app that makes some of the work come to life when it’s viewed through a smartphone screen.”
Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Arianne Cohen profiles graduate student Joy Buolamwini, who founded the algorithmic Justice League in an effort to make people more aware of the biases embedded in AI systems. “We’re using facial analysis as an exemplar to show how we can include more inclusive training data in the first place,” says Buolamwini of her work.
TechCrunch reporter Brian Heater writes that MIT researchers have developed a drone that can stay aloft for five days on a single tank of gas. “In addition to supporting areas in the wake of a disaster, the team believes the drone could go a ways toward helping tech companies…achieve their longstanding…dream of delivering internet access to rural areas.”
Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee speak with Tom Ashbrook of On Point about their new book, “Machine, Platform, Crowd.” Speaking about how much decision-making machines could be handling in the future, Brynjolfsson explains that “instead of having us humans try to tell the machines exactly what needs to be done, machines are learning on their own.”
A study by MIT researchers finds that children from lower-income families benefited more from summer reading programs, reports Andrew Grant for The Boston Globe. Of the children who participated in the study about half, “improved their test scores and most of those that did came from lower-income families.”
Jamie Ducharme of Boston Magazine highlights MIT research that increases the resolution and quality of brain scans. The team’s algorithm could fill in missing data from a scan with new pixels, thereby creating a “research-quality image,” explains Ducharme.
Tom Buerkle of Reuters writes about “Adaptive Markets: Financial Evolution at the Speed of Thought,” a new book written by Prof. Andrew Lo, which argues that it is possible for investors to beat the market. Markets seem unpredictable because traders are human and “make decisions using short cuts” rather than weighing all options, explains Buerkle.
Amy Dockser Marcus of The Wall Street Journal writes about the growing interest in using CRISPR as a diagnostic tool, which led to a collaboration between MIT Professors James Collins and Feng Zhang. The result is Sherlock, a diagnostic platform that can identify viruses “based on extremely low amounts of RNA in blood and urine samples,” explains Dockser Marcus.
A study by MIT researchers finds that an irregular sleep schedules lowers happiness, healthiness, and calmness, according UPI. The study, says MIT research affiliate Akane Sano, demonstrates “the importance of sleep regularity, in addition to sleep duration, and that regular sleep is associated with improved well-being."