Researchers involved with the NASA New Horizons mission have uncovered evidence that an ocean of ice water lies beneath Pluto’s heart-shaped basin, reports Irene Klotz for Reuters. Prof. Richard Binzel explains that the findings show that “nature is more creative than we are able to imagine, which is why we go and explore."
Reuters reporter Kate Kelland writes that MIT researchers have created a new drug-delivery capsule that can stay in the stomach for up to two weeks after being swallowed. The star-shaped device could be “a powerful weapon in fighting malaria, HIV and other diseases where successful treatment depends on repeated doses of medicine.”
Boston Globe reporter Olivia Quintana writes that the NASA New Horizons team, which includes MIT researchers, has collected data that suggests there is a slushy ocean of ice water beneath Pluto’s surface. “I think the big picture is that this is telling us that Pluto is much more complicated, much more fascinating than we ever imagined,” explains Prof. Richard Binzel.
MIT researchers have developed a star-shaped, drug-delivery device that can stay in the stomach for up to two weeks, gradually releasing medication, reports Melissa Healy for The Los Angeles Times. The researchers believe the device could be useful in “delivering a wide range of medications for diseases in which patient non-adherence is a problem.”
In an article about food allergies for WBUR’s Bostonomix site, Rachel Zimmerman spotlights the Nima gluten tester, a portable device developed by two MIT graduates that can detect gluten in foods within minutes. The device “can detect gluten in concentrations as low as 20 parts per million,” Zimmerman explains.
Boston Globe reporter Tim Logan writes that federal officials announced the initial section of MIT to redevelop the Volpe Transportation Center in Kendall Square. “They understand how to work in Cambridge,” says Greg Vasil of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board of MIT’s long history in the area. “With something this big and intricate, that can really pay off.”
Over 1,500 Fulbright recipients, including a number of MIT fellows, penned a letter in The Huffington Post about the U.S. election. The authors “stand for the tradition of tolerance, free expression, and inclusivity that has made the United States a beacon of hope.”
Hal Hodson writes for New Scientist that MIT researchers have developed a system that allows virtual reality headsets to operate wirelessly. To solve the problem posed by sending vast amounts of data wirelessly, the researchers used a “different wireless technology called millimeter wave (mmWave), which is in a higher band of the frequency spectrum to that used by Wi-Fi.”
Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Senior Lecturer Robert Pozen argues that index stock options are the best way to ensure CEOs are paid based on their performance. “Indexed options are designed to reward managerial skill instead of fortuitous movements of the stock market,” he writes, citing Prof. Bengt Holmstrom’s Nobel-prize winning research on incentives.
In this segment, Prof. Eric Klopfer works with Good Morning America to test the effectiveness of parental control software. After a group of children testing the software access a blocked site, Klopfer notes that if one child figures out how to bypass parental controls, “all their friends are going to find out as well.”
The Guardian’s DG McCullough highlights MIT’s Open Style Lab, which merges design, engineering and occupational therapy to create clothes for people with disabilities, and the International Design Center, which creates clothes with “fewer sensory triggers such as fraying, rough zippers and scratchy tags children and adults with autism because of their sensitivity to certain textures and colors.”
Straits Times reporter Nadia Chevroulet writes that researchers from MIT and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) have uncovered how certain bacteria evade the body’s defenses. The findings could provide “new ways to counter tuberculosis, and possibly a new generation of drugs to battle antibiotic resistance.”
Writing for WBUR’s Bostonomix blog, Bruce Gellerman speaks with Senior Lecturer Bill Aulet about how a new administration in Washington might impact Boston’s innovation economy. Aulet explains that he tries to teach student entrepreneurs how to adapt to change and become what he calls, “anti-fragile.”
Gabrielle Emanuel reports for WGBH that MIT students shared their hopes and fears following the 2016 election on sheets of paper wrapped around columns in Lobby 7. “It wasn’t long before the sheets were filled with notes scribbled in many different languages. There were famous quotes and personal confessions. There were pleas for understanding and calls for action.”
In an article for The New York Times Magazine about design challenges, Jon Gertner highlights Prof. Skylar Tibbits’ idea to reimagine cell towers. By making cell towers responsive to external stimuli, Tibbits believes they can gain in flexibility and functionality, and will have “personality and an aesthetic of movement.”