Eric Hand writes for Science that a recent study led by Prof. Susan Solomon shows the effectiveness of the Montreal Protocol, which banned the production of CFCs. The study also explains that the record-sized ozone hole in October 2015 was caused by a volcano eruption in Chile, writes Hand.
Research by MIT scientists shows that 30 years after banning CFCs the ozone hole is shrinking, writes Aaron Sidder for National Geographic. “These findings suggest that ozone healing is right on pace with the expected timeline,” explains Sidder.
Scientists have found that the Antarctica ozone hole is showing signs of healing and is forming at a slower rate, writes Megan Daley for The Los Angeles Times. Prof. Susan Solomon explains that the findings show that the Montreal Protocol, which banned the use of ozone-destroying chloroflourocarbons, “produced the positive result that we hoped for.”
Scientists have found evidence that the ozone hole over Antarctica is getting smaller and forming later in the year, reports Seth Bornstein for the Associated Press. Prof. Susan Solomon, lead author of the study, says the findings are a "tremendous cause for hope" for fixing other environmental problems.
USA Today reporter Doyle Rice reports that a team of researchers led by MIT Prof. Susan Solomon has found that the Antarctica ozone heal is beginning to heal. “The discovery shows global attempts to improve Earth's environment can work, providing a template for how humanity could tackle the exponentially larger issue of climate change,” Doyle writes.
New York Times reporter Henry Fountain writes that researchers have found evidence that the ozone hole over Antarctica is getting smaller. “We are seeing the planet respond as expected to the actions of people,” says Prof. Susan Solomon. “It’s really a story of the public getting engaged, policy makers taking action, and business getting engaged.”
Researchers from MIT and other institutions have found that the Antarctic ozone hole has begun to heal, reports Chris Mooney for The Washington Post. “If you use the medical analogy, first the patient was getting worse and worse, and then the patient is stabilized, and now, “explains Prof. Susan Solomon, “the patient is really starting to get better.”
Barbara Ortutay writes for the Associated Press about several startups aiming to make breast pumps more user-friendly. Ortutay notes that many of the startups, including Mighty Mom Hush-a-Pump, started at the Media Lab’s 2014 “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck” Hackathon.
The curved origami sculptures created by Prof. Erik Demaine and his father Martin Demaine are featured in the exhibit “Above the Fold: New Expressions in Origami,” writes Solvej Schou for the Associated Press. The father-son duo use math algorithms to solve paper-folding problems. "Our work grows directly out of our decades collaborating together in mathematics and sculpture," explains Prof. Demaine.
Prof. Nergis Mavalvala speaks with Scientific American about black holes, gravitational waves, and attracting more women and minorities to STEM fields. She explains that studying the building blocks of the universe is important for understanding the “big questions: What are we made of? Where do we come from?”
April Glasper writes for Wired about the robot Prof. Cynthia Breazeal created specifically for domestic purposes. Glasper explains that robot, dubbed Jibo “learns by listening and asking questions. Jibo uses machine learning, speech and facial recognition, and natural language processing to learn from its interactions with people.”
MIT researchers have developed a new water-based material that could be used to make artificial skin, long-lasting contact lenses and drug-delivering bandages, writes Jamie Ducharme for Boston Magazine. “It’s interesting to imagine a world where your medicine cabinet is stocked with hydrogel-elastomer hybrids instead of contact lenses and Band-Aids,” writes Ducharme.
By watching TV shows and video clips, CSAIL researchers show that artificially intelligent systems can learn and predict human behavior, writes Tim Moynihan for Wired. Researchers say these findings could lead to analyzing hospital video feeds to alert emergency responders or allow robots to respond.
Tamara Dietrich of The Washington Post writes that MIT physicists will lead a team at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in searching for evidence of dark photons. The DarkLight experiment is “going to be very pioneering,” says Prof. Richard Milner.
Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese and Mexican imports would impact millions of American jobs that support goods and services, writes Prof. Simon Johnson in The Boston Globe. “[E]xports to China in 2014 supported nearly 1 million jobs directly — and at least that many jobs again in terms of indirect effects,” explains Johnson.