A new study co-authored by researchers at the Broad Institute examines how exposure to microbes during childhood can impact the development of immune systems, reports Elissa Strauss for Slate. The researchers found that “while our individual habits are a factor in autoimmune disorders, they’re hardly the only cause.”
TIME reporter Jeffrey Kluger writes that MIT researchers have designed an algorithm to produce an image of a black hole. Kluger explains that the algorithm will allow researchers “visualize the event horizon that surrounds the black hole at the center of our own galaxy.”
A study co-authored by Prof. Karen Zheng examines how fear that items will go out of stock can motivate shoppers to pay full price, increasing stores’ profits, reports CNBC reporter Susie Poppick. “It turns out people tend to believe certain products will be sold faster or sooner than they actually are,” explains Zheng.
A team of astronomers, including MIT Prof. Michael McDonald, has observed a black hole feasting on cold gas. BBC News reports that the team “discovered a supermassive black hole and saw clouds speeding towards it at 800,000 mph. The observation supports a theory black holes feed on clouds of cold gas.”
Writing for The Huffington Post, Richard Freed highlights a study by MIT researchers that found that a student’s academic performance tends to decline when personal computing technology is available. The researchers “compared West Point students’ final exam scores for those who used personal computers and tablets in class to those who didn’t.”
In this video, BBC World News reporter Adam Shaw learns about the stretchy, water-based hydrogel MIT researchers developed that could be used as a smart bandage to sense temperatures and deliver medication. “This is a new way to think about this interface between the human body and electronic devices,” explains Prof. Xuanhe Zhao.
MIT graduate student Katie Bouman speaks with Ben Johnson of Marketplace about the algorithm she and her colleagues developed to allow people “to see the first image of a black hole.” Johnson notes the algorithm has uses beyond space exploration and could also potentially be used for MRI imaging.
MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm to compile data gathered by the Event Horizon Telescope and create an image of a black hole, reports James Griffiths for CNN. The algorithm will “fill in the gaps and filter out the interference and noise caused by our own atmosphere,” Griffiths explains.
Washington Post reporter Brian Fung writes that MIT researchers have developed an algorithm to create images of black holes by compiling data from radio telescopes around the world. Fung writes that the algorithm “could give us the first true images of a celestial phenomenon that, for decades, we've left to artists to imagine and describe with pictures.”
Prof. Linda Griffith speaks with Wired reporter Sarah Zhang about her work developing chips that can mimic human organs in an effort to better understand interactions between the immune system and the liver. Griffith is currently working to connect at least 10 miniature organs on a chip to study, for example, how breast cancer can spread to the liver.
Prof. Andrew Lo writes for The Wall Street Journal that robo advisors could prove helpful to investors if they are able to assist with managing emotions. “Instead of artificial intelligence, we should first conquer artificial emotion—by constructing algorithms that accurately capture human behavior, we can build countermeasures to protect us from ourselves."
An algorithm developed by MIT researchers could help produce the first image of a black hole, reports Ryan Mandelbaum for Popular Science. Mandelbaum explains that the algorithm gathers data from radio telescopes around the globe and then uses “other images from space as references to craft a sort of mosaic that best matches the data from the telescopes.”
Boston Globe reporters J.D. Capelouto and Olivia Arnold write that MIT researchers have developed an algorithm aimed at producing images of black holes. MIT graduate student Katie Bouman notes that while there are predictions of what a black hole might look like, “it’s great to actually be able to probe it and…construct those images.”
A study by Prof. David Atkin finds that migrants are willing to pay more, and consume less, to continue eating the traditional cuisine of their homeland, reports Donald McNeil Jr. for The New York Times. Atkin found that “poor migrants within India stuck with their dietary preferences even when they were nearly malnourished.”
In an article for CNN Money about developments in battery technology, Jackie Wattles highlights a new approach developed by MIT researchers that could help pave the way for solid-state lithium-ion batteries. Wattles explains that such technology could “survive hundreds of thousands of charges, store 20% to 30% more power, and isn't as susceptible to overheating.”