Joe Nocera of The New York Times writes about Professor Zeynep Ton’s presentation at the Aspen Ideas Festival on her book “The Good Jobs Strategy,” in which she argues that companies can be profitable by improving conditions for their workers. “The assumed trade-off between low prices and good jobs is a fallacy,” says Ton.
Wired reporter Liat Clark writes that researchers at the MIT Media Lab have developed a 3-D printed biological wearable that “could theoretically generate drugs, fuel and food when exposed to sunlight.”
In an article for Fortune, Katie Fehrenbacher writes about how startups such as Transatomic Power, which was founded by MIT nuclear scientists Leslie Dewan and Mark Massie, could revive the field of nuclear technology. Fehrenbacher writes that companies like Transatomic “are passionate about how tech innovation can lift the industry out of its nuclear stalemate.”
Professor Junot Díaz will be honored as one of this year’s We Are Boston Award recipients for embracing “diversity and immigrant heritage,” writes Jennifer Usovicz for The Boston Globe. “Boston is beautiful precisely because of our immigrant communities,” says Díaz. “Our energy and sacrifice is the dynamo that drives the city forward.”
New research by Prof. Susumu Tonegawa presents the possibility that depression can be alleviated by recalling happy memories, reports Clive Cookson for The Financial Times. The findings suggest, "new ways to treat depression by manipulating memory neurons.”
Financial Times reporter Richard Waters writes about how graduate student Abe Davis’ motion magnification research could be used to create more realistic virtual worlds. Waters writes that Davis’ work presents the “possibility of capturing and manipulating real-world objects in virtual space.”
MIT startup LiquiGlide has announced that they are partnering with the international food packaging company Orkla to use their non-stick coating inside mayonnaise bottles, reports Katie Palmer for Wired. Palmer explains that LiquiGlide has “created an algorithm to optimize the thermodynamic relationships between a textured solid on the inside of the bottle, its liquid 'lubricant,' and the product in question.”
Wired reporter James Temperton writes that MIT researchers have created a portable spectrometer that is small enough to fit inside a smartphone. The spectrometer could be used to diagnose diseases, “analyse urine samples, check pulse and oxygen levels and measure environmental pollutants,” Temperton explains.
Klint Finley writes for Wired about the Cybersecurity Factory, a startup accelerator founded by two MIT graduate students to help new cybersecurity companies get off the ground. Jean Yang, a PhD candidate at MIT and co-founder of the Cybersecurity Factory, explains that her goal “is simply to bring more security companies into existence.”
MIT researchers have developed a quantum-dot spectrometer that is small enough to fit into a smartphone, reports Alexandra Ossola for Popular Science. “Having all that computational power in the palms of their hands could help scientists diagnose of diseases (especially skin conditions), test urine samples, or identify food contaminants,” Ossola writes.
Professor Catherine Tucker writes for Fortune about the factors that prevented Google Plus from being a widely adopted social media platform. “The assumptions about social media that we started with a few years ago don’t necessarily hold true today,” Tucker explains.
MIT spinout LiquiGlide has signed a deal with Orkla that will allow the company to use LiquiGlide’s non-stick coating in their mayonnaise bottles, reports Chris Foxx for the BBC. Foxx explains that a customized version of the LiquiGlide “coating is created for each product, resulting in a "permanently wet" surface inside containers that helps the product slip out.”
Professor César Hidalgo discusses his new book “Why Information Grows” with James Ball of The Guardian. “Most people think of information as messages that communicate the state of a system,” says Hidalgo. “Information actually is physical and it is not only involved in messages but is also involved in objects.”
In an article for The Guardian, Purvi Thacker writes about how researchers from MIT are examining the Kumbh Mela festival, one of the largest public gatherings in the world, to find solutions to problems often found in cities. Prof. Ramesh Raskar explains his goal “to create a prototype ecosystem with the broader vision of game-changing innovation at its core.”
Washington Post reporter Dominic Basulto features Professor César Hidalgo’s book, “Why Information Grows” on his recommended summer reading list for “innovation junkies.” Basulto writes that in his book Hidalgo explains that, “there’s an important correlation between information growth and economic growth, and between economic complexity and national competitiveness.”