A new study conducted by MIT researchers examines the unique acoustical properties of Cremona-era violins’ F-shaped holes, writes Douglas Quenqua for The New York Times. “The scientists found that the length of the holes, not the width, and the strength of the back plate had the biggest effects on sound quality,” Quenqua explains.
Matt Cantor of USA Today writes that by examining the key features that augment a violin’s sound, MIT researchers have found that the shape and design of the “f-holes” give the instrument its acousitcal power. The researchers also found that the instrument’s shape evolved gradually over time, by chance.
The Associated Press reports on the career of Professor Emeritus Irving Singer, a prominent philosopher who passed away Feb. 1 at the age of 89. Singer, who served on the MIT faculty for more than 50 years, wrote 21 books in the field of humanistic philosophy.
Liz Stinson reports for Wired on a self-assembling chair designed by researchers in the MIT Self-Assembly Lab. The project “is an investigation into how structures might be able to autonomously assemble in uncontrolled environments like water,” writes Stinson.
Professor Emeritus Irving Singer, who taught philosophy at MIT for more than 50 years and was well known for his three-volume work, “The Nature of Love,” died on Feb. 1, reports Sam Roberts for The New York Times. Singer penned 21 books on everything from creativity and morality to love aesthetics, literature, music and film.
Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe writes about the “Photographing Places” exhibit at the MIT Museum, which features images that appeared in the landscape and urban design journal Places. “There are 21 photographers in the show and nearly 70 images. In both style and substance, they demonstrate a happily vigorous diversity,” explains Feeney.
MIT researchers have found that few health care studies use the random assignment method, considered to be the gold standard in scientific research, reports U.S. News & World Report. The researchers “analyzed hundreds of studies about improving health care and found that only 18 percent of those conducted in the United States used the random assignment method.”
The Economist writes about a new MIT study examining the development of violin design, which was found to have evolved by chance. The researchers also found that the shape and length of the violin’s “f-holes” give the instrument its acoustical power.
Boston Magazine reporter Olivia Rassow writes about how Robert Robinson Taylor, MIT’s first black alumnus, is being inducted into the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage Stamp series. The stamp honoring Taylor “depicts a black-and-white photograph of Taylor taken when he was 22 years old and a student at MIT.”
A new study conducted by researchers from MIT found that a violin’s acoustic power comes from the design of the instrument, writes Joseph Dussault of The Christian Science Monitor. The researchers also found that the “violin’s distinctive, f-shaped sound hole came not as a result of human ingenuity, but rather a series of random mutations.”
A new study by Prof. Amy Finkelstein found that few health care system studies used the random assignment method, considered the gold standard for scientific research, reports Sabrina Tavernise for The New York Times. “The beauty of randomization is that it allows you to be sure of the cause,” says Finkelstein of the importance of using the method.
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a stamp in honor of Robert Robinson Taylor, MIT’s first black alumnus, writes Krissah Thompson of The Washington Post. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama and Taylor’s great-granddaughter, said that whenever she faces a daunting task she thinks of Taylor, “the son of a slave, who traveled all the way from Wilmington, North Carolina, to attend MIT.”
Darren Sabedra of San Jose Mercury News writes about incoming freshman Riley Quinn, who plans to double major in math and business and play football at MIT. Quinn, who was born without a left hand and forearm, wrote in his college essay that he leveraged what “others may call a physical disability as my driving force and motivation to excel at everything I do."
Professor Kerry Emanuel speaks with John Upton of Scientific American about new research indicating that climate change could lead to stronger East Coast hurricanes. The study suggests that New England hurricanes “are more frequent when ocean temperatures near the U.S. East Coast are warmer,” says Emanuel.
Devin Coldewey of NBC News writes about new MIT research into the evolution of violin design. The researchers found that “the characteristics of the instruments underwent changes surprisingly like evolution by natural selection,” Coldewey explains.