Chris Michael writes for The Guardian about new work conducted as part of the MIT Social Computing Group’s “You Are Here” project that mapped rat sightings in four U.S. cities. The team used data from public service calls to create time-lapse maps of rats in New York, Boston, Washington, and Chicago.
Brady Dale writes for Fortune about how researchers in Professor Harry Asada’s group are working on developing a robot that can act as an extra set of limbs for factory workers. The machine would conduct the less-skilled tasks in a two-person job, freeing up the other worker.
Washington Post reporter Rachel Feltman examines how MIT researchers have uncovered the brain circuitry that links memories to emotion and how to manipulate it. In rodent tests, “neurons that had once conjured up fearful memories had been switched to pleasant ones,” writes Feltman of the MIT study.
Gautam Naik of The Wall Street Journal writes about new MIT research showing how the brain associates memories with emotion and that circuits in the brain could potentially be rewired to change bad memories to good ones. "We identified the circuit, and we've showed that we can manipulate such circuits artificially," says Dr. Roger Redondo.
Gil Aegerter of NBC News reports on new MIT research examining the impacts of climate change on snowfall. Professor Paul O’Gorman found that “global warming would affect snowfall extremes less than it did average snowfall,” writes Aegerter.
Doyle Rice of USA Today writes about the new MIT study showing that despite warming brought about by climate change, extreme snowfall will still occur in the Northern Hemisphere. Researchers found that while “yearly average snowfall declines due to climate change in most regions, it actually increases in regions with very low surface temperatures,” writes Rice.
Reuters reporter Sharon Begley writes about the new MIT study showing that memories can be rewired in the brain. "We could switch the mouse's memory from positive emotions to negative, and negative to positive," says Professor Susumu Tonegawa of the research.
New York Times reporter Pam Belluck examines new MIT research exploring how the brain links emotions to memories. The study provides a basis for using psychotherapy to help patients “reduce the feelings of a bad memory they have,” says Professor Susumu Tonegawa.
Penny Sarchet writes for New Scientist about how MIT researchers have successfully altered emotions associated with specific memories in mice. "Emotion is intimately associated with the memory of past events and episodes, and yet, the emotional value of the memories is malleable," says Professor Susumu Tonegawa.
MIT scientists have uncovered how memories are linked with positive and negative emotions, reports Dennis Thompson for CBS News. "The memory information stored is not only about what happened, but also about the context in which the event occurred," says Professor Susumu Tonegawa.
Carolyn Johnson writes for The Boston Globe about Professor Susumu Tonegawa’s research into rewiring memories in rodents. “That adds to a body of research from MIT over recent years that has shown that administering a drug can wipe out a negative memory in mice,” writes Johnson.
A team led by Professor Susumu Tonegawa effectively manipulated the emotions associated with certain memories in mice, reports Jonathan Webb of BBC News. “By artificially activating circuits in the brain, scientists have turned negative memories into positive ones,” writes Webb.
In a piece for Finance & Development, the International Monetary Fund’s quarterly magazine, Carmen Rollins highlights 25 economists influencing the global economy. The list includes five MIT faculty members: Esther Duflo, Amy Finkelstein, Kristin Forbes, Parag Pathak and Iván Werning.
Steve Annear of Boston Magazine writes about the rollercoaster constructed as part of the festivities that welcomed MIT students back to campus. “I’m so grateful to be here at MIT and surrounded by such amazing people who can pull off such awesome projects,” says MIT student Rachel Davis. “I’m happy that I can call this place my home.”
Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press speaks with Professor Kerry Emanuel about a draft report on climate change released by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Emanuel explains that the report raises the problem of how much risk we are willing to accept, as scientists are unsure about how much the world will warm.