James Hamblin of The Atlantic reports on the new MIT study that shows implementing a cap on carbon emissions would result in health care savings. An economy-wide cap and trade program "would result in a net benefit of $125 billion in human health costs,” writes Hamblin.
Slate reporter Jordan Weissman writes about Professor David Autor’s new paper, presented at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas’s City’s Economic Symposium. In the paper, Autor argues that robots and computers will not replace humans in the labor market as they lack the ability to reason like the human brain.
Charles Pulliam-Moore of the PBS NewsHour reports on new research from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab showing that humans are happier and more productive when robots are in control. The research, “could lead to situations in which human employees could be empowered by machines, rather than replaced by them,” Pulliam-Moore writes.
Sara Murray of The Wall Street Journal speaks with MIT Sloan student Erica Swallow about the gender gap in large venture capital firms. Swallow discusses her op-ed recounting her experience interning with a venture capital firm over the summer.
Ken Silverstein writes for Forbes about research conducted at MIT that indicates enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) could help reduce carbon emissions. A panel assembled at MIT in 2012 estimated that geothermal energy could provide 100,000 megawatts of electricity in the U.S. in 50 years.
CBC News reports on the MIT study examining how carbon reduction policies impact health care spending. “They discovered that the greatest health savings came from the cap-and-trade program, with savings coming in at 10.5 times the $14.5-billion cost of such a program,” CBC reports.
Professor M. Taylor Fravel speaks with Edward Wong of The New York Times about the controversial new maps released by the Chinese military that display disputed regions with India as Chinese. Fravel argues the maps “get undue attention, as they almost always reaffirm existing claims rather than depict new ones.”
Boston Globe reporter Kathleen Burge writes about the MIT Open Style Lab, which was founded by MIT graduate Grace Teo to bring together teams of students to “design clothing for clients with amputations, spinal cord injuries, early-onset arthritis, and other disabilities.”
Boston Globe reporter Kelly Gifford writes about CampBio, a science camp co-hosted by the Whitehead Institute, aimed at sparking middle schoolers’ interest in science. “Kids are natural explorers,” says MIT Professor Susan Lindquist. “But it’s been surprising to me to see how many of them lose their excitement about science as they pass from middle school to high school.”
Erika Fry writes for Fortune about the spread of infectious diseases, highlighting a study by researchers from MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering that examines how infectious diseases could spread worldwide through air transportation. The researchers developed a metric to rank and predict which U.S. airports would be the most influential spreaders of a disease.
The MIT Alumni Association’s Slice of MIT blog features highlights of MIT President L. Rafael Reif’s Ice Bucket Challenge. “MIT President L. Rafael Reif is the Institute’s 17th president, but he is almost surely the first MIT president to publicly dump a bucket of near-freezing water over his head,” writes Jay London.
New York Times reporter Neil Irwin writes about Professor David Autor’s new paper, which asserts that robots will not replace humans in the labor market. “Many of the middle-skill jobs that persist in the future will combine routine technical tasks with the set of non-routine tasks in which workers hold comparative advantage,” Autor explains.
Reuters reports on Professor David Autor’s new paper on how automation and computers are impacting the labor market. "I expect that a significant stratum of middle skill, non-college jobs combining specific vocational skills with foundational middle skills - literacy, numeracy, adaptability, problem-solving and common sense - will persist in coming decades," Autor explains.
Katie Collins writes for Wired that MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm that will allow delivery drones to monitor their own health. “Drones will be able to keep an eye on their ability to do the job by predicting fuel levels and checking on the condition of propellers, cameras and other sensors,” writes Collins.
Neel V. Patel writes for Popular Science about the online game Eyewire developed by MIT researchers. The game has allowed neuroscientists to gather data that is helping them to map the eye’s neural network.