BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman writes that MIT researchers are developing new techniques to make future delivery drones more functional and efficient. “We have broken the large problem into lots of small problems,” says Ali-akbar Agha-mohammadi.
The Wall Street Journal interviews Professor Sara Seager about her research and her search for extraterrestrial life. "We haven't been able to find the true Earth twin yet because it's so very hard to find. It's like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack," says Seager.
Professor Andrew Lo and MIT alumnus Tom Rutledge write for The Boston Globe about the benefits that Boston’s colleges and universities could bring to a potential Olympic bid. “The convergence of a great urban undertaking, a gathering of global elites, and Greater Boston’s amazing universities has truly Olympic potential to enrich the lives of people around the world,” Lo and Rutledge write.
New Scientist writes that MIT researchers have developed a new system that allows users to ‘see’ in the dark and through smoke. The system operates through a smartphone, which emits inaudible chirps and then listens for their echo.
Professor Renee Richardson Gosline writes about the Market Basket strike and the role social media has played. Social media, Richardson argues, has increased consumer influence and involvement in the crisis.
In this news video, The Boston Globe reports on the MIT Open Style Laboratory, where teams of design, engineering and occupational therapy students combine forces to design accessible fashion.
MIT scientists have shown recycled lead can be used in solar cells, reports Popular Science’s Emily Gertz. “The group's work demonstrates that the perovskite created from the lead in just one old car battery could provide materials for 30 households-worth of solar energy cells,” writes Gertz.
In a piece for The Financial Times about the Eurozone economies, John Plender writes about Professor Barry Posen’s argument in his new book “Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategy” for cutting U.S. defense spending.
In a piece for Scientific American about the advantages of dyslexia, Matthew H. Schneps highlights an MIT study that found that people with dyslexia “can distribute their attention far more broadly than do typical readers,” and often have heightened visual and auditory senses.
Mark Fischetti of Scientific American interviews Professor Sherry Turkle about how relying on technology to document everyday life could affect our lives and memories. “I’d be very interested in teaming up with psychologists who study how much you remember right after an event, if you’ve been wearing Google Glass versus if you’re just relying on your memory,” says Turkle.
Martin LaMonica writes for IEEE Spectrum about how MIT researchers have developed a system that uses car batteries to produce solar cells. “The beauty is that this new process is pretty interchangeable with the current production method,” says Prof. Angela Belcher.
In a piece for CNBC about the future of electric vehicles, Phil LeBeau writes that MIT researchers estimate battery electric vehicles could account for only 3.7 percent of all vehicles sales in 2040 if the auto industry, state and federal governments, and the public do not increase their level of investment.
In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Professor John Deutch writes about the success of President Obama’s energy policy. “President Obama is having greater success in advancing his energy agenda in his second term than in his first. But it will take more than one successful term to secure the country's energy future,” Deutch writes.
In an interview with Robert Siegel of NPR’s All Things Considered, Ethan Zuckerman of the MIT Media Lab apologizes for his role in creating the pop-up ad. Zuckerman expresses concern that the Internet’s reliance on advertising has made people far more accustomed to surveillance by advertisers.
Washington Post reporter Rachel Feltman writes that MIT engineers have developed a system that recycles batteries into solar cells. “We think it could be a competitor that’s easy to process, has rapidly increasing efficiency, and can be made in an environmentally friendly way,” says Prof. Angela Belcher.