MIT scientists have “observed and captured images of a rare ‘edge state’ in ultracold atoms,” reports Rupendra Brahambhatt for Interesting Engineering. “Using these findings, they can learn to achieve and harness the edge states of electrons in different materials,” notes Brahambhatt. “This breakthrough in the field of quantum physics could lead to the discovery of practically infinite energy sources.”
Jeff Karp, an affiliate faculty member with the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, speaks with NBC Boston 10 reporter Renée Onque about the “pendulum lifestyle” – a new outlook on work-life balance detailed in Karp’s book “LIT: Life Ignition Tools.” "We hear these things from others, [like] trust in the process [and] balance is so important, we need more balance, it's the ultimate goal," says Karp. "It ends up being very frustrating and can lead to anxiety, because we're constantly feeling like we're not in balance. There's a state we should be in [and] we're never in that state."
Scientists and science lovers gathered to celebrate the “quirky aspects of science” at the 2024 Ig Nobel award ceremony held at MIT, reports Ari Daniel for NPR. “We honor some remarkable individuals and groups,” says Marc Abrahams, founder and organizer of the Ig Nobel event and editor of the Annals of Improbable Research. “Every Ig Nobel prize winner has done something that first makes people laugh, and then makes them think.”
A new chatbot developed by MIT researchers aimed at persuading individuals to stop believing unfounded conspiracy theories has made “significant and long-lasting progress at changing people’s convictions,” reports Teddy Rosenbluth for The New York Times. The chatbot, dubbed DebunkBot, challenges the “widely held belief that facts and logic cannot combat conspiracy theories.” Professor David Rand explains: “It is the facts and evidence themselves that are really doing the work here.”
A new study by Prof. David Rand and his colleagues has found that chatbots, powered by generative AI, can help people abandon conspiracy theories, reports Rebecca Ruiz for Mashable. “Rand and his co-authors imagine a future in which a chatbot might be connected to social media accounts as a way to counter conspiracy theories circulating on a platform,” explains Ruiz. “Or people might find a chatbot when they search online for information about viral rumors or hoaxes thanks to keyword ads tied to certain conspiracy search terms.”
A new study by researchers from MIT and elsewhere has found that an AI chatbot is capable of combating conspiracy theories, reports Karen Kaplan for The Los Angeles Times. The researchers found that conversations with the chatbot made people “less generally conspiratorial,” says Prof. David Rand. “It also increased their intentions to do things like ignore or block social media accounts sharing conspiracies, or, you know, argue with people who are espousing those conspiracy theories.”
WHDH reporter Polikseni Manxhari spotlights the Kendall Square “Rollerama,” an outdoor roller-skating rink created by MIT. The rink “offers free skate rentals, free lessons, live music, vendors, concessions and more,” explains Manxhari. “It’s not just a roller skating rink,” says Kathryn Brown, director of real estate at MIT’s Investment Management Company. “There’s a lot of people that come into this space and enjoy just the music and being outdoors.”
A new study by researchers from MIT and elsewhere tested a generative AI chatbot’s ability to debunk conspiracy theories , reports Mack Degeurin for Popular Science. “In the end, conversations with the chatbot reduced the participant’s overall confidence in their professed conspiracy theory by an average of 20%,” writes Degeurin.
Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have created an AI Risk Repository, a free retrospective analysis detailing over 750 risks associated with AI, reports Tor Constantino for Forbes. “If current understanding is fragmented, policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders may believe they have a relatively complete shared understanding of AI risks when they actually don’t,” says Peter Slattery, a research affiliate at the MIT FutureTech project. “This sort of misconception could lead to critical oversights, inefficient use of resources, and incomplete risk mitigation strategies, which leave us more vulnerable.”
Los Angeles Times reporter Rosanna Xia spotlights Prof. Susan Solomon’s new book, “Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again,” as a hopeful remedy to climate anxiety. “An atmospheric chemist at MIT whose research was key to healing the giant gaping hole in our ozone layer, Solomon gives us much-needed inspiration — and some tangible ways forward,” explains Xia.
Prof. Nancy Kanwisher has been named a recipient of the 2024 Champalimaud Foundation’s Vision Award, reports the Associated Press. The award highlights the collective work of four researchers who have “driven significant progress in the field of visual neuroscience."
Graduate student Zoe Fisher speaks with Yusuf Khan of The Wall Street Journal’s about what inspired her to pursue a career in nuclear engineering, noting that being able to fight climate change firsthand is one of the key reasons she wanted to make a career in nuclear.. “It’s a cool thing to study that is going to have a lot of broader impacts,” Fisher says.
The Wall Street Journal has named MIT one of the overall best colleges in the United States, as well as one of the best colleges at improving the financial futures of its graduates, reports Jeremy Fox for The Boston Globe.
In an article for Forbes, Robert Clark spotlights how MIT researchers developed a new model to predict irrational behaviors in humans and AI agents in suboptimal conditions. “The goal of the study was to better understand human behavior to improve collaboration with AI,” Clark writes.
Boston Globe columnist Scott Kirsner spotlights Prof. Mitchel Resnick, Prof. Neil Gershenfeld, and the late Prof. Emeritus Woodie Flowers and their work developing programs that “get kids excited about, and more proficient in, STEM.” Kirsner underscores: “Each of the initiatives brings some of the hands-on problem solving, messiness, and collaborative prototyping elements of MIT’s culture into the wider world. And they’ve all had a big impact on the way kids learn about technology.”