Boston Herald reporter Jordan Graham writes that an MIT startup, Accion Systems, is developing a new satellite propulsion technology that could make engines significantly cheaper and more efficient. Graham explains that, “Accion uses a propulsion system called ion electrospray, which shoots ions through holes in the thruster, sending the device in the opposite direction in space.”
STAT reporter Kate Sheridan writes about MIT startup SQZ Biotech, which is developing a “technology that will squeeze cells to open up tiny pores in their membranes to deliver gene therapies or medicines straight into the cell.”
New York Times reporter John Schwartz highlights a study co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel that details how, by 2100, areas of the world could face as many as six climate-related crises at once. “Nations, societies in general, have to deal with multiple hazards,” says Emanuel, “and it’s important to put the whole picture together.”
Prof. Charles Stewart speaks with New York Times reporter Frances Robles about how the Florida recount highlights the need for the state’s recount process to be updated. “I would hope wiser heads in Florida would take a deep breath and say, ‘O.K., we can do better next time,’” says Stewart.
MIT alumnus Francis Desouza, president and CEO of the Illumina Corporation, has been named to Fortune’s list of the top 20 Businesspeople of the Year.
Speaking with Mark Jannot of The New York Times Magazine, Prof. Regina Barzilay explores how A.I. could be used to predict risk of certain diseases. “Imagine how it can change the game if these diseases, which are now diagnosed late, when they are largely uncurable, could be detected early — how many lives can be saved,” says Barzilay.
MIT startup Lyndra has found that an ingestible device originally developed by researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital can help tackle the problem of medication adherence, reports Kate Sheridan for STAT. The new technology could make it possible for patients to take “one pill a week for conditions as varied as Alzheimer’s, addiction, allergies, malaria, schizophrenia, high cholesterol, and HIV.”
Boston Globe reporter Amy Crawford highlights MIT startup Spoiler Alert, which “helps food businesses manage surplus inventory (its customers include Sysco, the world’s largest food wholesaler) and runs an online marketplace for discounted food sales and tax-deductible donations throughout New England.”
MIT has been named one of the top universities for producing the most employable graduates on Times Higher Education’s global employability ranking. “In addition to its world-leading courses, Massachusetts Institute of Technology also offers career-enhancing programmes for undergraduates, industry leaders and the general public,” explains Times Higher Education.
Ray Schroeder writes for Inside Higher Ed about Underlay, a knowledge base developed by MIT researchers to provide web users deeper citations of sources. Schroeder writes that Underlay is “a great example of what may become a new generation of search engines that is able to sort through the fact, opinion and misleading information of the ‘post-truth’ era.”
Prof. Tod Machover speaks with WBUR’s Andrea Shea about his new opera, which uses technology and music to tell the story of composer Arnold Schoenberg. Machover notes that opera, “was always a kind of funky experimental form where it was the place to combine narrative and visuals and engineering stage sets and music that worked — as a listening experience.”
Writing for The Boston Globe, Una Hajdari, the Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies, examines the Trump administration’s approach to working with European countries.
Writing for The Washington Post, Prof. Charles Stewart examines why ballots are still being counted in Florida and Georgia following the midterm elections and why the post-election night vote count favors Democrats. “Voters across the United States have demanded greater flexibility in how and when they cast their ballots,” explains Stewart. “This greater flexibility comes with a price: a delay in counting ballots.”
Washington Post reporter Andrew Van Dam spotlights graduate student Hyejun Kim’s work analyzing data on knitters who used a popular pattern-sharing website to better understand how people are inspired to transform a hobby into a job. Kim found that “offline encouragement and feedback helped most talented hobbyists recognize their ability and take the first steps toward monetizing it.”
MIT researchers have developed a new system to detect contaminated food by scanning a product’s RFID tags, reports Devin Coldewey for TechCrunch. The system can “tell the difference between pure and melamine-contaminated baby formula, and between various adulterations of pure ethyl alcohol,” Coldewey explains.