Washington Post reporter Adam Bernstein writes about Tom Magliozzi, an MIT alumnus and co-host of the popular NPR program Car Talk, who passed away at age 77. “As youngsters, Tom and Ray, who is 12 years his junior, conducted science experiments in the back yard and enjoyed tinkering with their father’s Depression-era car,” writes Bernstein.
“Wielding his unmistakable laughter as ably he would a wrench, Tom Magliozzi hosted NPR’s “Car Talk” for 35 years with his brother, Ray, instructing and entertaining millions,” writes Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard of MIT alumnus Tom Magliozzi, who passed away Monday.
Reporting for Scientific American, Cynthia Graber examines how MIT researchers have developed a battery coating that reduces the risk of injury if swallowed. Inside the coating, “microparticles of conductive metal are suspended in an insulating layer,” Graber explains.
BBC News reporter Jonathan Webb writes that researchers from MIT have created child-safe batteries by developing a coating that allows batteries to conduct electricity only when squeezed. The “pressure-sensitive design makes use of a property called quantum tunneling, which is also used in touch pads and screens,” writes Webb.
Alison Bruzek of NPR reports that MIT researchers have developed a shield that can prevent the electrical currents in a battery from damaging the esophagus. The material used to create the shield is already commercially available, NPR reports, making the coating a cheap solution to the issue of children swallowing batteries.
The Washington Post’s Editorial Board writes about the importance of MIT’s survey examining sexual misconduct. “By undertaking such a detailed fact-finding mission — and publishing the results — MIT has signaled that it is serious about finding solutions, and it offered a model that other institutions would do well to emulate.”
Pilita Clark of the Financial Times writes about the battery developed by Dr. Qichao Hu and Professor Donald Sadoway that can extend the driving range and lower the cost of an electric car. The new battery can store “twice as much energy as conventional [battery] cells,” Clark reports.
Writing for The New York Times, Richard Friedman highlights how MIT researchers examined brain activity in adults with A.D.H.D. They found that “adults who had had A.D.H.D as children but no longer had it as adults had a restoration of the normal synchrony pattern, so their brains looked just like those of people who had never had it.”
The Tech calls on students to take strong action to combat sexual assault, following the results of a survey examining sexual misconduct at MIT. “To quote President Reif, sexual assault ‘has no place here’,” writes The Tech. “But if the entire effort is to have a chance at success, students cannot opt out of this conversation — and that’s on us.”
TIME reporter Michael D. Lemonick writes about Professor Richard Binzel’s commentary in Nature that proposes an alternative to NASA’s current plans to capture and examine a small asteroid. Binzel suggests that scientists identify Nearth-Earth asteroids, and then send astronauts out to match their orbit and examine the asteroids.
Alexandre Stipanovich writes for The Huffington Post about Professor Earl Miller’s research into understanding consciousness. "Some parts of consciousness are very subjective, but the most objective thing about conscious thoughts is that it is a limited capacity,” explains Miller.
The Dalai Lama will speak at MIT Friday, reports Philip Marcelo for the Associated Press. The Dalai Lama will participate in panel discussions focused on how individual actions can help address global warming, food security and other global challenges.
Meera Senthilingam writes for CNN about “Underworlds,” a new project aimed at collecting information about microbes in a city’s sewers and predicting epidemics. "We will be able to monitor the microbiome individually, and tell you about your body," says Professor Carlo Ratti, "to monitor and detect this before you fall sick."
Writing for The Boston Globe, MIT President L. Rafael Reif reflects on the life and legacy of long-time Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. “I came to see him as a natural leader, always able to attract people who could make a difference in causes that mattered,” writes Reif.
Amina Khan writes for The Los Angeles Times about Professor Richard Binzel’s opposition to NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). According to Binzel, the Obama administration “should abandon the ARM mission concept and make an asteroid survey its top priority to provide a basis for future crewed missions."