Los Angeles Times reporter Geoffrey Mohan writes about a new study, coauthored by researchers from the Broad Institute, that identifies over 100 regions in human DNA that correlate with schizophrenia. “The findings provide substantial support for a genetic root to the disorder and greatly narrow the search for genes that may cause the disease, the authors said,” writes Mohan.
The Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin is presenting Professor Emeritus Otto Piene’s large-scale slide installation The Proliferation of the Sun through Aug. 31, reports The Huffington Post. Piene, the former director of MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, died shortly after the exhibit opened.
“In the largest-ever donation to psychiatric research, Connecticut businessman Ted Stanley is giving $650 million to the Eli and Edythe Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard,” reports Curt Nickisch for WBUR.
In a piece for USA Today, Karen Weintraub reports that scientists have identified more than 100 genes connected to schizophrenia. "Most importantly, the goal is not to end up with a list of genes, but with novel treatments,” explains Steven Hyman, director of the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute.
In a piece for WBUR, Caroline Erisman writes about a study from MIT researchers showing that elite male faculty tend to hire more men than women when compared to their female counterparts. “To right that imbalance, we must continue to prepare more women to assume leadership positions in the sciences (and math and engineering too, for that matter),” writes Erisman.
Associated Press reporter Seth Borenstein writes that researchers have discovered more than 100 spots in our DNA tied to schizophrenia. "It's a genetic revelation; schizophrenia has been a mystery," says study co-author Steve McCarroll, director of genetics for the Broad Institute.
Writing for The Boston Globe, Jack Newsham interviews Professor John Leonard about the many challenges facing self-driving cars in a city like Boston. “Robots should just be able to navigate the way we navigate,” Leonard explains. “That’s been a challenge in robotics for 40 years.”
Wired reporter Margaret Rhodes writes about a new system developed by MIT researchers that uses drones as lighting assistants for photographs. The system operates by examining, “how much light is hitting the subject, and where the drone needs to move to adjust that light.”
Writing for The New Yorker, Professor Seth Mnookin examines the struggles facing a young couple whose firstborn child was the only known patient with a specific genetic disorder. Mnookin explores how the parents were able to spur research into their son’s disorder by locating other patients with the disease.
Professor Seth Mnookin speaks with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan during the final segment of this episode of Boston Public Radio about his new article in The New Yorker on parents struggling to help their children with conditions new to science.
Steven Spear, a senior lecturer at the Sloan School of Management, writes for USA Today about General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra’s appearance before a Senate panel to discuss the flawed ignition switches on many of the company’s vehicles. Spear argues that GM must fundamentally change the way it tests products and reviews designs.
David Rose of the MIT Media Lab speaks at the Harvard Book Store to discuss his book “Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire, and the Internet of Things” in this WGBH video. Future “smart objects” will be developed not only for utility, but for attributes that make them feel “friendly,” says Rose.
Scientists have uncovered more than 100 genes involved in learning, memory, brain signaling and the immune system that are related to schizophrenia, reports Angel Zimm for Bloomberg News. “I’m hopeful these genetic results can point to a new understanding of the root cause of schizophrenia, and why all the symptoms emerge,” explains Steve McCarroll of the Broad Institute.
Reporting for Science Nation, Miles O’Brien examines new work from Professor Richard Schrock to develop cleaner, cheaper diesel fuel. With his colleagues, Schrock is developing new catalysts that work together to turn carbon sourced material into high-grade diesel fuel.
Michael J. Bailey memorializes the life and work of Otto Piene, professor emeritus of visual design and the former director of MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies. “Leavened by helium, tethered through hundreds of feet of fabric tubes, and animated by the wind, his figurative and abstract sculptures would become the kinetic centerpiece of grand-scale festivals,” writes Bailey.