Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have observed, for the first time, a dying star consuming a planet, reports Jack Guy for CNN. “The fact that the solar system planets would get engulfed into the sun in the future was something I had read first in high school, so it was surreal to realize that we may have found the first ever example of catching a similar event in real time,” says postdoc Kishalay De.
Prof. Gio Traverso and colleagues at NYU have developed an electronic pill that could stimulate appetite. The device delivers small pulses of electricity that “induce the release of ghrelin, the body’s so-called “hunger hormone,” which is involved in regulating appetite and alleviating severe nausea and vomiting,” reports Joanna Thompson for Inverse.
Prof. Simon Johnson and Prof. Yossi Sheffi speak with Boston 25 about the potential impact of AI on the labor market. “We need people to have what’s called soft skills,” says Sheffi. “They need to be able to convince people, manage people, work with people, partner with people.” Johnson notes while there are still fields that are safe bets, but notes that the speed with which [AI] is moving and currently the acceleration is really dramatic.”
Augmental, an MIT spinoff, has developed MouthPad, an assistive device that provides wearers the ability to control Bluetooth-connected devices using their tongue, reports Haje Jan Kamps for TechCrunch. “The wide variety of control options embedded into the MouthPad means that it can be used in conjunction with many different devices,” writes Kamps.
Research from MIT and elsewhere have developed a mobile app that uses computer-vision techniques and AI to detect post-surgery signs of infection as part of an effort to help community workers in Kirehe, a district in Rwanda’s Eastern province, reports Shefali Malhotra for Science. “The researchers are now improving the app so it can be used across more diverse populations such as in Ghana and parts of South America,” writes Malhotra.
President Sally Kornbluth discusses her goals for her tenure as president of MIT. “We are at an inflection point in many societal problems, particularly climate change but a host of others, where MIT can really make an impact on the world. I hope when people look 5 years, 10 years, 20 years down the line they can look back and say, ‘MIT really helped move the needle on these problems,’” says Kornbluth. “I [also] really hope MIT remains a leader in tapping into the broadest range of human talent.”
Prof. Danielle Li, graduate student Lindsey Raymond and Stanford University Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson released an “empirical study of the real-world economic effects of new AI systems,” reports Greg Rosalsky for NPR. The researchers found “AI caused a group of workers to become much more productive.” Rosalsky adds that the study also “shines a spotlight on just how powerful AI is, how disruptive it might be, and suggests that this new, astonishing technology could have economic effects that change the shape of income inequality going forward.”
Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have tested the impact of generative AI among 5,000 customer service agents within a Fortune 500 software company, reports Jo Constantz for Bloomberg. “The company’s lowest-skilled workers became 35% faster with the tool,” explains Constantz. “The researchers think this was because the AI essentially transferred top performers’ knowledge to less-experienced colleagues through the automatically-generated recommended responses.”
Prof. Marzyeh Ghassemi speaks with NPR host Emily Kwong and correspondent Geoff Brumfiel about how artificial intelligence could impact medicine. “When you take state-of-the-art machine-learning methods and systems and then evaluate them on different patient groups, they do not perform equally,” says Ghassemi.
Hala Hanna, executive director of Solve, writes for The Boston Globe about how to empower young people to address and solve today’s problems. “Engaging young people is not just a moral imperative, it is also a strategic one,” writes Hanna. “By investing in our youth and promoting civic engagement, we can help shape a generation of passionate, informed, and engaged citizens ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow and make a lasting impact on the world around them.”
Boston Globe reporter Yvonne Abraham spotlights Postdoctoral Fellow Lydia Harrington and Boston University Postdoctoral Associate Chloe Bordewich and their work examining the history of Boston’s former Little Syria neighborhood. “It’s important that Bostonians think about this as part of their history,” says Bordewich. “But we also wanted to contribute something so that recent Syrian arrivals can engage and see part of their history, too.”
Researchers from MIT and NYU have “developed a first-of-its-kind treatment to help spur hunger via stimulating hormone levels in the gut—an “electroceutical” ingestible capsule inspired by a “water wicking” reptile,” writes Andrew Paul for Popular Science. “The team explored a novel way to “significantly and repeatedly” induce the production of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.”
According to the US Department of Education, MIT is among the least expensive American universities for undergraduate students receiving federal financial aid, reports Justin Fox for Bloomberg.
Prof. Yossi Sheffi joins Bloomberg Business Hour to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on businesses, supply chain management, and risk management. “In general, over the last 50 years, supply chain has changed dramatically, infusing more and more technology into the operation,” says Sheffi.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new nanoparticle sensor that can detect cancerous proteins through a simple urine test. “The researchers designed the tests to be done on a strip of paper, similar to the at-home COVID tests everyone became familiar with during the pandemic,” writes Lambert. “They hope to make it as affordable and accessible to as many patients as possible.”