Washington Post reporters Andrew Freeman and Simon Denyer write that a new analysis by MIT researchers finds warmer temperatures and higher levels of humidity could help slow the spread of Covid-19. “The best-case scenario, according to the study’s authors, is that the rate of spread in parts of the Northern Hemisphere will slow as temperatures warm and humidity increases,” they write.
Senior lecturer Otto Scharmer speaks with Marco Werman of PRI’s The World about how the global response to the spread of Covid-19 could be applied to tackling climate change. “We see the moment we focus on a key issue there is nothing we couldn’t get done within weeks or months,” says Scharmer.
Gizmodo reporter Ryan Mandelbaum highlights the COVID-19 High Performance Computing (HPC) Consortium, which is bringing together MIT and other research institutions, along with industry and government organizations to combat Covid-19. “The organizers of the new consortium will provide 16 supercomputing systems to researchers, as well as a community to engage in the fight together,” Mandelbaum explains.
MIT has joined the Covid-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, which is aimed at using supercomputers to study the virus, reports Rachel Kraus for Mashable. “Supercomputers owned by tech companies, the government, and research institutions are capable of running complex experiments much more quickly than a traditional computer,” writes Kraus.
Inside Higher Ed reporter Scott Jaschik writes that MIT will no longer consider SAT subject scores when making admissions decisions. "We made this decision after considerable study, in consultation with our faculty policy committee. We believe this decision will improve access for students applying to MIT," explains Stuart Schmill, dean of admissions and student financial services at MIT.
A paper by research affiliate Christos A. Makridis finds that regions with more digitally-intensive jobs will be more insulated from the economic impacts of Covid-19, reports Alexandre Tanzi for Bloomberg. “U.S. counties with high concentrations of jobs in industries such as retail and health care could see as much as a 4% decline in their annual growth rate if the shutdowns last just a month.”
Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray spotlights how Prof. Ramesh Raskar is developing an app aimed at tracking the spread of Covid-19 using location data already collected by mobile phones. Raskar hopes “people who have tested positive for COVID-19 would voluntarily share their location data with public health officials, to help them identity hot spots and potential paths of infection,” writes Bray.
CNBC reporter Hannah Miller writes that MIT is joining a consortium aimed at making supercomputing power available to help combat Covid-19. “The supercomputing power will be available to help researchers develop predictive models to analyze how the disease is progressing as well as model new potential therapies or a possible vaccine,” writes Miller.
A new analysis by MIT researchers finds that warmer temperatures may help reduce the spread of Covid-19, reports Knvul Sheikh and Ernesto Londoño for The New York Times. “We still need to take strong precautions,” explains postdoctoral associate Qasim Bukhari. “Warmer temperatures may make this virus less effective, but less effective transmission does not mean that there is no transmission.”
Popular Mechanics reporter Courtney Linder writes that MIT startup Biobot has launched a new program to test community sewers as a way to help track the spread of Covid-19. "We are establishing protocols to test sewage for SARS-CoV-2,” explains Biobot. “If successful, this data will give communities a dynamic map of the virus as it spreads to new places.”
Prof. Catherine D’Ignazio speaks with Guardian reporter Zoë Corbyn about her new book, “Data Feminism” and the importance of recognizing discrimination and bias in algorithms. D’Ignazio explains that data feminism “takes all inequality into account at every stage of the data processing pipeline, including gender discrimination but also other forms of intersecting discrimination like racism, classism and ableism.”
Forbes reporter Alexandra Sternlicht writes that MIT startup Ginkgo Bioworks “is giving $25 million worth of resources in their $400 million R&D facility to public and private teams working to cure, prevent and treat the novel coronavirus.”
MIT Solve has kicked off a new challenge aimed at galvanizing “more entrepreneurs to investigate and improve the world of health security,” reports Danny Crichton for TechCrunch.
Prof. Yossi Sheffi speaks with Bloomberg about the impact of Covid-19 on supply chains.
An app developed by researchers from MIT and other institutions could help track the spread of coronavirus in communities, reports Lilly Smith for Fast Company. The app “alerts people when they come into contact with someone who’s been diagnosed with COVID-19, potentially reducing the virus’s spread if the app is downloaded by a large chunk of the population.”