Wired reporter Will Knight writes that researchers from MIT and other institutions have “revealed an AI engine that learned how to recreate the classic game Pac-Man without any of the original code.”
A study by MIT researchers finds that while vaccines are more likely to advance through clinical trials, "vaccine development for some of the world’s most dangerous diseases has lagged in recent decades, which may present challenges for the pursuit of a Covid-19 vaccine,” reports Travis Anderson for The Boston Globe.
Popular Mechanics Courtney Linder writes that researchers from MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab are working on rebuilding islands in the Maldives using the power of ocean waves to redistribute sand. The scientists hope to eventually “scale their approach to other locations around the world and rebuild heavily populated coastlines, like New York City, as well as the most vulnerable island nations.”
MIT researchers have developed a new precision injection system to help fight diseases and deliver nutrients to plants, reports Jeff Kart for Forbes. Kart explains that the new method “uses an array of microneedles made of a silk-based biomaterial to deliver drugs, nutrients and other molecules to specific parts of a plant.”
New York Times reporters Quoctrung Bui and Emily Badger spotlight how MIT researchers have captured audio recordings of walks through city parks throughout the world and found that ambient urban noise has declined during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s almost like the countryside melody coming into the city,” explains Prof. Carlo Ratti.
Boston Globe reporters Kay Lazar and Felice J. Freyer spotlight a study by MIT researchers that lack of coordination in reopening strategies could lead to increased spread of Covid-19. “We don’t advocate a one-size-fits-all policy. We recognize different localities with different circumstances may need different policy responses,” explains Prof. Sinan Aral. “But our work suggests that they should coordinate with each other.”
Prof. Eran Egozy speaks with Boston Globe reporter Grace Griffin about “Comusica,” a musical celebration of the Class of 2020 that combines audio and video clips of graduating MIT students to create a cohesive song. Egozy hopes the piece creates “that feeling of coming together and celebrating and basically seeing everyone’s smiling, happy faces.”
A study by MIT researchers finds uncoordinated reopening strategies during the Covid-19 pandemic could cause regional issues, reports Jim Braude for WGBH’s Greater Boston. “One state’s or counties policies significantly affect mobility in other states or counties,” explains Prof. Sinan Aral.
Washington Post contributor Michele L. Norris highlights Prof. Evan Lieberman’s writing about the potential consequences of collecting disaggregated racial data on Covid-19. “It is not difficult to imagine that if Covid-19 comes to be understood as a ‘Black’ epidemic,” he wrote, “this will create false impressions for many white Americans…that the virus is ‘not our problem,’ leading to decreased demand for and compliance with public health directives.”
A study co-authored by MIT researchers finds that more than 200 evictions were filed in Boston before a lockdown was imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports Crystal Haynes for Boston 25. “We know that 78% of eviction filings in housing court occurred in census tracts where a majority of residents are people of color," says graduate student Benjamin Walker.
Postdoctoral associate Seth Benzell speaks with Marketplace’s David Brancaccio about a new study by MIT researchers that assesses the cumulative risk of opening different types of businesses. “Every time we have an interaction with another human, especially in a dense space, that’s a chance for the virus to spread,” says Benzell. “So we really need to ration our social contact.”
Researchers from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology are developing rapid paper-based serological and diagnostic tests for Covid-19, reports BioSpectrum. Researchers “are working collaboratively to develop a rapid serological test and a rapid diagnostic test (RDT), based on protein detection, that could be used outside of laboratories, without specialised equipment or infrastructure, at places such as airports and community clinics.”
Quanta Magazine reporter Erica Klarreich explores how incoming professor and postdoctoral fellow Lisa Piccirillo solved a long-standing question about whether the Conway knot is a slice of a higher-dimensional knot. Piccirillo’s proof “fits into the mold of short, surprising proofs of elusive results that researchers in the area are able to quickly absorb, admire and seek to generalize,” says Joshua Greene, a professor at BC.
WCVB-TV reporter Erika Tarantal spotlights how the MIT Beaver Works Summer Institute, a summer program aimed at teaching high school students STEM skills, worked with teachers at Boston’s Madison Park Technical Vocational High School to help engage students in hands-on STEM learning. “If you're interested in STEM, there's not that many extra-curricular activities,” says Lisa Kelley, program manager for Beaver Works.
Reporting for NPR’s Morning Edition, Diaa Hadid highlights how the Afghan Dreamers, an all-girls robotics team, are working on developing an affordable ventilator prototype, based off an open-source design developed by MIT researchers.