Forbes contributor Katie Jennings writes that Biobot Analytics, an MIT startup, is examining wastewater to gauge the scope of Covid-19 infections. “We see this technology as being an infrastructure layer that is embedded permanently into our wastewater systems in order to alert us as an early warning,” explains Biobot Anlytics President and co-founder Newsha Ghaeli, “whether it's COVID, or whether it's something else.”
Reporting for NPR, Jason Slotkin explores how Brigham and Women’s Hospital is using Spot, a robotic dog developed by Boston Dynamics in consultation with MIT researchers, in an effort to help limit staff exposure to Covid-19.
Spot, a robotic dog developed by researchers from MIT and Boston Dynamics, is being used to help clinicians at Brigham and Women’s Hospital talk with Covid-19 patients while minimizing contact, reports 7 News. Prof. Giovanni Traverso explains that, “what we are incorporating are our cameras that can extract visually, using either infrared or regular cameras, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation.”
Prof. Daniela Rus speaks with David Bienick of WCVB-TV about how a team of MIT researchers developed a prototype of a device that can be used to automatically operate hand-pump ventilators. "This could be a game-changer for countries that have very few ventilators," Rus explains.
Writing for The Washington Post, Prof. Kathleen Thelen examines the effectiveness of European and U.S. programs aimed at reducing unemployment. Thelen and Anke Hassel of the Hertie School in Germany note that, “it isn’t just the size of the assistance package that counts: it is how it is delivered.”
Forbes contributor Farah Qaiser spotlights how a team of MIT researchers developed a CRISPR-based diagnostic tool to help predict kidney organ transplant rejections. Qaiser writes that in the future, “the tool may become the go-to pee-in-a-cup option to monitor viral infections and early signs of transplant rejection in patients with kidney transplants.”
In an article for Quartz, Prof. David Kaiser and his colleagues explore the possibility of community transmission of Covid-19 in India. “Only with a higher test rate will we know whether we have 135 infected persons or 1,35,000,” writes Kaiser and his co-authors. “The answer is critical to India’s battle against Covid-19.”
MIT startup Biobot Analytics is analyzing wastewater as part of an effort to better understand the spread of Covid-19, reports Boston 25. Mariana Matus, CEO and co-founder of Biobot Analytics, explains that, “Our objective is to make this data available to all of our leaders, our decision-makers…so they have the best data available to open cities in a smart way.”
MIT Press and Candlewick Press are launching two new imprints MITeen Press and MIT Kids Press, reports Nina MacLaughlin for The Boston Globe. “They’ll be publishing books on STEAM topics for kids and young adults, on subjects including the environment, the Internet, and planetary science,” MacLaughlin writes.
MIT researchers have developed a new type of lightweight sensor that can be integrated into clothing for monitoring of vital signs, reports Darrell Etherington for TechCrunch. Etherington writes that the sensors are “machine-washable and can be integrated into clothing that appears totally normal on the outside.”
Boston Globe reporter Andy Rosen writes that MIT researchers have developed a device that uses wireless signals to remotely monitor patients with Covid-19. “It really increases the safety that we can provide to doctors, nurses, and staff, and at the same time be able to access information that is otherwise unavailable," explains Prof. Dina Katabi.
Prof. Barry Posen writes for Foreign Affairs about whether the Covid-19 pandemic could cause an increase in military conflicts. COVID-19, “is weakening all of the great and middle powers more or less equally,” writes Posen. “For the duration of the pandemic, at least, and probably for years afterward, the odds of a war between major powers will go down, not up.”
Bloomberg reporters Eric Roston and Paul Murray outline an array of options for slowing climate change using En-ROADS, a climate change simulator developed by researchers from MIT and other organizations. En-ROADS “lets everyone test the impact of climate solutions. It’s a policy simulator designed for use in role-playing workshops for negotiators, academic seminars, and as a learning aid for curious individuals.”
Forbes contributor Allison Gasparini highlights how researchers from MIT and other institutions have developed a new technique to image proteins in 3-D at the nanoscale. Gasparini notes that, “understanding the location of a protein within a cell is crucial for a variety of medical studies.”
MIT researchers have identified specific cells in the body that appear to be targeted by coronavirus, reports Travis Anderson for The Boston Globe. The researchers hope “their findings will help scientists working on developing new drug treatments or testing existing medications that could be repurposed for treating COVID-19.”