Financial Times reporter Clive Cookson writes that Prof. Feng Zhang and his colleagues have engineered CRISPR so that it can edit single RNA letters in human cells. Cookson explains that the researchers believe that, “RNA editing offers a safer and more flexible way to make corrections than the permanent changes involved in DNA editing.”
New Scientist reporter Timothy Revell writes that researchers from the MIT Media Lab have developed a new AI system that can tell scary stories. Revell explains that the system is “powered by deep learning algorithms that have been trained on stories collected from the subreddit /r/nosleep where people share their own original eerie works.”
Ike Brannon writes for Forbes about a survey he conducted with Prof. Michelle Hanlon asking equipment manufacturing companies what they want from tax reform. The majority of respondents in this diverse industry were in favor of removing all business tax breaks to “achieve a corporate income tax in the vicinity of 20 percent that is fully ‘paid for’,” writes Brannon.
MIT research scientist John Wright speaks with Hannah Osborne of Newsweek about a new process developed to heat fusion plasma, raising ions to energy levels greater than previously achieved. Wright explains that, “this method may have applications to more efficient heating of the plasma to the temperatures needed to begin the fusion burn.”
New Scientist reporter Michael Le Page writes that a study co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel finds that while in the future hurricanes may be more likely to miss New York City, the city could experience 15-metre storm surges. “The result is peculiar to New York City,” says Emanuel. “Almost everywhere else, including Boston, we see an increase in surge heights and storminess.”
CNN reporter Jacqueline Howard highlights a new study by MIT researchers examining how children interpret an adult’s emotional response to a situation. "The results were surprising in the sense that we found infants were able to make fine-grained distinctions among positive emotions," explains graduate student Yang Wu.
Prof. Mitchel Resnick speaks to Radio Boston’s Meghna Chakrabarti about his research with the Lifelong Kindergarten group and what makes the kindergarten teaching method ideal. Children in kindergarten, “spend a lot of time playfully creating things in collaboration with one another,” Resnick explains, adding that “they’re really developing as creative thinkers.”
Writing for HuffPost, Laura Emily Dunn highlights the career of MIT alumna Diane Hoskins, one of two Co-CEOs of Gensler. “I’ve learned that the best way to lead is to identify great people and then trust them to do the job. No matter what business you are in, it’s always about the people,” says Hoskins.
Researchers from MIT’s Urban Risk Lab piloted a free online tool that crowdsources social media posts to map flood conditions during Hurricane Irma, writes Frankie Schembri for NOVA Next. “Residents often have the best information about the situation near them,” explains research scientist Tomas Holderness, “and we now have the network to be able to collect information.”
MIT has been named one of the top three private colleges in the Northeast in the latest Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Ed rankings, reports Dave Pettit for The Wall Street Journal.
In an article for HuffPost, Erandi Palihakkara highlights MIT’s Inclusive Innovation Challenge, which aims to recognize “organizations (both for profit and non-profit) that are committed to inclusion of technological innovations for economic prosperity of base and middle income earners.”
CBC News reporter Michael MacDonald spotlights the work of Prof. Sara Seager, who he calls a “certified rock star” in her field, describing everything from her interest in astronomy as a young child to her current search for exoplanets and alien life. McDonald writes that, “ultimately, her research could help answer some of the biggest questions facing humankind.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Eric Felten writes about Prof. Kieran Setiya’s new book on midlife crises. Felten notes that Setiya, “hopes to lift sufferers out of this dip and help them flourish by conveying the insights of modern philosophy.”
Inside Higher Ed reporter Lindsay McKenzie spotlights how MIT has begun a new pilot program that offers students the option to receive tamper-free digital diplomas, in addition to a traditional one. McKenzie explains that, “students can quickly access a digital diploma that can be shared on social media and verified by employers to ensure its authenticity.”
Wired reporter Abigail Beall explores the science behind the successful detection of two colliding neutron stars. "It immediately appeared to us the source was likely to be neutron stars, the other coveted source we were hoping to see—and promising the world we would see," says MIT’s David Shoemaker, spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.