In the Media

Amy Dockser Marcus of The Wall Street Journal writes about the growing interest in using CRISPR as a diagnostic tool, which led to a collaboration between MIT Professors James Collins and Feng Zhang. The result is Sherlock, a diagnostic platform that can identify viruses “based on extremely low amounts of RNA in blood and urine samples,” explains Dockser Marcus.

A study by MIT researchers finds that an irregular sleep schedules lowers happiness, healthiness, and calmness, according UPI. The study, says MIT research affiliate Akane Sano, demonstrates “the importance of sleep regularity, in addition to sleep duration, and that regular sleep is associated with improved well-being."

Anaridis Rodriguez reports for CBS Boston on the MIT Museum’s Idea Hub, which is aimed at keeping children engaged and enriched throughout the summer months. “I think it is wonderful and inspiring to be here at MIT where there are so many incredibly inventive ideas happening,” parent Laura Hoopes says.

In a wide-ranging interview recorded for Bloomberg’s “Masters in Business” podcast, Prof. Daron Acemoglu speaks with Bloomberg View columnist Barry Ritholtz about a wide range of topics including his doctoral thesis, economic institutions and income inequality. 

Writing for The Boston Globe, Tim Logan writes that MIT filed a mixed-use zoning petition for the 14-acre Volpe site in Kendall Square. Logan notes that the Volpe redevelopment is part of a broader push by MIT to make Kendall Square, “feel more like a fully-fledged neighborhood.”

Wall Street Journal reporter Jason Bordoff writes that MIT researchers have produced a map of the Nairobi bus system using GPS data collected from riders’ mobile phones. “With these networks now mapped, users can access the system more easily and efficiently, and local officials can plan bus and train routes around it,” writes Bordoff. 

This CNN video highlights the new programmable backpack unveiled during the grand opening of the AFFOA headquarters in Cambridge. MIT alumnus Tairan Wang, COO of AFFOA, explains that the backpack is made with a programmable fabric that allows users to share information. The technology addresses how people initially connect, Wang explains. 

MIT researchers have developed a computer chip that uses beams of light to mimic neurons, reports Matthew Hutson for Science. Hutson explains that, “such ‘optical neural networks’ could make any application of so-called deep learning—from virtual assistants to language translators—many times faster and more efficient.”

The launch of the AFFOA headquarters featured demos of two new smart fabrics, including a programmable backpack and fabric that uses LED lights to stream information to the wearer, writes Donna Goodison for the Boston Herald. Prof. Yoel Fink, AFFOA’s CEO, explains that, “the way to changing what fabrics are involves changing what fibers are.”

In a Guardian article about how technology can be used to help refugees, Tazeen Dhunna Ahmad highlights MIT’s Refugee ACTion Hub (ReACT). ReACT is aimed at finding, “digital learning opportunities for a lost generation of children who, as a result of forced displacement, are losing their education.”

CNBC reporter Colleen DeBaise speaks with MIT alumna Tish Scolnik about what inspired her to pursue a career in STEM. "There are so many big problems that the world is facing," Scolnik says. "Many of them can't be solved by engineering — but many of them can."

A group of teenage girls from Los Angeles will present a solar powered tent designed to help combat homelessness during Lemelson-MIT’s EurekaFest, writes Sophie Gallagher for HuffPost. The tent comes equipped with “button-powered lights, two USB ports, a micro-USB port, and even plans for a sanitizing UVC light on a countdown timer,” explains Gallagher.

Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray writes that at the launch of the AFFOA headquarters, researchers unveiled smart fabrics that can send messages, tune in audio signals and more. Bray writes that Prof. Yoel Fink, CEO of AFFOA, explained that “because the new fibers can process data like a computer…engineers will be able to develop an endless array of ways to use it.”

Prof. Phillip Sharp speaks with WBUR’s Asma Khalid about how the Greater Boston area became a hub for the biotech industry. "I think one of the transformative parts of what the next 20 years will hold is engineering with medicine and biotech," Sharp explains, adding that he thinks the Greater Boston area is “ahead of that story."

Zeninjor Enwemeka reports for WBUR on the opening of the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) headquarters, during which the center’s first fabric products were unveiled. Enwemeka explains the, “big idea here is to develop fabrics that provide services. The folks at AFFOA think fabrics are the next software.”