Meg Tirrell of CNBC spotlights research by Prof. Li-Huei Tsai that shows that flashing lights could be used as a non-invasive treatment method for Alzheimer’s disease. Tsai and her colleagues found that flashing light could potentially be used to restore gamma rhythms in the brain, which are often impaired in people with Alzheimer’s.
A report from MIT’s Center for International Studies and CSAIL encourages the government to increase cybersecurity systems guarding the nation’s infrastructure, reports Jordan Graham for the Boston Herald. One suggestion from the report is to “establish incentives for owners and operators of private infrastructure who boost security,” explains Graham.
Wired reporter Nicola Davison spotlights the work of graduate student Dheeraj Roy, whose research is focused on developing new techniques to help Alzheimer’s patients remember lost memories. Davison writes that Roy’s findings offer a potential “strategy for improving memory that could go beyond the modest benefit of available drugs.”
Claire Cain Miller writes for The New York Times about a study by Prof. Daron Acemoglu that shows how robots are impacting the American job market. “The conclusion is that even if overall employment and wages recover, there will be losers in the process, and it’s going to take a very long time for these communities to recover,” says Acemoglu.
James Brenner, the former NSA Inspector General and a research fellow at MIT, speaks with Meghna Chakrabarti of Radio Boston about a new report by MIT researchers that examines potential cyber security vulnerabilities in American infrastructure. Brenner explains that the report aims to “shine a light on what the underlying problems are both technological, commercial and political.”
Postdoc Matthew Peterson speaks with WGBH reporter Edgar Herwick about why humans make eye contact. Peterson explains that humans are not good at judging where they are looking when talking to others, adding that the information we use is “highly concentrated in the eye region. So even if we're not looking at the eyes directly, we're using the eyes."
Timothy Revell writes for New Scientist about a new report by MIT researchers that calls for securing critical U.S. infrastructure against cyberattacks. Joel Brenner, former NSA inspector general and a research fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies, explains that “we know how to fix the vulnerabilities, but there’s no market incentive for companies to do so.”
CNN reporter Selena Larson writes that MIT researchers have released a new report calling for an overhaul of the nation’s cybersecurity for critical infrastructure, like the electric grid. “For infrastructure to be protected against cyberattacks, companies and the government have to collaborate,” Larson explains. She adds that the report suggests, “incentivizing companies to mandate security upgrades.
A study co-authored by Prof. Daron Acemoglu finds that every new robot added to American factories reduced employment in the surrounding areas, reports Cora Lewis for CNBC. According to the study, the areas experiencing major decline were “routine manual occupations, blue-collar workers, operators and assembly workers, and machinists and transport workers.”
Prof. Adam Berinsky writes for The Washington Post about his research investigating how to counter political rumors. “Just as important as how a rumor is debunked is who does the debunking,” he writes. “Politicians who support good public policy by speaking against their partisan interests…are considered credible sources by citizens from across the ideological spectrum.”
In an article for The Guardian about the importance of trees, Dyani Lewis highlights Treepedia, a project by researchers in MIT’s Senseable City Lab, which maps the number of trees in cities around the world. Prof. Carlo Ratti explains that the project will hopefully “put pressure on government to plant more trees.”
A study by MIT researchers finds that robots have negatively impacted American employment and wages, reports Andrew Soergel for U.S. News & World Report. After accounting for enhancements in productivity and growth in other sectors, researchers found that “automation's rise isn't entirely a bad thing for the labor market,” explains Soergel.
STAT reporter Kate Sheridan spotlights the 2017 Koch Institute Image Awards, which aim to recognize visual images produced through life sciences and biomedical research. Sheridan notes that the competition shows “everyone how beautiful biology can be — no microscope required.”
MIT researchers have observed a black hole devouring a star, reports Torah Kachur for CBC News. After looking at about a year’s worth of data, researchers found that the “star was getting pulled apart and literally shredded into a debris stream that spiraled around the center of this black hole,” writes Kachur.
MIT students participating in the Masters of Architecture Options Studio have developed a prototype portable shelter that self-assembles in mid-air, reports Alexandra Simon-Lewis for Wired. Graduate student MyDung Nguyen explains that the goal of the project was to "defy the constraints" that can often impede architectural projects, particularly in areas where space and time are limited.