A study co-authored by MIT researchers finds that asking social media users to evaluate the accuracy of news headlines can reduce the spread of Covid-19 misinformation. “Asking users to rate content gets them to think about accuracy and generates useful input for the platforms,” explains Prof. David Rand.
WBUR’s Carey Goldberg explores how MIT researchers developed a new CRISPR-based research tool that can be used to detect Covid-19. "A lot of things that we try fail," says research scientist Jonathan Gootenberg. "And that’s OK. Because sometimes you find these things that are really, really awesome."
UPI reporter Sommer Brokaw writes that researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have created a new reusable silicon face mask with N95 filters. “The new masks have space for one or two N95 filters to be replaced after each use, and the rest of the rubber mask itself can be sterilized and reused many times,” writes Brokaw.
Researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have designed a new reusable face mask outfitted with N95 filters that can be sterilized, reports WHDH.
Researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed a new silicon mask with N95 filters that can be sterilized and reused, reports Martin Finucane for The Boston Globe. “The mask is made of silicone rubber and includes one or two detachable N95 filters, but those filters require much less N95 material than a traditional N95 mask,” writes Finucane.
Graduate student Maya Nasr speaks with NPR’s Jenn White about a new rule from DHS and ICE that would bar thousands of foreign students from studying in the U.S. “One of the big things that all of us as international students have been facing over the last few years is the feeling of hostility in the U.S.,” says Nasr. “It’s important to realize the long- term impact of such an environment on the U.S.”
CNBC reporter Chloe Taylor writes that a study co-authored by MIT researchers examined Covid-19 antibody prevalence in Spain. The researchers found, “just 5% of participants presented with antibodies from point-of-care tests, while antibodies were detected in 4.6% of the blood samples.”
CNN reporter Allen Kim writes about how CSAIL researchers developed a new system that enables a robot to disinfect surfaces and neutralize aerosolized forms of the coronavirus. In the future, the researchers hope the robot could be used to enable autonomous UV disinfection “in other environments such as supermarkets, factories and restaurants.”
WCVB reporter Jennifer Eagen highlights a new study by MIT researchers that indicates the actual number of Covid-19 cases could be much higher than official tallies. Prof. John Sterman explains that due to widespread inadequate testing, “the confirmed case count is too low. It misses many cases.”
Bloomberg reporter Kriston Capps finds that evictions disproportionately impact Black renters in the City of Boston. Capps writes that the “research shows that communities of color — eviction hubs even under normal times — are already bearing the disproportionate burden of the pandemic housing crisis.”
Reporting for U.S. News & World Report, Robert Preidt highlights how a new study by MIT researchers finds the actual number of coronavirus cases worldwide may be 12 times higher than reported. “The scientists studied 84 of the most affected nations -- a total of more than 4.7 billion people -- and concluded that there were 88.5 million cases and 600,000 deaths as of June 18,” writes Preidt.
Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with Greg Rosalsky of NPR’s Planet Money about a new study that finds about half of the American workforce is now working remotely. Brynjolffson says he feels, "this portends a much bigger shift in the economy.”
A study by MIT researchers finds that that the true number of Covid-19 related cases is likely 12 times higher than the official count, reports Jonathan Saltzman for The Boston Globe. The researchers found, “tougher policies to reduce transmission of the disease after WHO declared it a pandemic on March 11, along with extensive testing, could have prevented 197,000 deaths, nearly a third of the estimated fatalities.”
WHDH reporter Emily Pritchard spotlights how CSAIL researchers have developed a new robotic system that is being used to help disinfect the Greater Boston Food Bank during the coronavirus pandemic. “We believe that is one piece of the puzzle in figuring out how to mitigate the spread of coronavirus,” says research scientist Alyssa Pierson.
A new robotic system developed by CSAIL researchers uses UV-C light to kill viruses and bacteria on surfaces and aerosols, reports Darrell Etherington for TechCrunch. “Via cameras and sensors, the robot can map an indoor space, then navigate designed waypoints within that mapped area and disinfect as it goes, keeping track of the areas it has to disinfect,” writes Etherington.