Scientists have observed a second pair of black holes colliding using the twin detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO), reports Dennis Overbye for The New York Times. Overbye writes that LIGO provides “a way of hearing the universe instead of just looking at it.”
For the second time, scientists have detected gravitational waves produced by the collision of two black holes, reports Irene Klotz for Reuters. “We are starting to get a glimpse of the kind of new astrophysical information that can only come from gravitational-wave detectors,” says David Shoemaker, who leads Advanced LIGO.
In an article for New Scientist, Lisa Grossman writes that for the second time the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) has detected gravitational waves. “This gives us confidence,” says MIT research scientist Salvatore Vitale. “It was not just a lucky accident. Seeing a second one tells us clearly that there is a population of black holes there.”
Jarrod Goentzel and Fredrik Eng Larsson of the Center for Transportation and Logistics write for The Wall Street Journal that companies seeking greater supply chain visibility must quantify the benefits of such information. They write that “to make a clear case for investment in visibility systems, companies must focus on the tools that transform data into structural improvements.”
The PBS NewsHour highlights how one organization used tracking technology developed by Prof. Carlo Ratti to learn what happens to recycled electronic waste. “Tracking is really the first step in order to design a better system,” Ratti said. “One of the surprising things we discovered is how far waste travels.”
Mina Corpuz writes for The Boston Globe that the MBTA is releasing a new app, developed by MIT researchers, called QualiT that will provide passengers with an opportunity to anonymously rate their bus trips and give feedback. Corpuz explains that the app will, “allow riders to see their travel on a map and rate their trips after getting off the bus.”
In an article for Scientific American, Prof. César Hidalgo examines how to improve the design of and make open data websites more usable. “To make open data really open, we need to make it searchable, and for that we need to bring data to the surface of the web,” writes Hidalgo.
WBUR reporter Jack Lepiarz speaks with Prof. Marta Gonzalez about her traffic study that found that if drivers switched routes during rush hour they could cut back on congestion. “We have enough space, in theory, but we are all filling up a few streets that get congested,” Gonzalez explains.
MIT researchers have developed an artificial intelligence platform that uses input from human analysts to predict cyber-attacks, reports Brian Mastroianni for CBS News. “We realized, finding the actual attacks involved a mix of supervised and unsupervised machine-learning,” explains research scientist Kalyan Veeramachaneni.
Wired reporter Brian Barrett writes that MIT researchers have developed a new system to help detect cyber-attacks. Barrett explains that the system, “reviews data…and pinpoints anything suspicious. A human takes it from there, checking for signs of a breach. The one-two punch identifies 86 percent of attacks while sparing analysts the tedium of chasing bogus leads.”
New York Times reporter Steve Lohr writes that MIT researchers have developed a website, dubbed Data USA, aimed at making government data easier to understand and use. Prof. Cesar Hidalgo, who led the development of DATA USA, explains that the website was devised to “transform data into stories.”
Brian Barrett writes for Wired about the new system CSAIL researchers developed to increase the speed at which websites load. “When there’s a lot of objects on the page, that’s where Polaris can really help, because it’s important to prioritize some over the others,” explains graduate student Ravi Netravali.
In this video, The Economist explores how MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm that can predict where and when rogue waves might strike. The algorithm “identifies groups of waves most likely to form a rogue wave. The MIT algorithm is so thrifty that a ship’s skipper can run it on a laptop.”
Popular Science reporter Dave Gershgorn writes that MIT researchers have developed a new system that cuts down on the amount of time it takes for webpages to load. The system allows browsers to download web pages "more effectively, saving up to 34 percent of load time.”
CSAIL researchers have developed a new system that allows websites to load 34 percent faster than with a standard web browser, reports Charlotte Wilder for Boston.com. Wilder writes that, “the researchers tried out their code on 200 different websites, including Weather.com and ESPN, and found the load time was significantly less across the board.”