In an article for Physics Today, Prof. Anna Frebel details the formation of the heaviest elements. While scientists previously thought that supernova explosions were responsible for the creation of elements heavier than iron, Frebel notes that evidence from LIGO and from a faint galaxy known as Reticulum II suggest, “neutron-star mergers are the universe’s way to make elements such as gold and platinum.”
Prof. Susan Solomon has been named one of two recipients of this year’s Crafoord Prize for her contributions to climate research, according to the Associated Press. Solomon was honored for her, "fundamental contributions to understanding the role of atmospheric trace gases in Earth's climate system."
Times Higher Ed reporter Matthew Reisz highlights Prof. Daniel Jackson’s book, “Portraits of Resilience.” Reisz writes that, “MIT and its press are to be congratulated on a book – given out free to all this year’s new students – that not only addresses head on the issue of mental health within higher education but is so frank about how this plays out within its own institution.”
Writing for The New York Times, Thomas Edsall highlights research by Profs. Daron Acemoglu and David Autor examining how automation and trade impacted the 2016 presidential election. “The swing to Republicans between 2008 and 2016 is quite a bit stronger in commuting zones most affected by industrial robots,” explains Acemoglu. “You don’t see much of the impact of robots in prior presidential elections.”
Prof. Junot Díaz speaks with Boston Globe reporter James Sullivan about his new children’s book, “Islandborn.” The book was inspired by two of his godchildren, who asked him to write a book featuring kids that looked like them. Díaz related to their request, noting that as a child, he felt “the world I was immersed in wasn’t represented at all.”
Washington Post reporter Matthew Cappucci highlights how the late MIT Prof. Frederick Sanders coined the term “bomb cyclone” to describe a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure. Sanders’ former student, Prof. John R. Gyakum, explained that the term was created in an effort to, “help raise awareness that damaging ocean storms don’t just happen during the summer.”
Writing for The Washington Post, Prof. Charles Stewart examines the disbanding of the election integrity commission and possible next steps for improving voting security. “The two most important issues right now are replacing the nation’s aging voting machines and making the information systems surrounding elections more secure and resilient in the face of mounting threats."
Boston Globe reporter David Weininger spotlights Prof. Peter Child’s new work, “Lamentations.” Child explains that the piece focuses on, “the crisis we’re living through in terms of migrant people and refugees and undocumented people here in the United States . . . whole peoples being maligned and ignored who are suffering and are constantly stateless.”
Bonnie Christian of Wired provides tips from experts for boosting productivity in the new year. A recent renovation by Prof. Carlo Ratti allows workers to adjust their lighting and temperature to “create a kind of thermal bubble, which follows each individual, allowing better comfort and a reduction of energy waste,” he explains.
In this PBS NewsHour article and video, Nsikan Akpan spotlights Prof. Paulo Lozano’s work developing tiny satellites equipped with ion thrusters that could eventually help researchers explore asteroids or Mars. Prof. Kristina Lemmer of Western Michigan University notes that Lozano’s system, “is probably the frontrunner for the possibility for deep space missions.”
Hamza Shaban of The Washington Post speaks with Prof. Christian Catalini about how bitcoin fared in 2017. Catalini explains that, “the space is maturing, and that also means more pressure on bitcoin core developers and open-source developers to really get this technology and scale it.”
Eduardo Porter writes for The New York Times that large numbers of women are leaving the workforce to care for elderly parents. In a recent book, Prof. Paul Osterman estimates that 21 million family members are “caring for an adult relative for no pay. By 2040, he predicts demand for such care will rise to 34 million.”
Wired reporter Lauren Smiley speaks with a number of MIT experts about the growing use of technology as a home health care aid for the elderly. “I would always prefer the human touch over a robot,” explains Joseph Coughlin, director of the AgeLab. “But if there’s no human available, I would take high tech in lieu of high touch.”
Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes the life and work of former MIT Professor Martin Rein, who died at age 89. Marquard writes that throughout his career, Rein, “studied and compared welfare programs in the United States and European countries for much of his career, and in later years examined the income sources people draw from in retirement.”
Pamela Danziger of Forbes highlights research by Visiting Prof. Rogelio Oliva in an article about recent declines in retail staff and the resulting drop in retail sales. Retailers “could generate more sales if they staff at the correct level. Stores should staff to maximize sales and profits, not to minimize costs,” explains Oliva.