NBC News reporter Maggie Fox writes that MIT researchers have developed a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that could eventually offer relief to patients with diseases like Parkinson’s and epilepsy without requiring surgery. Fox explains that the method allows for sending, “electrical signals deep into the brain without affecting the layers in between.”
MIT researchers have developed a surgical technique that could make prosthetic limbs feel more natural, writes Karen Weintraub for Scientific American. “With this approach, we’re very confident that the human will actually feel position, will actually feel speed, will actually feel force,” says Prof. Hugh Herr. “It’ll completely feel like their own limb.”
In this video, CNN highlights how researchers from the MIT Media Lab have developed shape-changing noodles. The noodles transform from a flat sheet into 3-D shapes when submerged in water, and could cut down on shipping costs and environmental waste.
MIT researchers have developed a noninvasive method to stimulate specific neurons deep in the brain that could be used to help treat patients with diseases such as Parkinson’s, reports Meredith Wadman for Science. This new method could also allow scientists to “selectively prod deep-brain neurons into action,” explains Wadman.
Writing for Wired, Abigail Beal highlights how MIT researchers have developed a noninvasive technique to trigger reactions in deep brain cells using low frequency electrical signals. “If we could noninvasively stimulate deep regions, without hitting overlying regions, we might be able to help more people because we could stimulate deep regions selectively, without needing surgery,” explains Prof. Ed Boyden.
New York Times reporter Pam Belluck writes that MIT researchers have developed a new, non-invasive deep brain stimulation technique. The technique could be used to help treat, “a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders more cheaply and safely than current approaches,” writes Belluck.
MIT researchers have developed a non-invasive technique for deep brain stimulation, which could be used to help patients with brain diseases, reports Mo Costandi for The Guardian. “Targets for disorders such as depression, Alzheimer’s, PTSD, and so forth, are deep in the brain, and they might be more selectively stimulatable with our method,” says Prof. Ed Boyden.
Researchers at MIT have developed a surgical technique that could lead to more lifelike prosthetic limbs, reports Matthew Hutson for Science. The new technique, coupled with a smart prosthetic, should enable users to “feel the same way that they once felt when they had a limb,” says Prof. Hugh Herr.
Washington Post reporter Ben Guarino writes that a study by research scientist Nick Obradovich provides evidence that rising temperatures caused by climate change could increase the number of nights where people have difficulty sleeping. The researchers found that “increasing temperatures could add six additional restless nights per month per 100 people, and 14 nights by 2099.”
Writing for The Los Angeles Times, Deborah Netburn examines a study by MIT researchers that shows climate change could affect how well people sleep at night. “There are going to be lots and lots of impacts of climate change and this is just another factor in a mosaic of negative factors,” says research scientist Nick Obradovich.
A study by research scientist Nick Obradovich finds that increasing temperatures caused by climate change could impact sleep quality, particularly for the poor and elderly, reports Marlene Cimons for Popular Science. Obradovich explains that the study shows, “ambient temperature can play a role in disrupting sleep but also that climate change might make the situation worse by driving up rates of sleep loss.”
Popular Science reporter Rachel Feltman writes that MIT researchers have developed shape-changing noodles that transform from a flat sheet into 3-D shapes when submerged in water. Feltman explains that by packing pasta in flat sheets, “manufacturers could cut packaging sizes in half—cutting down on wasted cardboard and shipping container space.”
Newsweek’s Anthony Cuthbertson writes about new research from a team at the Media Lab’s Tangible Media Group, who have “created flat sheets of gelatin and starch that transform into 3D shapes, such as flowers and pasta forms, when submerged in water.”
Washington Post reporter Travis Andrews writes that MIT researchers have created a workout suit with ventilating flaps embedded with bacteria that automatically open and close in response to sweat. Andrews explains that “as the bacteria relaxes and shrinks into itself, the cells pull away from the wearer, opening the flaps and letting fresh air flood in.”
Reuters reporter Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss writes that researchers from the MIT Media Lab will be collaborating with the Toyota Research Institute on exploring the use of blockchain technology to aid in the development of driverless cars. Chavez-Dreyfuss writes that the project is aimed at enabling “businesses and consumers to securely share data on testing and driving.”