MIT researchers have found that anonymous individuals in a data set can be identified using a few pieces of information, reports Natasha Singer for The New York Times. “We ought to rethink and reformulate the way we think about data protection,” explains Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye.
Karen Hopkin of Scientific American writes about a new method developed by MIT researchers for increasing the size of tissue samples to allow for better observation. Thus far, the researchers have used the new technique to “peer into the brains of mice, fruit flies and zebrafish,” Hopkin explains.
Jonathan O’Connell writes for The Washington Post about 10 interactive maps of Washington, D.C. created by Professor Sep Kamvar that illustrate how people live, work, eat, and travel within the District. The visualizations are part of Kamvar’s “You Are Here” series that mapped 100 cities using publicly available data.
Using a polymer found in diapers that swells on contact with water, Prof. Ed Boyden and his colleagues have developed a method for enlarging tissue samples to allow for better 3-D imaging, writes Jessica Hamzelou for New Scientist. The team can enlarge samples to more than four times their original size, Hamzelou reports.
John Markoff writes for The New York Times about a new technique for observing minuscule features in biological samples developed by Prof. Ed Boyden and his colleagues. The researchers “were able to increase the physical size of cultured cells and tissue by as much as five times while still preserving their structure,” Markoff explains.
Rebecca Jacobson of the PBS NewsHour reports that MIT researchers have developed a new technique to enlarge tissue samples, allowing scientists to create high-resolution images of specimens. Prof. Ed Boyden explains that “now you can see tiny structures with your own eyes.”
Carolyn Johnson of The Boston Globe writes that MIT researchers have developed a new way to enlarge microscopic lab samples to allow for more-detailed imaging of brain cells. The new technique “may offer an inexpensive way for people to examine fine cellular structures at a detailed level using off-the-shelf ingredients.”
A team of MIT researchers has devised a new method for obtaining super-high resolution images from lab microscopes, writes Malcolm Ritter for the AP. The researchers found that by permeating a tissue sample with a specialized version of sodium polyacrylate they were able to enlarge the sample, making them easier to image.
Robert Lane Greene writes for The Economist about a new paper by MIT researchers, which examines the importance of specific languages by studying how languages are connected to one another. The researchers found that for many languages “their connectivity has little to do with their home country’s modern power.”
According to the CBC, MIT graduate student Natasha Jaques co-created a computer application called Smile Tracker that “runs in the background of a person's computer and detects when a person smiles.” The app snaps and saves a screenshot of whatever image caused the grin.
Vijee Venkatraman writes for BetaBoston about Kumbhathon, a tech buildathon co-founded by Professor Ramesh Raskar to address problems specific to the Kumbh Mela religious gathering in India. “This is a bottom-up approach to innovation,” says Raskar.
Aviva Rutkin writes for New Scientist about algorithms developed by MIT graduate student Karthik Dinakar that can detect abusive speech in online comments. "We need better tools not just for monitoring, but also to tell people what good digital citizenry is all about,” says Dinakar.
Liz Stinson reports for Wired on a new wearable device that can predict seizures developed by the MIT spinoff Empatica. The device, dubbed Embrace, is the product of years of research by Professor Rosalind Picard and her team. “Like fitness-focused wearables, the device tells time and keeps tabs on metrics like physical activity and sleep,” Stinson explains.
Jennifer Hicks of Forbes writes that MIT startup Empatica has developed a wearable device that can monitor for epileptic seizures. The device contains “an event detector which sends an alert when the user’s electrodermal response reaches a pre set level they customize based on their history and health profile; and a diary app which helps monitor and manage everyday routines.”
Graduate student Kevin Lu speaks with Heidi Legg of BetaBoston about his work transforming the way that we consume information. “We want to democratize data visualization so that anyone with data can map an image that explains things,” says Hu.