MIT researchers have developed a light-based computing system that could enhance deep learning, reports Jesse Dunietz for Scientific American. Future versions fabricated for deep learning, “could provide the same accuracy as the best conventional chips while slashing the energy consumption by orders of magnitude and offering 100 times the speed.”
MIT researchers have developed a computer chip that uses beams of light to mimic neurons, reports Matthew Hutson for Science. Hutson explains that, “such ‘optical neural networks’ could make any application of so-called deep learning—from virtual assistants to language translators—many times faster and more efficient.”
LIGO’s third detection of black holes merging solidifies gravitational wave astronomy as an observational science, writes Amina Khan for The Los Angeles Times. Khan explains that scientists are, “moving LIGO’s work from the examination of singular curiosities to demographic studies of the sky’s invisible denizens."
LIGO scientists have detected a third black hole merger, reports Sophie Bushwick for Popular Science. Bushwick explains that the finding shows that LIGO is, “coming into its own as a black hole telescope: The latest finding proves the existence of a new category of black hole and adds a puzzle piece to the question of how these systems form.”
LIGO scientists have successfully detected two black holes merging for the third time, reports Eric Moskowitz for The Boston Globe. MIT’s David Shoemaker, LIGO’s spokesperson, explains that researchers can use the information gathered by LIGO to get a, “more complete picture of Einstein’s general relativity and the population of these purely relativistic objects we call black holes.”
Writing for The New York Times, Dennis Overbye examines LIGO’s third successful detection of gravitational waves. “We are moving in a substantial way away from novelty towards where we can seriously say we are developing black-hole astronomy,” says David Shoemaker, director of the MIT LIGO Lab and spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.
CBS News reporter William Harwood writes that LIGO scientists have detected the merger of two black holes three billion light years away. David Shoemaker, director of the MIT LIGO Lab and the spokesperson for LIGO, explains that researchers detected, “the merging of black holes roughly 20 and 30 times the mass of our sun.”
MIT’s David Shoemaker, spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, speaks with Doyle Rice of USA Today about LIGO’s third successful detection of gravitational waves. “It is remarkable that humans can put together a story, and test it, for such strange and extreme events that took place billions of years ago and billions of light-years distant from us,” explains Shoemaker.
For the third time, researchers from the LIGO Scientific Collaboration have detected gravitational waves produced by the merger of two black holes, reports Irene Klotz for Reuters. “We’re really moving from novelty to a new observational science,” says MIT's David Shoemaker, spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.
Wall Street Journal reporter Robert Lee Hotz writes that scientists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) have successfully detected two black holes merging for the third time. MIT’s David Shoemaker, spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, explains that the discovery shows, “we are really moving to a new astronomy of gravitational waves.”
In this article and video, CNBC reporter Anmar Frangoul explores Prof. Vladimir Bulović’s work developing ultra-light and thin solar cells that could be used to power electronic devices and could eventually be scaled to power buildings. Bulović explains that over the next decade, “a very significant fraction of the world’s electricity will be provided by solar.”
The Economist writes about new research from Prof. Chris Voigt, in which “he and his colleagues demonstrate how to control customised cells with coloured light.”
STAT reporter Eric Boodman writes that MIT researchers have engineered living materials that glow when they detect certain chemicals. Boodman notes that the researchers hope the living sensors “could at some point be used to pick up dangerous toxins or the chemical signs of disease.”
CSAIL researchers have developed software that allows users to design and virtually test drones, writes Alex Davies for Wired. Graduate student Tao Du explains that the software can help users “explore and try different shapes and different controllers.”
Reporting for the PBS NewsHour, Nsikan Akpan highlights a new study co-authored by MIT researchers that examines how many NIH grants lead to new patents and medications. Prof. Pierre Azoulay explains that the study, “provides evidence that the research done in the public sector is useful — it’s relevant for the research done by private-sector firms.”