TeleAbsence: Poetic encounters with the past
MIT researchers lay out design principles behind the TeleAbsence vision, how it could help people cope with loss and plan for how they might be remembered.
Study: Even after learning the right idea, humans and animals still seem to test other approaches
New research adds evidence that learning a successful strategy for approaching a task doesn’t prevent further exploration, even if doing so reduces performance.
AI pareidolia: Can machines spot faces in inanimate objects?
New dataset of “illusory” faces reveals differences between human and algorithmic face detection, links to animal face recognition, and a formula predicting where people most often perceive faces.
A whole new world of learning via MIT OpenCourseWare videos
“I get the chance to not only watch the future happen, but I can actually be a part of it and create it,” says Ugandan entrepreneur Emmanuel Kasigazi.
Does mask-wearing affect behavior?
New research, set in China, suggests that using masks for health reasons also leads people to behave more ethically.
Understanding reality through algorithms
Neuroscience PhD student Fernanda De La Torre uses complex algorithms to investigate philosophical questions about perception and reality.
Study finds an unexpected upside to workplace impostor thoughts
Employees harboring such thoughts often excel at teamwork, cooperation, and socializing.
Study: Culture influences mask wearing
In the U.S. and globally, cultures with a high level of collectivism tend to encourage masking during the pandemic.
Investigating the embattled brain
Combat veteran and PhD candidate Omar Rutledge drives research on post-traumatic stress disorder.
How shared partisanship leads to social media connections
Twitter experiment shows clear self-selection into social media “echo chambers” due to political preferences.
Our itch to share helps spread Covid-19 misinformation
Study finds social media sharing affects news judgment, but a quick exercise reduces the problem.
Serious science at home
Children Helping Science, co-led by Professor Laura Schulz, brings research to families, and families to research.
Examining the social impact of Covid-19
Survey from the Saxe Lab aims to measure the toll of social isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Testing strategies for preventing violence and crime
J-PAL North America funds randomized studies to evaluate crime-prevention programs.
Using evolutionary dynamics and game theory to understand personal relations
MIT biophysicists apply mathematics from evolutionary biology to describe a surprising aspect of human behavior.