MIT researchers have discovered a new family of viruses in the ocean that appears to play a key role in ocean ecosystems and could help provide insights on how viruses evolve, reports Marin Finucane for The Boston Globe. Finucane explains that the findings could also lead to, "a better understanding of human biology.”
MIT researchers have designed a new chip that could advance the development of computers that operate like the human brain, reports James Vincent for The Verge. The development could, “lead to processors that run machine learning tasks with lower energy demands — up to 1,000 times less. This would enable us to give more devices AI abilities like voice and image recognition.”
AP reporter Lauran Neergaard writes that MIT researchers have developed a hair-thin implant that can deliver medications to specific regions of the brain. Neergaard writes that the device, “could mark a new approach to treating brain diseases — potentially reducing side effects by targeting only the hard-to-reach circuits that need care.”
Tony Lee of Mashable spotlights the technique developed by MIT researchers that allows plants to glow when inserted with nanoparticles containing luciferase, an enzyme known to make fireflies glow.
STAT reporter Dominic Smith highlights how MIT researchers are applying the art of origami to developing a new way to deliver cancer medications. Prof. Michael Cima explains that, “the idea here was, is there a way we could do a minimally invasive procedure to deploy some sort of device that will deliver the drug over that entire course of the therapy?”
MIT researchers are stress-testing AI systems by tricking them into misidentifying images, writes Dana Smith of Scientific American. Graduate student Anish Athalye notes that some neural nets are outperforming humans, “but they have this weird property that it seems that we can trick them pretty easily.”
Wired reporter Sandy Ong highlights the work of Prof. Suranga Nanayakkara, who as a postdoc at MIT helped develop the Finger Reader, a device aimed at helping people with visual impairments read without the need for clunky hardware. The Finger Reader, “lets people read only what they’re pointing at, promising a relatively fuss-free experience, especially when out and about.”
Gizmodo reporter Ryan Mandelbaum writes that a new study co-authored by MIT researchers confirms Einstein’s theory that the sun is losing mass. Mandelbaum writes that, “seven years of data, combined with observations of how the Sun uses up its hydrogen fuel, reveal that the Sun is slowly, every so slightly, loosening its grasp on Mercury.”
Reporting for the PBS NewsHour, Nsikan Akpan spotlights Prof. Kripa Varanasi’s work developing the non-stick coating technology LiquiGlide. Akpan also examines how Varanasi’s group is studying how to, “stop clogs at desalination water facilities by observing how saltwater evaporates, or they’re keeping water from condensing on steam turbines to improve energy efficiency at power plants.”
A study co-authored by MIT researchers shows that as the sun loses mass its gravitational pull is becoming weaker, reports Kastalia Medrano for Newsweek. “The study demonstrates how making measurements of planetary orbit changes throughout the solar system opens the possibility of future discoveries about the nature of the sun and planets,” explains Maria Zuber, MIT’s vice president for research.
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."
Graduate student Achuta Kadambi speaks with the BBC’s Gareth Mitchell about the new depth sensors he and his colleagues developed that could eventually be used in self-driving cars. “This new approach is able to obtain very high-quality positioning of objects that surround a robot,” Kadambi explains.
MIT researchers have developed an autonomous tricycle that can transport people and packages, writes David Silverberg for Motherboard. “The innovation created by MIT is dubbed PEV (Persuasive Electric Vehicle), and sports a 250W electric motor and 10Ah battery pack. It can run on 25 miles per charge with a top speed of 20 miles per hour.”
Boston Globe reporter Marin Finucane writes that with the help of around 10,000 citizen scientists, a team of astronomers has discovered five planets outside our solar system. “It’s exciting because we’re getting the public excited about science, and it’s really leveraging the power of the human cloud,” says Prof. Ian Crossfield of the discovery.