Melissa Lott writes for Scientific American that MIT researchers have created a device that generates steam using sunlight and does not require mirrors or lenses to concentrate the sun’s heat. The device could provide an “inexpensive option for applications ranging from the large scale (e.g. desalination and wastewater treatment) to smaller applications (e.g. residential water heating).”
In an article for Scientific American, Layla Eplett writes about Prof. Heather Paxson’s book on American artisanal cheese culture. Eplett writes that after observing the increasing number of artisanal cheese shops, Paxson was inspired to visit "artisanal cheesemakers throughout the US who revealed diverse backgrounds and motivations for learning the craft.”
MIT researchers have created a smartphone that can build itself, reports Thomas Tamblyn for The Huffington Post. The research suggests that “in the future a phone could be manufactured so that when dropped it will automatically break into deliberately separate pieces, which can then be easily re-attached afterwards,” Tamblyn explains.
Emma Grey Ellis writes for Wired that MIT researchers are aiming to get a better grasp on public health in cities around the world by analyzing the microbes in sewage systems using a robot dubbed Luigi. Wilson explains that sewage “carries drug metabolites, DNA, even biomarkers for diabetes—and all that data is available in real time.”
Salon reporter Scott Eric Kaufman writes that MIT researchers are using light to print 3-D structures that are able to remember their original shapes, and could be used in solar panel tracking and drug delivery. Kaufman writes that the structures are capable “of springing back to their original forms.”
Brian Fung writes for The Washington Post that MIT spinoff nuTonomy has launched a self-driving car service in Singapore. Following nuTonomy’s pilot program in Singapore “the company may be able to quickly transfer what it learns to other places where it's currently conducting studies, such as London and Michigan,” suggests Fung.
NuTonomy, an MIT spinoff, is testing a self-driving taxi service in Singapore, writes Jeevan Vasagar for the Financial Times. “The trial represents an extraordinary opportunity to collect feedback from riders in a real-world setting,” says MIT research scientist and NuTonomy co-founder Karl Iagnemma.
A study co-authored by Dr. Jim Walsh of the Center for International Studies finds that sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear-missile program are ineffective, writes Alastair Gale for The Wall Street Journal. The researchers found that “North Korea has grown resistant to sanctions by building up its business operations inside China.”
FOX News reporter Rob Verger writes that MIT scientists have created a new device that can boil water without electricity. The device can “heat water to 212 degrees under just the heat of the sun, and could be used for applications like sterilizing medical tools in settings without electricity.”
MIT postdoc Amit Kumar writes in Science about how being in an unfamiliar culture aided his research career and helped him take on new leadership roles. His personal essay explores an academic journey that spans from India to Belgium to the United States.
MIT spinoff Sample6 has raised $12.7 million to create a better system for detecting bacteria in food, writes Luke Timmerman for Forbes. “The company has developed a technology that can target specific bioparticles, light them up and do it without enriching the sample,” explains Timmerman.
ABC News reporter Gillian Mohney writes that Prof. Lydia Bourouiba has captured footage of a person sneezing, showing how far sneeze droplets can travel. Bourouiba found that “large droplets tended to land within 1 to 2 meters (about 3 to 6 feet) and that small droplets could get as far as 6 to 8 meters away (19 to 26 feet).”
A study co-authored by Prof. Susan Silbey found that many women leave engineering because of sexism at school and in the workplace, writes Valentina Zarya for Fortune. The researchers found that “female engineers’ first substantive experiences with sexism occurred in school, with many women describing being treated differently by professors and classmates.”
A new WiFi system developed by CSAIL researchers is three times faster than a normal wireless network, writes Thomas Tamblyn for The Huffington Post. The new system allows transmitters “to work together and make sure that they’re sending information that isn’t clashing to each device,” explains Tamblyn.
Prof. Lydia Bourouiba has published a new slow-motion video of a person sneezing as part of her research into how sneezes spread disease, reports Rae Ellen Bichell for NPR. Bichell explains that Bourouiba’s research is aimed at better understanding “how to prevent microbes from moving from a sick person or contaminated surface to somebody else.”