Kyle Clauss reports for Boston Magazine on an algorithm, created by MIT researchers, which can detect efforts by corporations to evade taxes. “The findings are a promising development in the ongoing struggle against tax evasion of the most sophisticated sort,” writes Clauss.
In an article for The Huffington Post, Kristie Wang writes that a new study by MIT researchers finds that “cotton clothing is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to driving to the sun and back more than 1,000 times, or removing about 10% of the US's passenger vehicles off the road.”
Prof. Heidi Williams speaks with Callie Crossley as part of WGBH’s “Genius Next Door” series, which features local winners of the MacArthur “genius grant.” Williams explains that her work focuses on “whether we're getting the right kinds of medical technologies developed.”
Writing for BetaBoston, Nidhi Subbaraman reports that Prof. Polina Anikeeva has received a new grant from DARPA to investigate ways to stimulate specific neurons in the body using fibers or nanoparticles. “Zapping key nerves with a current, ultrasound, or with light is expected to treat a range of conditions,” Subbaraman explains.
MIT researchers have been awarded a new NSF grant to develop robots that can serve as reading companions for children, reports Lindsey Kratochwill for Popular Science. The study, led by Prof.Cynthia Breazeal, aims to advance the fields of autonomous storytelling and human-robot interaction.
Researchers from MIT’s Camera Culture Group have devised a way for cameras to see through walls and bad weather, reports Vijee Venkatraman for BetaBoston. “It is not meant to be the next camera for consumers — the idea is to help with imaging in dangerous conditions, and to help with non-destructive testing,” writes Venkatraman.
In a new paper, Prof. Andrew Lo argues that the FDA should apply less stringent criteria when approving experimental drugs for terminal diseases that have few treatment options, writes Ed Silverman for The Boston Globe. “For terminal patients with no existing treatments, it seems to make sense to be more lenient,” says Lo.
Davis Schneiderman of The Huffington Post speaks with Prof. Sherry Turkle about her book examining how smartphones and other digital technologies are impacting relationships. “My message of this project is not that you shouldn't enjoy your Twitter, it's just that when you're talking to me, you should put it aside,” says Turkle.
In an interview with Elisabeth Gawthrop of The Daily Beast, Prof. Kerry Emanuel weighs in on why tracking hurricanes is more difficult than predicting land-based weather. Emanuel explains that hurricanes and low-pressure systems over land “have completely different physics.”
In a Financial Times article, John Aglionby writes about the impact of social media in Africa, highlighting how MIT researchers have developed a comprehensive map and application for Nairobi’s bus routes. The app allows users to “plot their way across the capital easily.”
MIT researchers have identified the brain circuit that process the “when” and “where” components of memories, reports Robby Berman for Slate. “The newly discovered circuit connects the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex,” writes Berman. “The entorhinal cortex splits each memory into two streams of information: one for location and one for timing.”
Financial Times reporter Simon Kuper writes about Prof. Sherry Turkle’s new book, “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age,” which examines the impact of smartphones on human interaction. Turkle recommends establishing “times and places when it’s socially unacceptable to be online.”
In an essay adapted from her new book for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Prof. Sherry Turkle writes about teaching and learning in the digital era. Turkle explains that laptops and smartphones should be “part of our creative lives. The goal is to use them with greater intention, to live with them in greater harmony.”
In this video, the BBC’s LJ Rich reports on the 3-D printed, soft robotic hand developed by researchers at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. Rich explains that the robotic hand can “handle objects as delicate as an egg and as thin as a compact disk.”
Lindsay Kalter reports for The Boston Herald that researchers from MIT, Philips, and Boston Medical Center are developing a non-invasive way to diagnose head injuries. Kalter explains that the study is part of a new collaboration between MIT and Philips and will “use data from an ultrasound machine taking measurements of blood pressure and flow.”