Ed Silverman writes for The Wall Street Journal about a new MIT study showing that drug development costs are outweighing profitability. “There has been a lot of focus on the risk of R&D and bringing a drug to market, but not really on what happens to drugs once they are on the market,” explains Prof. Ernst Berndt.
Scientific American reporter Mark Fischetti examines a new MIT study that found that raindrops can spread certain crop diseases. Fischetti explains that the research could be useful in helping farmers develop new techniques for preventing the spread of disease among crops.
Martin LaMonica writes for The Boston Globe about how MIT researchers are creating a commercial prototype of a carbon capture device. Graduate student Aly Eltayeb explains that carbon capture could be useful in cutting carbon emissions, “especially if you can do something with that CO2 and stop treating it as a waste — and treat it as a valuable product.”
James Surowiecki writes for The New Yorker about Professor Zeynep Ton’s book “The Good Jobs Strategy,” in which she argues that companies benefit when they invest in employee compensation and training. “These companies end up with motivated, capable workers, better service, and increased sales,” explains Ton.
“Researchers at Yale, MIT, and Notre Dame found that the repeal of blue laws in various states was associated with a 5 percent drop in church attendance,” reports Kevin Lewis for The Boston Globe. The repeals also led to a one percent drop in voter turnout, the study found.
Robert Samuelson writes for The Washington Post about research by Professor Antoinette Schoar that indicates that risky loans were not the primary reason for the 2008 housing bubble. The crisis “was caused, at least in part, by a larger delusion that was the bubble’s root source,” writes Samuelson of the research.
The Associated Press reports that NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base Saturday. The mission, headed by Professor Dara Entekhabi, is meant to improve flood forecasts and drought monitoring.
CBS News reporter William Harwood discusses NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, which will measure moisture levels in soil around the world, with Prof. Dara Entekhabi. Entekhabi explains, “through measurements SMAP can make, we can test and improve models that we use for atmospheric weather prediction and climate change projections."
In an article for MedPage Today, Shara Yurkiewicz writes about a new MIT study showing that high demand for desirable medical residencies keeps salaries low. Prof. Nikhil Agarwal explains that, “even if salary negotiation was allowed, the salaries of medical residents would be quite low compared with physician assistants or nurse practitioners.”
Washington Post reporter Danielle Paquette writes about a new study, co-authored by MIT Professor Frank Levy, examining the value of a college degree. The researchers found that the “investment of a college education is generally better for those who graduate — and on time — from a school with healthier resources.”
In this video, Robert Lee Hotz of The Wall Street Journal discusses how MIT researchers have found that individuals in an anonymous data set can be identified using just a few pieces of information about their shopping habits. “We're really being shadowed by our credit cards,” Lee Hotz explains.
A new MIT study examining anonymous credit card data shows that individuals can be identified using just a few pieces of information, writes Wall Street Journal reporter Robert Lee Hotz. “This touches on the fundamental limit of anonymizing data,” explains Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye.
In a piece for Scientific American, Larry Greenemeier writes about new MIT research showing how easy it is to identify individuals in anonymous data sets. “We have to think harder and reform how we approach data protection and go beyond anonymity, which is very difficult to achieve given the trail of information we all leave digitally,” says Yves-Alexandre de Montjoye.
MIT researchers were able to accurately identify individuals in an anonymous data set by looking at the date and location of four credit card transactions, reports Boer Deng for Nature. “Even when researchers only had estimates of time and location of a purchase to within a few days or neighbo[u]rhood blocks, they could still identify cardholders,” explains Deng.
Chris Berdik writes for Boston Magazine about Professor Sara Seager’s search for Earth-like exoplanets. “I believe that in our lifetime we will be able to take children to a dark sky,” said Seager. “And point to a star and say, That star has a planet with signs of life in its atmosphere.”