In an article for New Scientist, Lisa Grossman writes that for the second time the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) has detected gravitational waves. “This gives us confidence,” says MIT research scientist Salvatore Vitale. “It was not just a lucky accident. Seeing a second one tells us clearly that there is a population of black holes there.”
Prof. Rainer Weiss speaks with Clara Moskowitz of Scientific American about why he is excited by the public’s reaction to the successful detection of gravitational waves. Weiss says that for him one of the most gratifying things is if he and his colleagues can help “make the argument that science is something everybody gets benefit from.”
Washington Post reporter Matt McFarland writes that MIT researchers have created an algorithm that can produce realistic sounds. “The findings are an example of the power of deep learning,” explains McFarland. “With deep learning, a computer system learns to recognize patterns in huge piles of data and applies what it learns in useful ways.”
Popular Science reporter Mary Beth Griggs writes that MIT researchers have developed an algorithm that can learn how to predict sound. The algorithm “can watch a silent movie and create sounds that go along with the motions on screen. It's so good, it even fooled people into thinking they were actual, recorded sounds from the environment.”
Washington Post reporter Rachel Feltman writes that astronomers have observed a black hole consuming cold gas. Feltman notes that “this is the first time a black hole has been seen eating such a refreshing meal: Scientists previously had only observed black holes eating slow, steady meals of hot gas shed by the spiraling galaxies they call home.”
A team of astronomers, including MIT Prof. Michael McDonald, has observed a black hole feasting on cold gas. BBC News reports that the team “discovered a supermassive black hole and saw clouds speeding towards it at 800,000 mph. The observation supports a theory black holes feed on clouds of cold gas.”
Washington Post reporter Matt Schudel writes about the impact Prof. Emerita Suzanne Corkin’s work had on our understanding of memory and cognitive disorders. Schudel writes that Corkin, who died on June 4, “made significant contributions to the study of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, and helped identify regions of the brain affected by degenerative disorders.”
MIT researchers have discovered that a bacterium found in the human mouth can be used to form a new CRISPR gene-editing system that can target RNA, reports Carl Zimmer for The New York Times. The development “may open up a new front in gene engineering, gaining the ability to precisely adjust the proteins in cells, for instance, or to target cancer cells."
Researchers from MIT and the University of Washington have found that centuries-old ocean currents have been keeping the Southern Ocean cold, reports Sarah Emerson for Motherboard. The researchers found that “Antarctica’s unique currents and strong westerly winds are constantly dredging up ancient currents from deep beneath the ocean’s surface.”
New Scientist reporter Colin Barras writes that MIT researchers have found they can program C2c2, an enzyme found in bacteria, to serve as an RNA-editing tool. Barras writes that the tool “promises to transform our understanding of RNA’s role in our growth and development, and provide a new avenue for treating infectious diseases and cancer.”
Prof. Emeritus Rainer Weiss has been awarded the 2016 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics for his work on the first direct detection of gravitational waves, reports Malcom Ritter for the Associated Press. Ritter notes that “Einstein had predicted a century ago that the waves exist; the announcement that they'd been observed made headlines in February.”
Maria Zuber, MIT’s vice president for research, speaks with Science’s Jeffrey Mervis about her new role as chair of the National Science Board. “U.S. research and education are really what has kept this country at the forefront,” says Zuber. “I think that even in this environment… research spending ought to still be up.”
Prof. Emerita Suzanne Corkin, whose work with a famous amnesia patient was instrumental in uncovering the nature of memory, died on May 24, reports Benedict Carey for The New York Times. Carey writes that Corkin’s work “helped settle a debate about the function of the hippocampus in retrieving and reliving past experiences.”
MIT researchers have developed a device that enables solar cells to convert the sun’s heat into usable energy, reports Mary Beth Griggs for Popular Science. Griggs explains that “this new method could double the amount of power produced by a given area of solar panels.”
NPR's Martha Bebinger speaks with Prof. Allan Myerson about the system he and his colleagues developed to manufacture drugs on demand. “These are portable units so you can put them on the back of a truck and take them anywhere,” he explains. “If there was an emergency, you could have these little plants located all over.”