A working paper by Prof. Christopher Knittel finds that even “modest” carbon taxes could help reduce carbon emissions as much as vehicle and power plant regulations, reports Ben Geman for Axios. Knittel explains that the study’s findings “underscore the economic power of a carbon tax" compared to "economically inefficient" regulations.
Verge reporter Justine Calma writes that states in the Midwest and Great Lakes region could see $4.7 billion in health benefits by maintaining current renewable energy standards. “This research shows that renewables pay for themselves through health benefits alone,” explains Emil Dimanchev, senior research associate at MIT’s Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research.
MIT researchers have developed an AI system that can predict Alzheimer’s risk by forecasting how patients will perform on a test measuring cognitive decline up to two years in advance, reports Casey Ross for STAT.
A new paper by MIT researchers finds that instead of raising prices, companies are replying on “shrinkflation - reducing the size of products or their quality while charging the same price,” reports Dion Rabouin for Axios.
Writing for Science, Derek Lowe spotlights how MIT researchers are developing a platform that could be used to automate the production of molecules for use in medicine, solar energy and more. “The eventual hope is to unite the software and the hardware in this area,” reports Lowe, “and come up with a system that can produce new compounds with a minimum of human intervention.”
Forbes contributor Alex Ledsom highlights a study by MIT researchers examining how a spike in attendance at the Louvre has impacted visitor behavior. “People stay for shorter periods of time visiting artwork if there are more people,” Ledsom explains, “but interestingly, people move about the Louvre in the same way regardless of whether they stay for one hour or six. They simply move around the space quicker.”
ELLE reporter Molly Langmuir spotlights the work of Prof. Neri Oxman, who is known for “producing radically interdisciplinary work.” Oxman has produced everything from “a silk pavilion—a suspended dome of silk fibers spun by a robotic arm, completed by 6,500 live silkworms—to a design concept for a wearable digestive system incorporating photosynthetic bacteria that convert solar energy into sugar.”
A study by MIT researchers finds that, compared to India’s current policy of inducing states to buy electricity from renewable sources, increasing the price of coal is a cheaper way to reduce carbon emissions in India, reports Kuwar Singh for Quartz. The researchers found that implementing “a tax on carbon consumption or a carbon market for selling and buying permits will be more than 10 times cheaper in lowering CO2 emissions of the Indian economy.”
Fast Company reporter Katharine Schwab spotlights MIT startup Embr Labs, which has developed a wearable device that can help keep users cool. “Cooling individuals could be a lot cheaper and less wasteful than cooling entire buildings,” writes Schwab.
A study by Prof. John Sterman finds that “burning wood for power releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per unit of electricity than coal,” reports Charlie McGee for The Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the NIH, spotlights a video created by Prof. Kwanghun Chung that takes viewers on a voyage through a region of the brain that controls voluntary movement. Thanks to imaging techniques like Chung’s, “mapping the biocircuitry of the brain just keeps getting better all the time,” Collins explains.
Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane reports that Prof. Emeritus Daniel Freedman has been named a recipient of the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for his discovery of supergravity. “The discovery of supergravity was the beginning of including quantum variables in describing the dynamics of spacetime,” explains Edward Witten, chairman of the selection committee.
A study by MIT researchers examines how large retailers often slot items into certain price points, reports The Economist. The researchers found that retailers, “seem to design products to fit their preferred price points. Given a big enough shift in market conditions, such as an increase in labor costs, firms often redesign a product to fit the price rather than tweak the price.”
New tools developed by CSAIL researchers allow users to design a pattern that can be used to 3D print knitted garments, reports Elizabeth Segran for Fast Company. “We’re exciting about how this can be used by everyday, nonexpert knitters,” says graduate student Alexandre Kaspar. “This lets anybody become a designer.”
7 News spotlights how CSAIL researchers have developed two new software systems that are aimed at allowing anyone to customize and design their own knitted design patterns. “The researchers tested the software by having people with no knitting experience design gloves and hats,” explains 7 News reporter Keke Vencill.