Research

Prof. Admir Masic speaks with New York Times reporter Amos Zeeberg about his research studying the benefits of lime clasts – a material used in ancient Roman infrastructure. According to Masic’s research, “these lime clasts were actually reservoirs of calcium that helped fill in cracks, making the concrete self-healing,” writes Zeeberg. “As cracks formed, water would seep in and dissolve the calcium in the lime, which then formed solid calcium carbonate, essentially creating new rock that filled in the crack.”

Prof. Charles Stewart III speaks with McClatchy reporter Brendan Rascius about mail-in ballots for the 2024 election. “The USPS processes a total of 300 million pieces of mail each day,” says Stewart. “The total number of mail ballots will be something in the neighborhood of 50 million which, of course, will generate a total of 100 million pieces of mail – a volume that will be stretched out over several weeks. Therefore, this is not a major surge in volume.” 

Prof. Evelina Fedorenko speaks with Scientific American reporter Gary Stix about her research demonstrating that “language and thought are, in fact, distinct entities that the brain processes separately.” Speaking about how large language models could be used to help scientists better understand the neuroscience of how language works, Fedorenko explains that "there are many, many questions that we can now ask that had been totally out of reach: for example, questions about [language] development.”

Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed a 3D printing method that allows “precise control over color, shade, texture, all with just a single material,” reports Vanesa Listek for 3Dprint.com. This technique “promises a faster and more sustainable solution than traditional approaches relying on multiple materials and nozzle changes,” explains Listek.

Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed “Future You” – an AI platform that uses generative AI to allow users to talk with an AI-generated simulation of a potential future you, reports Sammi Caramela for Vice. The research team hopes “talking to a relatable, virtual version of your future self about your current stressors, future goals, and your beliefs can improve anxiety, quell any obsessive thoughts, and help you make better decisions,” writes Caramela. 

Researchers at MIT have developed a “set of wearable robotic limbs to help astronauts recover from falls,” reports Amy Gunia for CNN. “The so-called ‘SuperLimbs’ are designed to extend from a backpack containing the astronauts’ life support system,” explains Gunia. “When the wearer falls over, an extra pair of limbs can extend out to provide leverage to help them stand, conserving energy for other tasks.”

Prof. David Rand speaks with Scientific American reporter Ben Guarino about why misinformation can spread so easily following a natural disaster like Hurricane Helene. “Disasters are ripe for conspiracy theories because there is a lot of uncertainty as things are unfolding and a lot of fear,” explains Rand. 

Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed “a new method of 3D printing that uses heat-responsive materials to print multi-color and multi-textured objects in one step,” reports Laura Griffiths for TCT Magazine. “The method has so far been tested using three heat-responsive filaments including a foaming polymer with particles that expand as they are heated, and wood and cork fiber-filled filaments,” explains Griffiths.  

Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a connection between “the bursts and tidal disruptions events” of black holes, research that could help "astrophysicists understand the extreme environments around supermassive black holes, as well as the occupants of those environments,” reports Isaac Schultz for Gizmodo. “There had been feverish speculation that these phenomena were connected, and now we’ve discovered the proof that they are,” says Research Scientist Dheeraj Pasham. “It’s like getting a cosmic two-for-one in terms of solving mysteries.” 

Researchers at MIT have found that commercially available AI models, “were more likely to recommend calling police when shown Ring videos captured in minority communities,” reports Kyle Wiggers for TechCrunch. “The study also found that, when analyzing footage from majority-white neighborhoods, the models were less likely to describe scenes using terms like ‘casing the property’ or ‘burglary tools,’” writes Wiggers. 

Fast Company reporter Kristin Toussaint spotlights a new study by MIT researchers that examines the energy burden in the U.S., the percent of a household’s income spent on energy costs. The researchers found a disproportionate number of people in the South experiencing energy poverty. “As the climate warms, we’re going to need to use more and more energy on air-conditioning, and that’s going to increase the burden on low-income households,” explains Prof. Christopher Knittel. 

Researchers at MIT have developed GenSQL, a new generative AI system that can be used “to ease answering data science questions,” reports Allison Proffitt for Bio-It World. “Look how much better data science could be if it was easier to use,” says Research Scientist Mathieu Huot. “It’s not perfect yet, but we believe it’s quite an improvement over other options.” 

Prof. Kerry Emanuel speaks with Associated Press reporter Terry Spencer about Tampa Bay’s vulnerability to incoming hurricanes. “It’s a huge population,” explains Emanuel. “It’s very exposed, very inexperienced and that’s a losing proposition. I always thought Tampa would be the city to worry about most.” 

A new commentary by Prof. Jonathan Gruber and his colleagues outlines a proposal for a new long-term care at home plan, aimed at enabling seniors to stay in their homes, reports Jonathan Cohn for HuffPost. “Relative to other countries, we’re very nursing home focused, and we’re not really doing enough to keep people at home,” says Gruber. “I also just think it’s a valuable benefit to people that makes their lives better.” 

Prof. Daron Acemoglu speaks with Greg Rosalsky of NPR’s Planet Money about a recent survey that claims "almost 40% of Americans, ages 18 to 64, have used generative AI." "My concern with their numbers is that it does not distinguish fundamentally productive uses of generative AI from occasional/frivolous uses," says Acemoglu.