A novel approach to testing for the presence of the virus that causes Covid-19 may lead to tests that are faster, less expensive, and potentially less prone to erroneous results than existing detection methods. Though the work, based on quantum effects, is still theoretical, these detectors could potentially be adapted to detect virtually any virus, the researchers say. Read the article: http://news.mit.edu/2021/quantum-sensor-detect-covid-1220

Researchers at MIT have done a detailed analysis and created a set of computational tools to enable architects and engineers to design truss structures in a way that can minimize their embodied carbon while maintaining all needed properties for a given building application. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/truss-structure-carbon-materials-1129

Researchers at MIT have done a detailed analysis and created a set of computational tools to enable architects and engineers to design truss structures in a way that can minimize their embodied carbon while maintaining all needed properties for a given building application. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/truss-structure-carbon-materials-1129

MIT researchers have now incorporated certain social interactions into a framework for robotics, enabling machines to understand what it means to help or hinder one another, and to learn to perform these social behaviors on their own. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/robots-social-skills-1105

MIT researchers have now incorporated certain social interactions into a framework for robotics, enabling machines to understand what it means to help or hinder one another, and to learn to perform these social behaviors on their own. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/robots-social-skills-1105

Good sleep can be hard to come by. But a new study by researchers at MIT and the University of São Paulo in Brazil finds that if you can make up for lost sleep, even for just a few weekend hours, the extra zzz’s could help reduce fatigue-induced clumsiness, at least in how you walk. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/lack-sleep-walk-1026

Good sleep can be hard to come by. But a new study by researchers at MIT and the University of São Paulo in Brazil finds that if you can make up for lost sleep, even for just a few weekend hours, the extra zzz’s could help reduce fatigue-induced clumsiness, at least in how you walk. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/lack-sleep-walk-1026

As climate change brings greater threats to coastal ecosystems, new research can help planners leverage the wave-damping benefits of marsh plants. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/how-marsh-grass-protects-shorelines-1018

As climate change brings greater threats to coastal ecosystems, new research can help planners leverage the wave-damping benefits of marsh plants. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/how-marsh-grass-protects-shorelines-1018

Researchers at MIT and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are combining machine learning and human-computer interaction to create a better electronic health record (EHR). They developed MedKnowts, a system that unifies the processes of looking up medical records and documenting patient information into a single, interactive interface. Read the article: http://news.mit.edu/2021/medknowts-electronic-health-record-0923

Researchers at MIT and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are combining machine learning and human-computer interaction to create a better electronic health record (EHR). They developed MedKnowts, a system that unifies the processes of looking up medical records and documenting patient information into a single, interactive interface. Read the article: http://news.mit.edu/2021/medknowts-electronic-health-record-0923

Engineers at MIT have developed a new approach to removing lead or other heavy-metal contaminants from water, in a process that they say is far more energy-efficient than any other currently used system, though there are others under development that come close. Ultimately, it might be used to treat lead-contaminated water supplies at the home level, or to treat contaminated water from some chemical or industrial processes. Read the article:...

Would you like to live longer? It turns out that where you live, not just how you live, can make a big difference. That’s the finding of an innovative study co-authored by an MIT economist, which examines senior citizens across the U.S. and concludes that some locations enhance longevity more than others, potentially for multiple reasons. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/seniors-relocate-longevity-0901

Electrochemical reactions that are accelerated using catalysts lie at the heart of many processes for making and using fuels, chemicals, and materials — including storing electricity from renewable energy sources in chemical bonds, an important capability for decarbonizing transportation fuels. Now, research at MIT could open the door to ways of making certain catalysts more active, and thus enhancing the efficiency of such processes. Read the article:...

In the face of grave concerns about misinformation, social media networks and news organizations often employ fact-checkers to sort the real from the false. But fact-checkers can only assess a small portion of the stories floating around online. A new study by MIT researchers suggests an alternate approach: Crowdsourced accuracy judgements from groups of normal readers can be virtually as effective as the work of professional fact-checkers. Read the article:...

Two MIT professors have proposed a new approach to estimating the risks of exposure to Covid-19 under different indoor settings based on the number of people, the size of the space, the kinds of activity, whether masks are worn, and the ventilation and filtration rates. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/covid-19-risks-indoor-0415

MIT Associate Professor Andrews Sevtsuk has developed a model of pedestrian movement that could help planners and developers better grasp the flow of foot traffic in all cities. His work emphasizes the functionality of a neighborhood's elements, above and beyond its physical form, making the model one that could be used from Cambridge to Cape Town. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/counting-pedestrian-traffic-0415

Thousands of different bacterial species live within the human gut. Most are beneficial, while others can be harmful. A new study from an MIT-led team has revealed that these bacterial populations can remake themselves within the lifetime of their host, by passing genes back and forth. They also found for people in industrialized societies this happens at much higher rates. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/microbiome-industrialized-gene-transfer-0331

Stopping the spread of political misinformation on social media may seem like an impossible task. But a new study co-authored by MIT scholars finds that most people who share false news stories online do so unintentionally, and that their sharing habits can be modified through reminders about accuracy. Read the article: https://news.mit.edu/2021/social-media-false-news-reminders-0317