MIT News Newsletter

	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
August 25, 2017
MIT News: top stories
A weekly digest of the Institute’s research and innovation

Using machine learning to improve patient care

New CSAIL research employs many types of medical data, including electronic health records, to predict outcomes in hospitals.

Industrial “edge cities” have helped China grow

Study: Commercial parks have boosted growth, created new urban centers.

Study: For food-waste recycling, policy is key

Successful programs aren’t limited to well-off towns with strong environmental movements.

Fusion heating gets a boost

The Plasma Science and Fusion Center explores a new recipe for heating plasma.

Bringing poverty-alleviating solutions to market in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda

2017 D-Lab Scale-Ups are tackling energy access, small farm irrigation, portable medical diagnostics, online education, and support for local artisans.

Our hairy insides

Engineers predict how flowing fluid will bend tiny hairs that line blood vessels and intestines.

In the Media

An MIT study finds that the Earth’s mantle was 200 degrees Celsius hotter three billion years ago than it is today. That finding shows “that the Earth's ancient crust was made up of a much denser, iron- and magnesium-enriched material than today's rocky mantle,” writes Amy Wallace for UPI.

A study co-authored by MIT researchers shows that climate change will cause toxic cyanobacteria algae to increase. The algae, which thrive in warmer conditions, can cause “neurological damage, liver damage, gastrointestinal problems, irritation of eyes, ears and skin, and other health problems,” if ingested, writes Craig Lemoult of WGBH.

Damien Garde of STAT highlights Prof. Li-Huei Tsai’s research on the HDAC2 enzyme in an article about Alzheimer’s research. “If we can reduce HDAC2 expression in Alzheimer’s disease models, we can reactivate the genes [that] actually rescue learning and memory,” says Prof. Tsai.

Two new papers from CSAIL researchers “aim to help doctors make better use of the digital information they’re presented with,” writes Adi Gaskell for The Huffington Post. One examines a tool that uses ICU data to choose the best treatment option based on a range of symptoms, while the other facilitates “predictive models based upon an electronic health record system.”