MIT News Newsletter

	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
August 17, 2017
MIT News: top stories
A weekly digest of the Institute’s research and innovation

Open-source entrepreneurship

New project-based course lets undergrads lead the development of open-source software.

Researchers clarify mystery about proposed battery material

Study explains conflicting results from other experiments, may lead to batteries with more energy per pound.

How we recall the past

Neuroscientists discover a brain circuit dedicated to retrieving memories.

Case study suggests new approach to urban water supply

One drought remedy: Keep infrastructure fast, cheap, and under control.

Investigating space weather effects of the 2017 solar eclipse

Atmospheric scientists at the MIT Haystack Observatory will study North American eclipse effects on space weather with radar and navigational satellites.

In the Media

Research Scientist Jennifer Morris writes for Salon about her research showing that power companies should invest in carbon-free power sources despite uncertainty about future U.S. emissions limits. Morris and her colleagues found that investing in carbon-free sources, “best positions the United States to meet a wide range of possible future policies at a low cost to the economy.”

MIT researchers have found that the moon’s magnetic field lasted at least 1 billion years longer than initially thought, reports Charles Q. Choi for NBC News. “Understanding more about the nature of the magnetic field of Earth's moon could shed light on the magnetic fields of distant moons and planets, which could influence their habitability."

CSAIL researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that can reduce video buffering, writes Kevin Murnane for Forbes. The system, “adapts on the fly to current network and buffers conditions,” enabling smoother streaming than other methods.