MIT News Newsletter

	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
August 11, 2017
MIT News: top stories
A weekly digest of the Institute’s research and innovation

Blocking a key enzyme may reverse memory loss

MIT study suggests a new approach to developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

New AI algorithm monitors sleep with radio waves

Patients with sleep disorders could be studied nonintrusively at home using wireless signals.

Hybrid drones carry heavier payloads for greater distances

Startup’s gas-electric engines may pave way for package delivery and human flight.

Lunar dynamo’s lifetime extended by at least 1 billion years

Findings suggest two mechanisms may have powered the moon’s ancient churning, molten core.

Designing the microstructure of printed objects

Software lets designers exploit the extremely high resolution of 3-D printers.

In the Media

MIT researchers have found that blocking the HDAC2 enzyme could potentially restore the memories of Alzheimer’s patients, reports Alyssa Meyers for The Boston Globe. The researchers, “pinpointed a gene called Sp3 that binds with HDAC2, which then results in the compression and subsequent deactivation of memory genes.”

TechCrunch reporter Brian Heater spotlights a new device developed by MIT researchers that can wirelessly monitor sleep. “Thanks to new AI technology, the system is now able to translate subtle movement into meaningful information about the subject’s sleep patterns, including sleep stages (light/deep/R.E.M.), movement and breathing rate."

Wired reporter Liz Stinson writes that researchers from MIT and Google have developed a new algorithm that can automatically retouch images on a mobile phone. “The neural network identifies exactly how to make it look better—increase contrast a smidge, tone down brightness, whatever—and apply the changes in under 20 milliseconds,” Stinson explains.