MIT spinoff C2Sense has developed a chip that gives computers a sense of smell and could be used to detect spoiling food, reports Klint Finley for Wired. The company’s goal is to make “wireless sensor chips so cheap that they could be built into a product’s packaging.”
Wired reporter Sarah Zhang reports on how MIT researchers developed a new computer model that they used to examine the public health impacts of Volkswagen cheating on emissions standards tests. Zhang explains that the researchers’ model “allows scientists to estimate the impact of extra NOx in any 50 km by 50 km square of the world.”
A new study by researchers from MIT and Harvard shows that pollution from Volkswagen vehicles could lead to premature deaths in the U.S., reports Tom Randall for Bloomberg News. “Volkswagen's deception allowed some 482,000 U.S. diesel cars to pass emissions tests even as they polluted as much as 40 times the legal limit,” writes Randall.
Justin Worland of TIME reports on a new MIT study examining the public health impacts of Volkswagen’s software designed to evade emissions standards. “The emissions problem will also add nearly half a billion dollars in social costs,” writes Worland.
Alexandra Ossola reports for Popular Science that MIT researchers have determined that by cheating on emissions tests, Volkswagen could cause 60 premature deaths in the U.S. “The researchers estimated the impact on public health…by calculating the effects of more fine particulates, ozone, and nitrous oxide,” writes Ossola.
Researchers at MIT and Harvard have determined that emissions resulting from Volkswagen’s rigged inspections will cause 60 premature deaths in the U.S., reports Robert Preidt for U.S. News & World Report. The researchers found that “if VW recalls every affected vehicle by the end of 2016, more than 130 additional deaths may be prevented,” writes Preidt.
CNBC reporter Robert Ferris writes about a study by researchers from MIT and Harvard that examines the impacts of Volkswagen cheating on emissions tests. “Volkswagen's cars have emitted 40 times the amount of noxious nitrogen oxide (NOx) than the limit proscribed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” Ferris explains.
Nina Godlewski writes for Boston.com that a new study co-authored by MIT researchers found that approximately 60 people in the U.S. will die prematurely due to Volkswagen’s cheating on emissions tests. Godlewski explains that, “if the automaker fails to recall all of the affected vehicles by the end of 2016, more deaths may occur.”
Atlantic reporter Robinson Meyer speaks with Prof. Steven Barrett about his research showing that 140 people will die prematurely if Volkswagen vehicles outfitted with emissions-cheating devices are not recalled. Barrett says that if the cars are returned, “most of those 140 deaths would be averted.”
Huffington Post contributor Derrick Crowe writes about a new MIT study that examines how increasing ocean acidification is impacting phytoplankton populations. The study showed how ocean acidification, “can throw off the balance of the plankton population, causing significant changes with profound implications for other species that depend on them.”
A team led by Prof. Stephen Buchwald has developed single-use capsules that could make chemistry experiments less labor intensive, writes Carmen Drahl for Forbes. “We’re always looking for ways to make our chemistry more user-friendly,” says Buchwald.
MIT researchers have found that increasing ocean acidification will impact phytoplankton species worldwide, reports Michelle Toh for The Christian Science Monitor. Toh explains that the researchers found, “the balance of various plankton species will radically change as the world’s oceans increase in acidity over the next 85 years.”
Wired reporter James Temperton writes that MIT researchers have created a portable spectrometer that is small enough to fit inside a smartphone. The spectrometer could be used to diagnose diseases, “analyse urine samples, check pulse and oxygen levels and measure environmental pollutants,” Temperton explains.
MIT researchers have developed a quantum-dot spectrometer that is small enough to fit into a smartphone, reports Alexandra Ossola for Popular Science. “Having all that computational power in the palms of their hands could help scientists diagnose of diseases (especially skin conditions), test urine samples, or identify food contaminants,” Ossola writes.
MIT physicists have cooled molecules to just above absolute zero, reports Macrina Cooper-White for The Huffington Post. “The team hopes to cool molecules to an even lower temperature, study the interactions between them, and learn more about the limits on their lifetime,” Cooper-White explains.