| Physicists Study Elections | | | | | | Using principles from physics, new research shows U.S. elections have become more “unstable” in recent decades: Small changes in voter preferences can lead to significant swings toward more extreme political outcomes. |
| Hacking life inside and outside the laboratory Managing her own synthetic biology project helped graduate student Jesse Tordoff overcome imposter syndrome and hit her stride. |  |
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| Putting a finger on the switch of a chronic parasite infection |
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Researchers discover a master regulator needed for the Toxoplasma gondii parasite to chronically infect a host — a promising step toward infection treatment and prevention. |  |
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| Eight management ideas to embrace in the 2020s |
Industry experts describe areas on which leaders and organizations should focus their efforts in the next decade. |
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| Study: State-level adoption of renewable energy standards saves money and lives |
MIT researchers review renewable energy and carbon pricing policies as states consider repealing or relaxing renewable portfolio standards. |  |
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| Nine tips for healthy social media use |
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MindHandHeart is finding new ways to encourage healthy, positive social media use. |  |
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| The birth of “digital twins” will transform our world // Financial Times |
Professor Asu Ozdaglar, head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and deputy dean of academics for the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, discusses the college and the complex challenges posed by new technologies. |
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| China has a big economic problem, and it isn’t the trade war // The New York Times |
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In an op-ed, Professor Yasheng Huang argues Chinese policies favoring the state sector over the private sector have played a bigger role in the country’s economic slowdown than the current trade war. |
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| LEDs used in tests to replace invasive medical procedures // The Guardian |
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MIT researchers have developed a light-sensitive material that could be used to enable ingestible medical devices to break down in the body when exposed to light. |
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| What do swing voters think? Meet @American__Voter // The New York Times In an op-ed, Alexander Agadjanian, senior research support associate at the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, explores how he and his colleagues developed a Twitter account that showcases the complexities of individual voters’ stances on issues. |
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| | “Winter Branches” by Margaret Widdemer
When winter-time grows weary, I lift my eyes on high
And see the black trees standing, stripped clear against the sky;
They stand there very silent, with the cold flushed sky behind,
The little twigs flare beautiful and restful and kind;
Clear-cut and certain they rise, with summer past,
For all that trees can ever learn they know now, at last;
Slim and black and wonderful, with all unrest gone by,
The stripped tree-boughs comfort me, drawn clear against the sky.
Photo: Kunal Mukherjee/Flickr CC BY-SA |
 | | | | Discovering and utilizing MIT’s OpenCourseWare site was like finding $40,000 sitting on a park bench. |
| | —Michael, a high school student, in describing his appreciation for MIT’s repository of free materials from hundreds of courses taught at the Institute |
This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by a snowy stroll around campus. ❄️
Thanks for reading, and enjoy your week!
—MIT News Office |
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