Tiniest transistors + AI incoherence + MIT veterans

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MIT Weekly
November 9, 2024
Greetings, here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.
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Tiniest Transistors

Futuristic computer chip shot through by a laser

Nanoscale 3D transistors made from novel materials operate more efficiently than silicon-based devices, potentially enabling ultra-low-power AI applications. The devices have “all the functions that silicon currently has, but with much better energy efficiency,” says postdoc Yanjie Shao.

Full story via MIT News →

Top Headlines

Despite its impressive output, generative AI doesn’t have a coherent understanding of the world

Researchers show that even the best-performing large language models don’t form a true model of the world and its rules, and can thus fail unexpectedly on similar tasks.

Full story via MIT News →

Neuroscientists create a comprehensive map of the cerebral cortex

Using fMRI, the research team identified 24 networks that perform specific functions within the brain’s cerebral cortex.

Full story via MIT News →

Finding a sweet spot between radical and relevant

As he invents programmable materials and self-organizing systems, Skylar Tibbits is pushing design boundaries while also solving real-world problems.

Full story via MIT News →

Bridging military service and engineering

Two MIT graduate students share similar journeys from West Point to MIT.

Full story via MIT News →

Killing the messenger

A newly characterized anti-viral defense system in bacteria aborts infection through a novel mechanism by chemically altering mRNA.

Full story via MIT News →

Artist and designer Es Devlin awarded Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT

Exploring biodiversity, linguistic diversity, and collective AI-generated poetry, her work will be honored with a $100K prize, artist residency, and a public lecture at MIT in spring 2025.

Full story via MIT News →

#ThisisMIT

Group of about 35 people, some wearing taekwondo uniforms, pose for portrait at tournament. Text via @‌mitsporttkd: Congratulations to everyone who competed in and helped out at the MIT Tournament last weekend! We would like to give a special thanks to all our tournament sponsors for their generous support!

Follow @mitsporttkd on Instagram→

In the Media

The US is awash in subterranean lithium. This startup wants to get it out // The Boston Globe

Lithios, a startup co-founded by Mohammad Alkhadra PhD ’22 and Professor Martin Bazant, is developing “a clean and relatively cheap way to access vast amounts of lithium.”

Full story via The Boston Globe →

Opinion: Nuclear power is coming back — and that could be a win for older workers // MarketWatch

Joseph Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab, examines how the revival of nuclear power could be beneficial for older workers with expertise in the industry.

Full story via MarketWatch→

Opinion: Policymakers need a fresh approach on capital gains tax increases // The Financial Times

Professor Fiona Murray highlights the importance of developing a new approach to capital gains tax increases.

Full story via The Financial Times→

Record-breaking ocean slaughter sees millions of fish killed in hours // Gizmodo

Using a sonar-based technique called Ocean Acoustic Waveguide Remote Sensing (OAWRS), researchers at MIT have tracked a swarm of cod off the coast of Norway eating millions of migrating capelin fish.

Full story via Gizmodo→

Listen

In the latest episode of the Curiosity Unbounded podcast, MIT President Sally Kornbluth speaks with Giovanni Traverso, an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and a gastroenterologist at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The two discuss tackling the core challenges of taking medication, the unique perspective that comes with being both a professor and a practicing gastroenterologist, and the importance of entrepreneurship.
Listen to the episode→

Digit

400

Approximate number of veterans who work at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, making up about 10% of the lab’s workforce

Learn about opportunities for veterans at Lincoln →

This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by a place for veterans to call home at MIT. 🏠

Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week.

—MIT News

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