Megan Kate Nelson, a historian from Littleton, Colorado, has been often surprised by the misconceptions about the American West. Growing up in a family that traveled extensively, she had visited 45 states by the time she began college in 1990. Her classmates, unfamiliar with her suburban upbringing, would sometimes ask if she rode a horse…
Research has shown that an experimental gene therapy for inherited deafness has led to significant, lasting improvements in hearing and speech recognition. The therapy addresses mutations in the OTOF gene, one of approximately 200 genes linked to congenital deafness. The most notable improvements were observed in patients under 18, but adults also experienced benefits, albeit…
Concerns are mounting about the privacy of personal financial and medical data. Tyler Cowen, an economist from George Mason University, warns that new AI developments may soon allow hackers to breach previously secure systems. Cowen suggests that the likelihood of such breaches will increase, potentially exposing sensitive information. Cowen, an expert in AI and its…
Scholars and practitioners at a recent Harvard Kennedy School event discussed the growing challenges to global nuclear security. Iran’s nuclear ambitions, central to its conflict with the U.S. and Israel, are among several issues threatening decades of nuclear nonproliferation efforts. The event, led by Meghan O’Sullivan, director of the Belfer Center for Science and International…
Confidence can be compelling, but in AI systems, it can also mislead. The most advanced reasoning models today often express unwavering certainty in their answers, regardless of accuracy. Researchers at MIT’s CSAIL have identified a flaw in the training of these models that leads to overconfidence and devised a solution that retains accuracy. The new…
Next time you relax to the sound of rain, consider how it might appear to a seed beneath the soil. MIT engineers have discovered that some seeds react energetically to rain sounds. Experiments with rice seeds showed that the noise of droplets landing can awaken seeds from dormancy, prompting them to germinate more quickly than…
Disenchanted with grading AI-produced essays and scantron tests, I ventured into oral exams this finals season. The exams were part of lower-division history classes: one primarily for history majors, the other for students meeting general education requirements. Students used Google Calendar to select 30-minute slots, starting the day after the last class and ending just…
Step into any faculty meeting or office today, and you’ll likely hear discussions about artificial intelligence (AI). Some educators are embracing it eagerly, while others approach it with caution or reluctance. Most are grappling with how to integrate this potential shift without compromising the essence of their teaching. In the early stages of AI in…
When a ball is tossed into the air, classical physics equations can predict its trajectory and landing spot. However, if the ball were reduced to the size of an atom, its behavior would diverge from classical predictions. MIT researchers have demonstrated that certain classical physics concepts can describe the strange behaviors at the quantum level….
A Harvard-affiliated research team at Mass General Brigham has discovered that a blood test measuring plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217) could forecast Alzheimer’s disease progression long before symptoms or brain scan changes occur. This finding, published in Nature Communications, suggests this test could simplify disease prediction and identify those at risk of cognitive decline. Lead…
