Can robots learn from machine dreams?

MIT CSAIL researchers used AI-generated images to train a robot dog in parkour, without real-world data. Their LucidSim system demonstrates generative AI's potential for creating robotics training data.

Rachel Gordon | MIT CSAIL • mit
Nov. 19, 2024 ~8 min

Study uncovers earliest evidence of humans using fire to shape the landscape of Tasmania

Some of the first human beings to arrive in Tasmania, over 41,000 years ago, used fire to shape and manage the landscape, about 2,000 years earlier than

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Nov. 15, 2024 ~5 min


J-PAL North America announces new evaluation incubator collaborators from state and local governments

Selected LEVER collaborators will work with the organization to develop an evaluation of their respective programs that alleviate poverty.

Victoria Moura | J-PAL North America • mit
Nov. 15, 2024 ~6 min

Hundreds of 19th-century skulls collected in the name of medical science tell a story of who mattered and who didn’t

Marked with numbers, demographic information and provenance – though not name – these skulls tell a story of racist hierarchies but also diversity in the early United States.

Pamela L. Geller, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Miami • conversation
Nov. 14, 2024 ~10 min

A portable light system that can digitize everyday objects

A new design tool uses UV and RGB lights to change the color and textures of everyday objects. The system could enable surfaces to display dynamic patterns, such as health data and fashion designs.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
Nov. 6, 2024 ~8 min

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.

Adam Zewe | MIT News • mit
Nov. 5, 2024 ~7 min

Recruiting the world’s first disabled astronaut doesn’t mean space travel is inclusive – here’s how to change that

Disabled astronauts have lots to offer, but spaceflight has traditionally been limited to the able-bodied.

Vanja Garaj, Professor of Design and Director of Research, Brunel University of London • conversation
Oct. 31, 2024 ~9 min

Interactive mouthpiece opens new opportunities for health data, assistive technology, and hands-free interactions

“MouthIO” is an in-mouth device that users can digitally design and 3D print with integrated sensors and actuators to capture health data and interact with a computer or phone.

Alex Shipps | MIT CSAIL • mit
Oct. 28, 2024 ~7 min


The US is now at risk of losing to China in the race to send people back to the Moon’s surface

Nasa’s Moon programme has been hit by delays, while China aims to land by 2030.

Jacco van Loon, Reader in Astrophysics, Keele University • conversation
Oct. 25, 2024 ~8 min

Study: Hospice care provides major Medicare savings

The late-in-life health care option reduces patient costs, even as for-profit organizations expand in the sector.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News • mit
Oct. 24, 2024 ~7 min

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