Topic: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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10 organizations that protect the environment

We tell you about 10 organizations that are working to protect and conserve the environment. All 10 of these organizations have four-star ratings from Charity Navigator and at least $13.5 million in total annual expenses.

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Amar Bose, inventor of Bose speakers, dies

The inventor of Bose speakers, Amar Bose, on Friday.
Boston Marathon bombing: On first day in court, suspect to face public

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is appearing for the first time in court, where he is to be charged with 30 federal criminal counts, most of which authorize the death penalty.
USA Update Asiana crash: Improved technology, standards, and training likely saved lives

From stronger seats to flight crew training that emphasizes a quick exit from the plane, improved standards are making crashes more survivable. The Asiana crash's statistics are no longer a rarity.
Energy Voices The world's thinnest solar cell, just a nanometer thick

Researchers at MIT have developed a technique for creating solar cells that are only two molecules thick. The resulting solar cell can only offer a conversion efficiency of 1 - 2 percent, but by placing multiple cells one on top of the other the overall generation capacity can be far greater than conventional cells.
10 organizations that protect the environment

We tell you about 10 organizations that are working to protect and conserve the environment. All 10 of these organizations have four-star ratings from Charity Navigator and at least $13.5 million in total annual expenses.
The ultimate video game: Teams compete in DARPA Robotics Challenge

Teams from eight countries competed in the first round of the challenge to develop a disaster-response robot.
Global News Blog Good Reads: From algorithms, to Roman walls, to the new liberals and conservatives

This week's round-up of Good Reads include doubts about algorithms' 'all-power,' the recipe for Roman concrete, the need for a Turkish Mandela, young liberals who may be more conservative than they realize, and the usefulness of military 'land power.'
Kerry pledges US help for India's massive higher ed needs

US Secretary of State John Kerry signed eight memoranda of understanding on education with his Indian counterparts.
Modern Parenthood Louis was right: when your kids start to 'know much more than I'll ever know'

That bittersweet moment when parents realize their kids, graduating into adulthood, are starting to do life all by themselves.
NASA chooses eight new astronauts, four of them women

The eight new astronauts are expected to man some of NASA's boldest, most anticipated new missions, including travel to Mars.
'Full Upright and Locked Position': 7 (sometimes sobering) facts about air travel

From the facts about airline food to the truth about why bags get lost, writer and former FAA chief counsel Mark Gerchick takes a hard look at traveling by plane in "Full Upright and Locked Position."
The New Economy Twin storms for US workers: Chinese imports, technological change

Chinese imports and technological change displace US workers in much different ways, a new study finds. Imports destroy jobs only in certain hubs; technology hits much more broadly, but creates as many jobs as it kills.
Focus 'Exponential' progress in prosthetics helps ease tough path for amputees

People who lost arms or legs in the Boston Marathon bombings – and in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars – are among some 2 million Americans coping with limb loss. Emerging technologies and expanded peer support programs are helping.
Opinion Solution to NSA overreach – put people in charge of their own data

Massive US surveillance of phone records and Internet data disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden should prompt a public debate on the balance between privacy and the use of personal data. A 'new deal on data' should put people in charge of their own communication.
The Monitor's View Spying on DNA, Verizon, and free will

New technologies extend the reach of surveillance tools to not only DNA and Verizon calls but also emotions and brain waves. Will this lead to a denial of individuals having moral agency and autonomy of thought?
Tumblr CEO: To drop out or stay in school, that is the question for wunderkinds

Tumblr, engineered by computer science wunderkind and high school dropout David Karp, was just purchased by Yahoo for more than a billion dollars. Should gifted youngsters end their education early or would they do better by staying in school?
Energy Voices Ernest Moniz confirmed unanimously as Energy secretary

Ernest Moniz earned bipartisan approval Thursday as the Senate voted 97-0 to confirm the nuclear physicist as the next secretary of the Department of Energy. The support for Ernest Moniz is in contrast to divided opinions over Gina McCarthy, President Obama's pick to head the EPA.
Charles Darwin wrong about coral reef formation?

Though deep drilling on reefs finally confirmed Darwin's model in 1953, the reality of reef-building may be more complex.
Former Ed secretary: Only 4 percent of colleges worth the money. Families: Pick value.

Former Education Secretary Bennett argues that most of America's 3,500 colleges aren't worth the investment. As costs rise, more families are taking a harder look at a college's value instead of its reputation.
Global News Blog Good Reads: Oil's future, wealth in Africa, 'Occupy' failure, progress in Mexico, and the Tsarnaevs

This week’s round-up of Good Reads includes the question "What if we never run out of oil?", a profile of African wealth divides, the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement's failure to leave a lasting imprint, and a profile of the Tsarnaev family.
Cover Story Telecommuting: Steady growth in work-at-home culture, Yahoo or not

Telecommuting is a rapidly growing work-life style. Yahoo's recent ban of remote work sent a wave of concern through white-collar legions who consider themselves fortunate – and more productive – working in pajamas at home or holed up in a Starbucks cafe.
How greenhouse gases might make humongous super-Earths habitable (+video)

On Earth, greenhouse gases are blamed for climate change, but elsewhere in the cosmos, they could help a planet not at all like Earth be habitable, one scientist suggests.
'Boston Strong' concert, featuring Aerosmith, others, will benefit victims fund (+video)

Tickets go on sale May 6 for an event featuring New Kids on the Block, James Taylor, Aerosmith, and other performers with Boston roots. Proceeds from the May 30 Boston Strong concert will go to the One Fund Boston, set up for victims of the marathon bombings.
Boston bombing probe: Three suspects told stories that don't match

In broad terms, the three suspects arrested and charged with obstructing justice in the Boston bombing investigation told the same story. But the accounts varied on some important details.
Opinion Boston bombings: Come together, right now, on social media

After the Boston bombings, we, as Americans, rose together in a time of tragedy. Social media accelerated our camaraderie faster than ever. It can sustain it further still, despite some of the downsides of this technology.