Racism in science + gene function map + Psyche asteroid

MIT Weekly June 18, 2022 Greetings! Here’s a roundup of the latest from the MIT community.  Want a daily dose of MIT in your inbox? [Subscribe to the MIT Daily](. Racism in Science # In advance of Juneteenth, Chancellor [Melissa Nobles]( and colleagues detail racism’s legacy in science, in a guest editorial for Nature.“Racism has led to injustices against millions of people, through slavery and colonization, through apartheid and through continuing prejudice today,” they write. “The point of learning about and analyzing racism in science must be to ensure that it is never repeated.” [Full editorial via Nature→]( Top Headlines Researchers discover a new hardware vulnerability in the Apple M1 chip CSAIL scientists’ hardware attack against the Apple M1 chip defeats the last line of security while leaving no trace. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( A new CRISPR-based map ties every human gene to its function Jonathan Weissman and collaborators used their single-cell sequencing tool Perturb-seq on every expressed gene in the human genome, linking each to its job in the cell. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Nanoparticle sensor can distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia Using this diagnostic, doctors could avoid prescribing antibiotics in cases where they won’t be effective. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( New maps of asteroid Psyche reveal an ancient world of metal and rock The varied surface suggests a dynamic history, which could include metallic eruptions, asteroid-shaking impacts, and a lost rocky mantle. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Could used beer yeast be the solution to heavy metal contamination in water? A study shows that yeast, an abundant waste product from breweries, can filter out even trace amounts of lead. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT # [Follow @MITmechE on Twitter→]( In the Media MIT Claims Top Spot For 11th Year in a Row in the QS Rankings of The World’s Best Universities // Forbes “MIT’s success takes the spotlight as the world’s preeminent university and the US shines as the world’s superlative higher education system,” says Ben Sowter, QS senior vice president. [Full story via Forbes→]( The lumber shortage sucks, but lab-grown wood could save your next DIY project // Popular Mechanics MIT researchers developed a wood-like plant material that could eventually serve as a viable wood substitute in various construction projects. [Full story via Popular Mechanics→]( Eleven art exhibits to heat up your summer // WBUR In a new exhibit by sculptor and mixed media artist Azza El Siddique, which will be on display this summer at the MIT List Visual Arts Center, “viewers are invited to contemplate the transitory nature of everything.” [Full story via WBUR→]( Future phones could be as easy to build and upgrade as LEGOs // Daily Beast MIT engineers developed a wireless, reconfigurable chip that could easily be snapped onto existing devices like a LEGO brick. “Having the flexibility to customize and upgrade an old device is a modder’s dream, but the chip may also help reduce electronic waste, which is estimated at 50 million tons a year worldwide.” [Full story via The Daily Beast→]( What's in a Meal? # This summer, the [MIT List Visual Arts Center]( is launching “[On The Table]( a presentation of six artist-designed “menus” responding to what is “on the table” when it comes to sharing a meal today. The menus are driven by current politics surrounding food access and sustainability while considering historical precedents of artists who have made art through communal meals. New iterations will appear on the MIT List Center website every other Wednesday through Aug. 25. [Learn more via the MIT List Center→]( Digit 405,922 Number of downloads in May from the Open Access Collection of DSpace@MIT, which includes scholarly articles by MIT-affiliated authors made available through open access policies at MIT or publisher agreements. The total number of downloads to date since the OA policy began is 20,852,256. [Learn more via MIT Libraries→]( Look Back # One hundred six years ago this week, on June 14, 1916, MIT and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company attempted the largest transcontinental telephone circuit of the time. How to achieve it? A gathering of 1,500 in Boston’s Symphony Hall that would link MIT alumni from around the country with a complicated telephone circuit. The affair, which became known as the [Telephone Banquet]( was the culminating event in the dedication of MIT’s new Cambridge campus — and demonstrated to the world the power of MIT innovation. [Watch the video→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [summer on campus](. 🏖️ Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! —MIT News Office [Forward This Email]( [Subscribe]( [MIT Logo] Massachusetts Institute of Technology This email was sent to {EMAIL} because of your affiliation with MIT, or because you signed up for our newsletters. [subscribe]( [update preferences]( [unsubscribe]( [view in browser]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( MIT News Office · 77 Massachusetts Avenue · Cambridge, MA 02139 · USA