Babies' brains + breakthrough Covid-19 + "ninja" students

MIT Weekly August 7, 2021 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](. Studying Babies' Brains # Heather Kosakowski holds an infant who is about to be scanned in an fMRI machine at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. How do babies perceive the world? The challenges of tackling this question are so daunting that few have tried. But [Heather Kosakowski]( a PhD candidate in brain and cognitive sciences, is determined to find answers. [Full story via MIT Technology Review→]( Top Headlines Breakthrough infections: What you need to know MIT Medical provides the latest analysis on Covid-19 infections in vaccinated individuals. [Full story via MIT Medical→]( [MIT Heat Island]( A sleep study’s eye-opening findings 💤 An experiment finds no impact from more night sleep, though naps help; rest quality may be key. [Full story via MIT News →]( New drug combo shows early potential for treating pancreatic cancer Researchers find three immunotherapy drugs given together can eliminate pancreatic tumors in mice. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Cleaning up industrial filtration MIT spinoff Via Separations aims for industrial decarbonization with its durable graphene oxide membranes. [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( Teenage MIT ninja students Computer science and engineering majors Guang Cui and Daniel Sun are best friends — and now, alumni of the TV competition “American Ninja Warrior.” [Full story via MIT News →]( [MIT Heat Island]( #ThisisMIT # [Post via @ritu.raman on Instagram→]( In the Media Opinion: Solutions to extreme heat can be found in our streets // The Boston Globe Randolph Kirchain, co-director of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub, and postdoc Hessam Azarijafari explore how cool pavements could be used to help address urban heat. [Full story via The Boston Globe →]( Just getting more sleep might not improve productivity and well-being // Fast Company An MIT study finds sleeping slightly more overnight may not improve performance or well-being, especially if sleep is often interrupted. “The researchers say their findings suggest that sleep quality may be essential.” [Full story via Fast Company→]( Rich world’s pandemic selfishness won’t be forgotten // Axios Professors Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee speak about how the failure of rich countries to share Covid-19 vaccines and financial assistance will exacerbate global poverty and lead to increased resentment. [Full story via Axios→]( There’s a way you can beat the best investors. You’ve just got to know when to sell // Planet Money A paper co-authored by Assistant Professor Lawrence Schmidt examines investor performance and finds elite financiers often excel at buying stocks but perform poorly when it comes to selling stocks. [Full story via Planet Money→]( [“] I strongly believe [there] are some things that are more important than achievement. The things even more important than a degree from MIT, more important than sport, more important than the Olympics are you, your happiness, and your relationships. You might not feel that way, now or ever, but I guarantee there are people in your life that believe that you and your well-being are more important than any of the “things” you are doing. —Christina Birch PhD ’15, who started cycling in 2008 with the MIT Cycling Club and is now competing in the Tokyo Olympics [Full story via The Tech→]( Scene at MIT # Construction of MIT’s new state-of-the-art [music building]( adjacent to Kresge Auditorium, is officially underway. The building will include spaces for performance, rehearsal, professional-level recording, research, and instruction, as well as a large-scale, purpose-built performance lab that will enable experimentation with various formats. “The new music building will be the most advanced teaching and performing space that the Institute has ever constructed,” said Melissa Nobles, the Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences and soon-to-be MIT chancellor, of the project when it was announced in 2018. [Learn more via MIT News→]( This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by [Millie amigurumi](. 🧶 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