Stressed on the job? An AI teammate may know how to help

Researchers are working toward intelligent machines that can sense cognitive fatigue and suggest interventions to help a human improve performance.

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Tags: machine-learning health artificial-intelligence mental-health research lincoln-laboratory human-computer-interaction

Clovis only made stone tools for about 300 years

The Clovis, some of North America's oldest inhabitants, probably only made stone tools for about 300 years, new research shows.

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Tags: archaeology science-and-technology early-humans ancient-history stone-tools north-america

Aging chimps show social selectivity

Understanding why older chimps tend to favor small circles of meaningful, established friendships rather than seek new ones may help scientists gain a better picture of what healthy human aging should look like and what triggers this social change.

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Tags: science-technology faculty-of-arts-and-sciences fas science juan-siliezar aging chimpanzees department-of-human-evolutionary-biology alexandra-rosati kibale-chimpanzee-project lindsey-hagberg martin-n-muller melissa-emery-thompson richard-w-wrangham zarin-machanda

Turbulent environment set the stage for leaps in human evolution and technology 320,000 years ago

A new environmental record for a prehistoric site in Kenya helped researchers figure out how external conditions influenced which of our ancient ancestors lived there, with what way of life.

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Tags: anthropology human-evolution archaeology fossils homo-sapiens paleoanthropology stone-tools human-origins middle-stone-age ancient-sediments human-fossils sediment sediment-cores

Learning by doing, remotely

Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, MIT students have carved out meaningful hands-on experiences.

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Tags: mathematics covid-19 biology pandemic research students graduate-postdoctoral school-of-engineering school-of-science education-teaching-academics electrical-engineering-computer-science-eecs undergraduate school-of-humanities-arts-and-social-sciences vice-chancellor civil-and-environmental-engineering whitehead-institute biological-engineering chemical-engineering misti undergraduate-research-opportunities-program-urop mit-schwarzman-college-of-computing

Research shows lullabies in any language relax babies

Researchers at Harvard’s Music Lab have determined that American infants relaxed when played lullabies that were unfamiliar and in a foreign language.

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Tags: science-technology psychology fas music-lab samuel-mehr connie-bainbridge mila-bertolo nature-human-behaviour

What are the odds your vote will not count?

MIT professor’s study quantifies how many mail-in ballots became “lost votes” in the 2016 U.S. federal election.

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Tags: politics research government school-of-humanities-arts-and-social-sciences political-science voting-and-elections

Will Colorado bring back wolves? It's up to voters

For the first time in the US, a ballot measure will ask voters whether to restore wolves to a place where they've been eradicated. Coloradans have strong views on both sides.

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Tags: livestock ranchers endangered-species colorado human-wildlife-conflict hunting wolves carnivores apex-predators us-west us-elections-2020 referendum ecological-restoration

How many votes will be counted after election night?

Study measures the “blue shift” from absentee and provisional ballots, underscores uncertainties of 2020 vote.

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Tags: politics research government school-of-humanities-arts-and-social-sciences political-science voting-and-elections