Musicology + attacking tumors + AI and weight loss

By rahmat hidayat

Sabtu, 17 Januari 2026

view in browser MIT Weekly January 17, 2026 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. Creating and Recreating                Associate Professor Leslie Tilley is both an ethnomusicologist, who studies music in its cultural settings, and a music analyst, who examines its formal principles. One of her core interests is how artists create infinitely new work out of existing musical knowledge. Full story via MIT News → Top Headlines A new immunotherapy approach could work for many types of cancer Using new molecules that block an immune checkpoint, researchers showed they could stimulate a strong anti-tumor immune response. Full story via MIT News → Generative AI shows effectiveness in aiding weight loss AI can help people lose weight, but it can’t replace the benefits of having a community of support, research from MIT Sloan shows. Full story via MIT Sloan→ Fueling research in nuclear thermal propulsion Master’s student Taylor Hampson is modeling the behavior of an unconventional rocket engine that will heat propellant using nuclear energy. Full story via MIT News → AI-generated sensors open new paths for early cancer detection Nanoparticles coated with molecular sensors could be used to develop at-home tests for many types of cancer. Full story via MIT News → Anything-goes “anyons” may be at the root of surprising quantum experiments MIT physicists say these quasiparticles may explain how superconductivity and magnetism can coexist in certain materials. Full story via MIT News → 3 Questions: Why meritocracy is hard to achieve Professor Emilio Castilla explains how bias can creep into employers’ talent management processes — and what leaders can do to make their organizations fairer and more meritocratic. Full story via MIT News → #ThisisMIT Follow @mitflyingclub on Instagram→ In the Media Fusion power still may save the world // The Boston Globe Bob Mumgaard SM ’15, PhD ’15, CEO of MIT spinout Commonwealth Fusion Systems, speaks about the company’s efforts to advance fusion technologies. Full story via The Boston Globe → Your liver may already be changing because of what you eat every day, scientists warn // Fox News Early research from MIT scientists suggests that over time a high-fat diet can impact the liver in a way that may raise the risk of cancer. Full story via Fox News→ Economist Daron Acemoglu: AI faces trillion-dollar gamble // Newsmax Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu discusses the long-term profitability of new AI technologies, noting that AI’s long-term success will ultimately be decided not by technological promise, but by whether AI tools can deliver sustainable profits. Full story via Newsmax→ Listen In a new episode of the Curiosity Unbounded podcast, President Sally Kornbluth speaks with Sebastian Lourido, an associate professor of biology at MIT and a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, about his work in human pathogens. The two discuss toxoplasmosis and its relationship with cat litter, how parasites behave inside human cells, and the complex relationships that unfold over the course of a chronic infection. Listen to the full episode→ Job loss and de-skilling are not inevitable outcomes of the growth of artificial intelligence in organizations. But it’s where we’ll end up if we don’t make a deliberate choice to follow the best path we find. —Richard Locke, dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management, in a recent essay on understanding how AI can help humans improve organizations Full essay via MIT Sloan → Collegiate Collaborations MIT researchers work regularly with colleagues at universities across the U.S. to devise new solutions to complex challenges. These connections demonstrate how shared expertise and diverse viewpoints can amplify discovery and accelerate solutions that benefit communities across America and beyond. An initiative led by researchers from Clemson University and MIT aims to build the workforce in lithium battery manufacturing and recycling, a growing tech sector in the U.S. With lithium battery demand expected to grow sixfold by 2030, the project includes hands-on mentoring and career awareness programs for high school, community college, and technical college students, as well as technicians looking to upskill. Full story via Clemson News → This edition of the MIT Weekly was brought to you by a meaningful MIT ranking from a local legend. 🏀 Have feedback to share? Email mitdailyeditor@mit.edu. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! —MIT News Forward This Email Subscribe This email was sent to rh3252705.pese@blogger.com because of your affiliation with MIT, or because you signed up for our newsletters. subscribe update preferences unsubscribe view in browser MIT News Office · 77 Massachusetts Avenue · Cambridge, MA 02139 · USA

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