Somerville, Massachusetts decriminalizes naturally occurring psychedelics
The Somerville City Council voted 9-0 to decriminalize the possession of entheogenic plants, including psilocybin mushrooms and ibogaine.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has long been a hub for education, public health, and civic innovation. This archive tracks progress stories from across the state — from Boston’s research institutions to smaller cities finding local solutions to shared challenges.
Boston Red Sox hire first Black woman to coach in MLB history
Bianca Smith will serve as a minor league coach at the club’s player development facility in Fort Myers, Florida.
Boston is building the world’s largest Passive House-certified office building
Boston’s Financial District will soon welcome the groundbreaking Winthrop Center, a year-round, mixed-use gathering space with a suite of impressive eco-friendly credentials.
Cambridge, Massachusetts to be first US city to post warning stickers on gas pumps
“The gas pump stickers will remind drivers to think about climate change and hopefully consider non-polluting options.”
New AI from MIT can detect COVID-19 by listening to coughs
After the team from MIT trained its model on tens of thousands of cough and dialog samples, the technology recognized 98.5 percent of coughs from people with confirmed COVID-19 cases. It identified 100 percent of people who were ostensibly asymptomatic, too.
Simple blood test predicts patients most likely to die from COVID-19
One standard test that quantifies the variation in size of red blood cells was found to be highly correlated with patient mortality, and the correlation persisted when controlling for other risk factors like patient age, some other lab tests, and some pre-existing illnesses.
MIT elects first black woman student body president in its 159-year history
Students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have elected a black woman as president of the Undergraduate Association for the first time in the school’s history. Danielle Geathers and running mate Yu Jing Chen won the student government election earlier this month.
Students create mental-health website for medical professionals battling COVID-19
Studies suggest that health care workers on the frontlines of the pandemic are more likely to experience anxiety, depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
New blood test can detect 50 types of cancer using machine learning
Researchers say the test can not only tell whether someone has cancer, but can also shed light on the type of cancer they have.
MIT to publish plans for an emergency ventilator that can be built for $400
The ventilator shortage is a key barrier worldwide to effectively managing the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Now, teams around the world can use MIT’s plans to make them for less than $500.