News + Media

	Analysis + Opinion July 21, 2014 Smallpox: the long goodbye Jeanne GuilleminBulletin of the Atomic Scientists Last week, six vials of smallpox virus were discovered in a disused closet at the National Institutes of Health, where they had lain, forgotten and misplaced, for over 30 years.
	In the News July 17, 2014 Genetically engineering almost anything Tim De Chant and Eleanor NelsenNova When it comes to genetic engineering, we’re amateurs. Sure, we’ve known about DNA’s structure for more than 60 years, we first sequenced every A, T, C, and G in our bodies more than a decade ago, and we’re becoming increasingly adept at modifying the genes of a growing number of organisms. But compared with what's coming next, all that will seem like child's play.
	News@E40 July 17, 2014 In memoriam: JoAnn Carmin Associate Professor JoAnn Carmin passed away on July 15, 2014. Carmin had been on the faculty of MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning since 2003 and was the founding director of the Center's Program on Environmental Governance and Sustainability. "JoAnn was a great colleague, smart, savvy, and deeply committed to doing good in the world. She came to us with an idea for a new program, which she headed and made into a success—the Program on Environmental Governance and Sustainability. It was focused on student research, and I'm sure she made a huge difference in many students' lives," said John Tirman, executive director and principal research scientist at CIS.
	In the News July 17, 2014 3 Qs: Kenneth Oye on genetic engineering Peter DizikesMIT News Kenneth Oye, an associate professor of political science and engineering systems who studies government regulation and directs MIT’s Program on Emerging Technologies, is lead author of an article in Science today making the case that the U.S. government, and international groups, need to adapt their procedures to enable more robust discussion and evaluation on genetic engineering. MIT News asked him to discuss the topic.
	News Release July 17, 2014 New genome editing strategy for ecosystems A cross-disciplinary team is calling for public discussion about a potential new way to solve longstanding global ecological problems by using an emerging technology called "gene drives." The advance could potentially lead to powerful new ways of combating malaria and other insect-borne diseases, controlling invasive species, and promoting sustainable agriculture. Kenneth Oye is author of the Science paper and director of the Center's Program on Emerging Technologies. MIT News Feature \| Science Full Text
	Analysis + Opinion June 18, 2014 The legacy of unlearned lessons, and the current crisis in Iraq John TirmanWBUR: Cognoscenti The advances of the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) deep into the heart of Iraq from its base in Syria is an occasion for introspection in the United States.
	Analysis + Opinion June 16, 2014 The case for doing nothing in Iraq Barry PosenPolitico Whenever there’s a crisis anywhere in the world, you can count on America’s pundit class to demand action—usually of the military variety.
	Analysis + Opinion June 16, 2014 ISIS continues dramatic takeover of territory in Iraq Jim WalshWBUR: Cognoscenti Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson talks to Jim Walsh, an expert in international security at MIT's Security Studies Program, about the developments in Iraq and Ukraine.
	In the News June 1, 2014 Knowing the enemy Alec Worsnop What makes an insurgency effective and deadly? It is a question the U.S. has been posing with increasing urgency since 9/11, and it is a central research preoccupation of Alec Worsnop, a Ph.D. candidate in political science.
	In the News May 29, 2014 From conflict, cooperation Nicole Estvanik TaylorMIT SPECTRVM For her recent book Alliance Formation in Civil Wars, political scientist, Fotini Christia interviewed Afghan warlords and mujahideen. Her “counterintuitive” finding was that alliances among warring factions were fluid, owing more to pragmatic power dynamics than to religious or ethnic identities. She discovered, however, that identity narratives were often retrofitted to justify shifts from foe to friend and back again.