News + Media

	Analysis + Opinion February 3, 2020 Fireflies have a mating problem: The lights are always on Shola LawalThe New York Times These are tough times for fireflies. Like a lot of other insects, they face increasing threats from habitat loss, pesticides and pollution. But they also have a problem that’s unique to luminous bugs: It’s getting harder for them to reproduce because light pollution is outshining their mating signals.
	In the News January 29, 2020 Experts debunk fringe theory linking China’s coronavirus to weapons research Adam Taylor The Washington Post Vipin Narang quoted: Vipin Narang, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote in a message on Twitter that a good bioweapon “in theory has high lethality but low, not [high], communicability” and that spreading such ideas would be “incredibly irresponsible.”
	Analysis + Opinion January 29, 2020 Temperatures at a Florida-size glacier in Antarctica alarm scientists Shola LawalNew York Times Scientists in Antarctica have recorded, for the first time, unusually warm water beneath a glacier the size of Florida that is already melting and contributing to a rise in sea levels.
	Analysis + Opinion January 28, 2020 Trump’s peace plan is a paradigm shift Peter KrausePolitical Violence At A Glance What’s significant about the deal is that it represents a paradigm shift in US policy, at least under Trump, from one model of conflict resolution to another. This shift is evident in other areas of foreign policy, too, including Trump’s pulloute from the Iran nuclear deal...
	Analysis + Opinion January 26, 2020 Samuels summarizes "Special Duty" in Ambassador Brief Richard SamuelsAmbassador's Brief Since Japan‘s intelligence community (IC) had never been the subject of serious study, and since Japanese strategists have begun to focus their attention on intelligence reform, Richard Samuels took the opportunity to produce his new book, Special Duty. He summarizes the key findings in a recent Ambassador's Brief.
	In the News January 24, 2020 Saudi Arabia 'planned to spy on Khashoggi's fiancee in UK' Stephanie Kirchgaessner The Guardian Hala Aldosari quoted: “Saudi Arabia is trying to put a lid on the whole [Khashoggi] thing, so it is understandable that they would try to make sure that Hatice’s voice and advocacy is limited,” said Hala Aldosari, a Saudi activist and fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “All sorts of unlawful behaviour continues, nothing has changed.”
	In the News January 22, 2020 Study: State-level adoption of renewable energy standards saves money and lives Nancy W Stauffer MIT News MIT researchers review renewable energy and carbon pricing policies as states consider repealing or relaxing renewable portfolio standards. Emil Dimanchev SM ’18, a senior research associate at the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, had his outreach relating to the Ohio testimony supported by the Policy Lab at the MIT Center for International Studies.
	In the News January 22, 2020 Who is Mohammad bin Salman? NowThis Hala Aldosari is featured on the first international podcast of Who Is. This epidsode explores the 34-year-old trillionaire in charge of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman, and the story of a monarchy that is using its wealth to secure its global legitimacy and expand its influence.
	In the News January 21, 2020 Saudi Arabia runs squalid, abusive jails for women disowned by their male guardians — a forgotten chapter in its rush to champion women’s rights Bill BostockBusiness Insider Hala Aldosari quoted: “How women are treated is very much determined by the staff,” she said. “It’s worse when they bring low-skilled people in to work with women left with no supervision. Because of the gender division and lack of transparency they abuse power, and there’s no way for the women to address the issues.”
	In the News January 19, 2020 Spies being left exposed in the digital age Ben MacintyreThe Times Joel Brenner quoted: Everyone leaves digital footprints, whether intentionally or otherwise. Joel Brenner, a former top counterintelligence official, told Yahoo: “It’s extremely difficult now to run cover operations when so much is known and can be known about almost everybody.”