In a new book, MIT literature professor Benjamin Mangrum explores how we deal with our doubts and fears about computing through humor, whether reconciling ourselves to machines or critiquing them.

Childhood maltreatment increases the risk of long-term health and psychological issues, but how it alters children’s development at a biological level remains unclear. In a recent study, researchers from Japan investigated both biological aging and social attention in maltreated preschoolers. Using DNA methylation markers and eye-tracking data, researchers found that abuse accelerates cellular aging and disrupts a child’s attention to people’s eyes—two independent pathways linked to emotional and behavioral difficulties.