The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is developing software that simulates labs for students to interact with professors and other students. Students can also earn certificates through the simulated labs.

The security research team at Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has found out something very interesting when developing a tool to fight against e-mail spammers. Microsoft researchers discovered that tools that they have developed for detecting spammers’ efforts to avoid anti-spam filters also works very well for spotting mutations in the HIV virus.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) has revealed some new technology that will be built into the 2013 Ford Escape, which will be unveiled at the 2011 LA Auto Show next week. Microscopic cells will be used to cut the weight of the new Escape, which will lead to fuel-saving capabilities. This technology, known as MuCell, was invented by scientists at M.I.T.

MIT’s Backtalk project, now preparing for display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, asks the question “what if our devices kept talking back to us after we disposed of them?” and demonstrates visually where our abandoned tech goeswhen we leave it behind. The MIT SENSEable City Lab team used GPS tracking to trace the journey of discarded gadgets, from printer cartridges and batteries to cellphones and netbooks. The associate director of the lab, Assaf Biderman, calls the forgotten electronics “both a toxic liability and a potentially valuable resource.” The MoMA exhibit, which opens on the 24th of this month, will give consumers some idea of the future of the technology we own, and how we could handle tech we’re ready to abandon. [Engadget]

Reddit cofounder Aaron Swartz has been charged for data theft by Carmen M. Ortiz, the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. He is charged with stealing more than 4 million documents from MIT and academic archive JSTOR. The charges could result in up to 35 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. Swartz’s charges include computer fraud, wire fraud, criminal forfeiture and obtaining information from a protected computer. [The New York Times]

Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah founded HubSpot Inc. in 2006 and they have recently raised $32 million in Series D. The funding was provided by new investors Google Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Salesforce.com. Existing investors General Catalyst, Matrix Partners, and Scale Venture Partners also participated in this round. HubSpot has raised a total of $65 million thus far.

Heartland Robotics is a company that was founded in 2008 by Rodney Brooks. Brooks was an iRobot co-founder and was the former director of MIT’s Computer Science and A.I. Lab. Heartland has raised $20 million in Series B funding led by Highland Capital Partners. The Series B was joined by existing investors Charles River Ventures and Bezos Expeditions along with new investor Sigma Partners. [TMCNet]

Students at the MIT Media Lab Fluid Interface Group hacked the Xbox 360 Kinect and made it work with the Windows 7 operating system. These students are controlling their Windows screen using just their hands. The students were able to set up the hack using DepthJS, a system that can make JavaScript work with the Microsoft Kinect to navigate around websites. Check it out in the demo videos below: