Biology
Judge Says Harvard and Biotech Company 10x Must Face Antitrust Claims in Two Gene Analysis Lawsuits
Harvard and 10x Genomics — a biotechnology company — must face antitrust claims over their licensing practices in two gene analysis lawsuits, a federal judge ruled in July.
Harvard Museum of Natural History
The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology administrative offices are located in the Harvard Museum of Natural History, at 26 Oxford St.
Christopher Walsh ’65, Renowned Biochemist and Harvard Medical School Professor, Dies at 78
Christopher Walsh ’65, a renowned biochemist and Harvard Medical School professor, died on Jan. 10 at the age of 78. Throughout his career, Walsh made significant contributions in the areas of enzyme function, metabolic pathways, and antibiotic biosynthesis.
YouTubers Disguised as Harvard Students Crash Classes
A team of YouTubers disguised as Harvard students crashed some undergraduate classes Tuesday to the dismay of several professors and students.
E.O. Wilson, Renowned Harvard Biologist Known as ‘Darwin’s Natural Heir,’ Dies at 92
Edward O. Wilson, who taught at Harvard for 46 years and was dubbed “Darwin’s Natural Heir” for his groundbreaking research on evolutionary theory, died on Sunday at age 92.
Harvard Researchers Discover Clues About Cell Regeneration By Transforming Worm Genomes
Researchers in Harvard’s Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Department discovered that after they manipulated the cells of worms, the worms passed on those genomic changes to their offspring, a finding that may offer other insights into cellular regeneration.
Radcliffe Fellow Discusses Animal Attachments in ‘Biology of Intimacy’ Talk
Radcliffe fellow Steven Phelps, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, discussed his research on intimate attachments between animals during a presentation Wednesday afternoon.
Harvard Study Finds Human Resting Metabolic Rate Has Declined Since 1830
The human resting metabolic rate and levels of physical activity have declined in the United States since 1830, according to a recent study by researchers in Harvard’s Department of Human Evolutionary Biology.
Amber Fossil Shows Crabs Lived on Land Earlier than Previously Thought
Non-marine crabs began to live on land at least 100 million years ago, according to recently published research by evolutionary biologists, including Javier Luque, a researcher at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology.
HEB Prof. Explores Evolution and Exercise in Webinar
Human Evolutionary Biology chair Daniel E. Lieberman ’86 offered evolutionary insights into physical activity in his virtual lecture, “Did We Evolve to Exercise?” Wednesday evening.
Plant Foraging Tour
Participants on the plant foraging tour look at plants by the Charles River. The tour was free for participants and hosted by Fjällräven Cambridge.
David L. Craft
David L. Craft holds up part of a narrow-leaf plantain plant by the Charles River. Craft lead an urban plant foraging tour around Harvard, identifying a variety of different plants for participants.
Jack-o'-lantern Mushroom
David L. Craft holds up a jack-o'-lantern mushroom in Cambridge. These mushrooms are poisonous.
COVID-19 Accommodations in Classes
Students wait outside of lecture hall C for Life Sciences 1a in the Science Center.
New Harvard-MIT Biotech Center Appoints CEO, Begins Construction on Facility
The University’s new biological research and manufacturing facility appointed biotechnology industry veteran Ran Zheng as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer and began construction on a 40,000 square-foot facility in Watertown, Mass. on Thursday.
Distinguished Harvard Geneticist Richard C. Lewontin ’50, A ‘Fantastic Mentor,’ and ‘Polymath,’ Dies at 92
Richard C. Lewontin ’50, a renowned population geneticist and organismic and evolutionary biology professor at Harvard, died on July 4 at the age of 92. Though he retired in 2003, he remained involved with Harvard until shortly before his death.
Some Departments Delay Senior Thesis Deadlines Due to Covid-19 Disruptions
In light of challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, some academic departments extended deadlines for College seniors to submit their theses this spring.
Finding Ways to Move Forward: How STEM Seniors Adapted to Virtual Theses
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shift to remote learning, many seniors studying in the STEM fields have had to redesign their thesis projects.
Harvard, California Researchers Discover Spur Development Gene in Columbine Flowers
Researchers at Harvard, CSU Sacramento, and UCSB discovered a new gene responsible for nectar spur development in columbine flowers.
Harvard Prof. Completes Cross-Country Bike Trip Spurred by Black Lives Matter Movement
Harvard Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Professor Scott V. Edwards ’86 dipped his bike tires in the Pacific Ocean at Oregon’s Sunset Beach Thursday afternoon, completing a solo, cross-country bicycle journey that began on the Massachusetts coast June 6.
Researchers Discover First Known Swimming Dinosaur
An international research team that includes two Harvard professors has determined that the Spinosaurus is the first known swimming dinosaur, according to a study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.
Harvard Medical School Genetics Department Founder Philip Leder '56 Dies at 85
Hailed as an outstanding researcher, mentor, and friend by peers and students, Harvard Genetics professor Philip Leder ’56 died on Feb. 2 after suffering complications from Parkinson’s disease, according to his daughter Micki Leder.
Harvard Researchers Examine Mumps Outbreak with New Genomic Data
A team of researchers at Harvard Medical School, the Broad Institute, and Harvard School of Public Health investigated the 2016-2017 mumps outbreak in Boston, finding previously unknown genetic connections between cases.
Evolutionary Journey
Washington University in St. Louis professor Barbara A. Schaal speaks about plant domestication at a lecture Thursday.