Science
Researchers Create 3D Particles
Researchers from Harvard, New York University, and Dow Chemical have manufactured microparticles with the ability to assemble themselves into complex three-dimensional structures, a technology that could lead to developments in optical materials and ceramics
Correlation Still Doesn't Equal Causation in Soda Studies
We've all heard about the supposed health risks of drinking soda—there's too much sugar, it's bad for you, it'll rot your teeth, it'll rot your mind, etc. With so many studies and reports being published, it's hard to tell what to believe. Recently, a Harvard teaching facility has admitted to promoting inconclusive data while another Harvard study links soda consumption to increased aggression.
Naomi E. Pierce on Getting Over A Fear of Insects
In an office full of ant models, butterflies in frames, and books on Nabokov, it doesn’t take much questioning to figure out what OEB Professor Naomi E. Pierce’s greatest passion is: entomology. Having conducted research on insects for decades, Pierce’s work warranted the University to build her a greenhouse atop the Museum of Comparative Zoology laboratories. There she keeps ants who hail from all over the world. Rich with stories, Pierce sat down with The Harvard Crimson to share stories about her fear of bugs, her husband and fellow OEB professor Andrew Berry, and even a brief bit about how the similar spellings of “organismic” and “orgasmic” warrant a good enough reason to consider changing her department’s name.
Science Column: You Two? That’s My Birthday
Here are three questions for your weekend reflections. Number one: how many people would it take to build a human pyramid 22 layers tall? Number two: if 23 people in a room shake hands with everyone else exactly once, how many handshakes take place? Number three: what’s the chance that two of those 23 people have the same birthday?
Medical Tourism Raises Ethical Concerns
While millions of tourists swarm to Brazil each year to experience the lush rainforests and bustling cities, an increasing number are visiting with a different agenda—to receive cosmetic surgery. Although traveling abroad to receive medical treatment dates back to ancient Greece, the recent influx of “medical tourism” has garnered public attention. In his latest book, “Patients with Passports: Medical Tourism, Law, and Ethics,” Harvard Law School Professor I. Glenn Cohen explores various forms of medical tourism and their associated legal and ethical issues.
Lab Rat of the Week: Alex M. Willis ’14 From the Lab to the Stage
At first glance, one might not realize that the Alex M. Willis ’14 on the poster of the upcoming Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club production of “Cabaret” is the same Alex Willis who spends 10 to 15 hours a week conducting cutting-edge chemistry research the lab of Chemistry Professor Theodore A. Betley.
Left Alone, Forests Can Bounce Back
Nature seems able to take care of itself without our help, according to the results of a 20-year study at the Harvard Forest.
‘Cyborg Tissue’ Created
Cyborg tissue is becoming more than fiction thanks to research by a team of Harvard and MIT scientists who have engineered nano-sized electrical wire scaffolds that can be placed inside living tissue.
Naomi Pierce
Naomi Pierce is a member of National Geographic's Committee for Research and Exploration. She traveled to India for a site visit of one of their grants to learn about the research being done.
Solar Geoengineering Holds Promise for Addressing Climate Change
Stopping or reversing climate change can be achieved with significantly reduced side effects if solar radiation management efforts are optimized for the different seasons and latitudes, according to a new study by a team of researchers at Harvard University, the California Institute of Technology, and the Carnegie Institution for Science.
Scientists Propose New Model of Moon Formation
Two Harvard scientists proposed a new model to explain the formation of the Moon in a study published this Wednesday in Science Magazine.
Election, Automatic Budget Cuts Could Affect Harvard's Research Funding
Harvard received more than $600 million in federal funding for research in fiscal year 2010, according to the University’s annual fiscal report released in 2011. That funding may be at risk, depending on whether Democrat Barack Obama or Republican Mitt Romney—who hold disparate views on public funding—wins this November’s presidential election.
