Biology
Daniel Lieberman Warns Against ‘Hedgehog’ Diets and Ultra-Processed Foods at Book Talk
Biology professor Daniel E. Lieberman ’86 said sugary breakfast cereals should carry warnings like those on cigarette packs at a book talk in the Science Center Wednesday evening.
Harvard and Yale Researchers Awarded $46 Million to Study Autism’s Origin in the Brain
Two Harvard Medical School researchers and one Yale University professor were awarded a $46 million grant from a privately funded autism initiative to study how the condition first emerges in the developing human brain, according to an HMS announcement last week.
$100M Prize Helps Broad Institute Disease-Monitoring Project Survive ‘Bruising’ Federal Funding Cuts
Sentinel, a project based at Harvard and MIT’s Broad Institute that aims to track the spread of pathogens in Africa and prevent future infectious disease outbreaks, earned a $100 million award last month through the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change competition.
Facing Wary Investors and the Lure of Outsourcing, Cambridge Biotech Firms Turn Away From Basic Research
Tariff pressures, a changing regulatory environment, and risk-averse investors have left many Cambridge biotechnology companies seeing decreased new drug development — and outsourcing parts of the research process.
Nobel-Winning DNA Scholar James Watson, Dead at 97, Leaves Famed but Fraught Legacy at Harvard
James “Jim” D. Watson, who helped discover the structure of DNA at age 25 and went on to spend 21 years as a Harvard biology professor, died last Thursday at 97.
Harvard Researchers Link Early-Life Adversity in Dogs to Lasting Fear and Aggression
A new study on canine development found that dogs exposed to adversarial events, including abuse and abandonment, in the first six months of their development have higher rates of aggression and fear as adult dogs.
New Butterfly Species Named After Harvard Lecturer Andrew Berry
A newly designated butterfly species, Euptychia andrewberryi, has been named in honor of Harvard lecturer Andrew J. Berry by postdoctoral fellow Shinichi Nakahara, who identified the species.
Primatologist Christine Webb Criticizes ‘Human Exceptionalism’ in Science at Harvard Talk
Primatologist Christine Webb argued at a Harvard talk on Tuesday that modern science is often skewed by “human exceptionalism."
Harvard Researchers Find Executive Function Tests May Be Culturally Biased
Researchers from Harvard’s Department of Human Evolutionary Biology found that educated children perform better on psychological tests measuring executive functioning abilities, challenging the accuracy of current measures in studies across different cultures.
Harvard To Remove Black Lives Matter Message From Biology Professors’ Office Windows
A Harvard administrator told two professors on Tuesday that a Black Lives Matter sign displayed in their office windows would be taken down by this Saturday, describing it as a violation of the University’s campus use rules.
Harvard Researchers Develop AI-Driven Framework To Study Social Interactions, A Step Forward for Autism Research
Harvard researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence-driven framework to track and analyze how rats interact in social environments, offering a new tool for studying autism and other disorders.
Human Evolutionary Biology Concentration Will Be Renamed This Summer
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences has officially voted to change the name of the Human Evolutionary Biology concentration during a meeting on April 1. Effective as of July 1, 2025 — when the academic year rolls over — the concentration will now be known as Human Biology, Behavior, and Evolution.
Harvard Professor Paola Arlotta Receives Momentum Award from the International Society of Stem Cell Research
Harvard Professor and Broad Institute member Paola Arlotta received the Momentum Award from the International Society of Stem Cell Research, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting human health through “excellence in stem cell research,” for her work on neurological diseases and stem cell-derived brain organoids.
Biotech Giant Roche Launches Innovation Center on Harvard’s Allston Research Campus
F. Hoffmann-La Roche, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies, announced on Thursday that it will establish an Innovation Center on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. The Swiss multinational company is leasing 30,000 square feet of space from the ERC’s 1.9 million square feet,and plans to eventually employ up to 500 employees.
Harvard Study Identifies Socializing as a ‘Survival Need’ in Mice
Researchers in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department published a study last week that found a brain drive for social interactions in mice, similar in neural organization to drives for hunger and thirst.
Nobel Laureate Martin Karplus ’51 Remembered as Attentive Mentor, ‘Pioneering’ Chemist
Martin Karplus ’51 developed ground-breaking computer models to study chemical reactions and molecular dynamics, mentored hundreds of scientists, and won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. But his love for the sciences began with another discipline — biology.
Harvard Biology Professors Win International Awards for Neuroscience Research
Two Molecular and Cellular Biology professors, Takao K. Hensch ’88 and Catherine Dulac, received prestigious international awards this fall for their neuroscience research.
European Court Invalidates Harvard Biotech Patent in Three Countries
A top European court ruled against Harvard last week in a patent dispute against biotech company NanoString Technologies, invalidating one of the University’s two disputed patents in three European countries.
Human and Evolutionary Biology Dept. Holds Focus Groups on Renaming Concentration
Harvard’s Human Evolutionary Biology department is holding focus groups to seek student feedback on potential name options.
Harvard’s Wyss Institute Gives Startup License to Use Newly-Developed Biomaterials
Attivare Therapeutics, a startup founded by researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, received a license from the Wyss Institute to use biomaterials developed at Harvard to create treatments for tumors that do not respond to existing immunotherapies.
The Nobel Laureate Harvard Didn’t Want
On Monday, one Harvard professor was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. But if Victor R. Ambros had not been denied tenure more than three decades earlier, it could have been two.
Biology Professor Jeff Lichtman To Be Next Harvard FAS Dean of Sciences
Biology professor Jeff W. Lichtman will serve as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ next dean of Science, FAS Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced Tuesday afternoon.
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.
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