Research
Harvard Law School Launches First-Ever Research Initiative on Psychedelics and the Law
Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics is launching a first-of-its-kind research initiative focused on psychedelics and the law, the center announced Wednesday.
Indigenous Group Petitions Harvard to Shut Down Controversial Geoengineering Project to Block Sun
The Saami Council, an Indigenous peoples’ organization, launched a petition this month calling on Harvard to shut down its Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment, a controversial environmental engineering project that seeks to block the sun’s rays to combat climate change.
Lieber Case Moves Closer to Trial
Former Harvard Chemistry chair Charles M. Lieber on Friday moved one step closer to a trial on federal charges as his attorneys and prosecutors confirmed they have completed discovery and agreed to meet for a pretrial status conference.
Harvard Researchers Identify Accuracy Concerns in Census Bureau’s New Privacy System
Harvard Government and Statistics researchers found in a study published last month that a new method used by the United States Census Bureau to increase privacy could potentially bias data used for redistricting.
HMS Dean Daley Lauds HMS’s Leading Role in U.S. Covid-19 Response
According to Daley, HMS researchers had a major role in the scientific and clinical development of two major vaccine platforms, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, as well as in understanding the “structural biology” of the virus itself.
Harvard To Launch Two Programs Aimed at Broadening Humanities Research, Engagement in Fall 2021
Harvard’s Arts and Humanities Division and the Mahindra Humanities Center will launch two new programs in fall 2021 to help promote undergraduate humanities research and collaboration across fields.
Harvard Awards $1 Million to 2021 Climate Change Solutions Fund Recipients
Harvard’s annual Climate Change Solutions Fund awarded $1 million in funding last month to nine projects spanning the University’s 12 schools. The fund, which was founded by former University President Drew G. Faust in 2014, will help finance research initiatives focused on combating climate change and improving clean energy efficiency.
Unable to Research Abroad, Juniors Adapt Theses Topics, Techniques, and Timelines
Juniors in the Class of 2022 hoping to pursue thesis-related research abroad have had to adjust their travel and thesis plans in accordance with public health guidelines and University travel restrictions.
Pregnant and Postpartum Women Report Elevated Distress During Pandemic, HSPH Study Finds
Pregnant and postpartum women around the world reported high levels of loneliness, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety or depression during the Covid-19 pandemic in a Harvard School of Public Health study published last month.
Harvard, Yale, and University Network for Human Rights Legal Experts Call on Biden Administration to Aid Climate Refugees
Human rights experts from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and the University Network for Human Rights published a white paper calling on the Biden Administration to aid refugees escaping the effects of climate change in Central America on Thursday.
Harvard Law School’s Human Rights Program Publishes Report Denouncing State-Sanctioned Massacres in Haiti
The executive summary of the report, which HLS co-published with the Observatoire Haïtien des crimes contre l’humanité, describes the acts of state-sanctioned violence under the presidency of Jovenel Moïse as probable “crimes against humanity” when considering their “scale, pattern, and context.”
Harvard to Launch Ph.D. Program in Quantum Science and Engineering
Harvard will launch a Ph.D. program in Quantum Science and Engineering, which it said would be “one of the world’s first,” according to a Monday morning announcement.
Harvard Researchers Find Spanking Can Harm Child Brain Development in Ways Similar to Severe Abuse
Harvard researchers found that spanking may negatively impact children’s brain development in ways similar to more severe forms of violence and abuse, according to a study published this month in the journal Child Development.
‘Misleading to the Public’: Students, Experts Criticize Harvard Study Suggesting Early Emergence of Covid-19 in Wuhan
A June 2020 research article suggested that the novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan earlier than the documented start of the pandemic in December 2019. Upon closer examination, two SEAS graduate students found what they believed to be multiple flaws in the presentation and methods of the study.
SEAS Researchers Develop Method to Change the Fundamental Microscopic Shape of Materials
Researchers at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences created a new method to transform the fundamental topology of cellular material, according to their paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature last week.
Sciences Dean Stubbs Says Federal Science Funding Could Increase, Denies ‘Academic Espionage’ at Harvard
Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs said in an interview that funding for scientific research has the potential to increase under the Biden administration. Stubbs also objected to the notion that there is “academic espionage” on Harvard’s campus.
Raindrops on Exoplanets Remain Similar to Those on Earth, Harvard Researchers Discover
A pair of Harvard researchers discovered that falling raindrops on other planets remain similar in size and behavior despite widely different atmospheric conditions, according to a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets last month.
‘Like a Poison’: Medical School Hosts Conversation on White Supremacy in Textbooks
Harvard researcher Donald Yacovone discussed his research into the ways white supremacy has and continues to permeate the textbooks used by American students at an HMS event.
Harvard Researcher Presents Novel Approach to Model America’s Opioid Crisis
Mohammad S. Jalali presented his lab’s ongoing efforts to accurately model the opioid crisis during a Harvard School of Public Health seminar on Tuesday.
Researchers at Harvard’s GenderSci Lab Explore Connections Among Race, Sex, and Covid-19 Mortalities
Researchers at Harvard’s GenderSci Lab investigated the intersectionality of race, sex, and Covid-19 mortalities, as detailed in a study published earlier this month in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Harvard Researchers Elucidate Relationship Between Stress and Hair Loss
Harvard researchers have identified a mechanism explaining how chronic stress may lead to hair loss, according to a study published in Nature last month.
Sciences Dean Stubbs Applauds New Quantum Science Program, Additional Research Endeavors
Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs expressed his excitement for three areas of study within the Sciences Division — including the recently-approved Quantum Science and Engineering graduate program — in an interview last week.
Harvard Astrophysicists Help Make Historic Discovery in Understanding Black Hole’s Magnetic Fields
A team of astronomers, including Harvard affiliates, have captured the first-ever image of a black hole’s polarized emission — which offers insight into its magnetic fields — according to an article published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in late March.
HMS Affiliates Help Publish Novel Study on Causes of Cold-Induced Tooth Pain
Researchers from around the world, including two Harvard Medical School affiliates, announced the discovery of a new cellular function that explains how teeth sense cold temperatures and why that causes tooth pain.
Lieber Prepares for Impending Trial on Federal Charges As He Battles Incurable Cancer
Attorneys for former Chemistry chair Charles M. Lieber said during a status conference that Lieber’s cancer diagnosis and deteriorating health call for an expedient trial.