Research
Harvard and the Biden Administration
As Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th U.S. president Wednesday, a team of Crimson reporters explored how the Biden administration will affect international students, admissions, labor, and everything in between at Harvard. Here's a look at how the Biden administration will reshape the University — and what role Harvard will play in shaping it.
How Will Joe Biden Handle Trump's War on International Higher Education Collaboration?
As U.S.-China relations have slowly deteriorated across the span of a Trump presidency, academic exchanges have been caught in the crosshairs. In a 2020 seminar on academic security, FBI Deputy Director David L. Bowdich said the threat of Chinese academic espionage is one of the nation’s largest security challenges.
Harvard Researchers Find Mothers Rarely Pass on the COVID-19 Virus or Antibodies to Newborns
Pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 during their third trimester are unlikely to pass on the virus or protective antibodies to their newborn, according to two studies by Harvard Medical School researchers published last month.
Former Harvard-Affiliated Researcher Ordered to Leave Country for Lying about Research Vials He Took from Lab
Zaosong Zheng, a former researcher at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, was sentenced on Wednesday for lying to federal agents in connection with his attempt to take cancer research to China.
HMS Study Finds Mask-Wearing, Social Distancing Reduce Covid-19 Infections by 87% on College Campuses
Harvard Medical School researchers found that a combination of wearing masks and practicing social distancing can reduce student and faculty Covid-19 infections on college campuses by roughly 87 percent, according to a peer-reviewed study published last week.
Researchers Connect Antarctic Melt and Northern Hemisphere Sea Level Shift
Climate researchers discovered that changes in Northern Hemisphere sea levels contribute to the shrinking of the Antarctic ice sheet, according to a study published in Nature on Nov. 25.
Harvard Researchers Link Arm Bones and Evolutionary Timelines
A team of researchers from Harvard and the University of Cambridge used novel techniques to examine how and when early tetrapods — four-limbed animals — transitioned from living in marine environments to terrestrial ones.
Former Harvard-Affiliated Researcher Pleads Guilty to Lying About Smuggled Cancer Research
A former researcher at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to lying to customs officials, following charges he tried to smuggle cancer research to China.
City of Cambridge Prepares To Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines
Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui said the city is in the process of determining the most efficient strategies to disseminate coronavirus vaccines, as the country prepares to embark on a mass vaccination campaign unseen in decades.
COVID-19 Vaccine Success Will Depend On Factors Beyond Efficacy Rate, Harvard Medical School Study Finds
A team of researchers at Harvard Medical School has found that the success of a COVID-19 vaccine will depend on not only its efficacy, but also the pace at which it is delivered, the severity of the pandemic, and the public’s acceptance of immunization.
Quality of Antibodies May Be Tied to Differing COVID-19 Outcomes, Harvard Researchers Find
For patients with severe COVID-19, the key to survival may depend on the quality, rather than the quantity, of their antibody response and development, a recent study from a team of researchers at Harvard Medical School Massachusetts General Hospital suggests.
Harvard Researchers Pioneer New Technology for High-Resolution, 3D Chromosome Imaging
Harvard researchers have devised a novel technology for high-resolution, 3D imaging of human chromosomes — structures that carry DNA — in single cells, in a study published in Cell in August.
COVID Collaborative Launches Vaccine Education Campaign
The COVID Collaborative — a coalition of experts in health, education, and the economy — launched a $50 million vaccine education campaign with nonprofit advertising group the Ad Council on Nov. 23. The effort aims to inform Americans about COVID-19 vaccines and their benefits.
Rapid At-Home Tests Could Curb Virus Spread, Harvard and University of Colorado Researchers Find
Frequent administration of rapid-turnaround tests could substantially reduce COVID-19 infectiousness and curb the virus’s spread, researchers at Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Colorado at Boulder found in a new published study.
Harvard Researchers Determine Weather on Jupiter and Saturn May Be Driven by Unique Factors
Three researchers — two from Harvard and one from the University of Alberta — have conducted simulations that suggest weather on Jupiter and Saturn may be influenced by different factors than those on Earth.
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.
David Rockefeller Center
The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies hosted a new photography competition.
As Pandemic Wears On, Massachusetts Residents Have Increased Risky Behaviors, Survey Finds
Over the past seven months, Massachusetts residents have relaxed their adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines, according to a new survey.
23andMe CEO Discusses Healthcare Transparency and Patients Privacy at Radcliffe Institute Event
23andMe CEO Anne E. Wojcicki explained her view of the genetics company’s role in the changing world of healthcare and her beliefs on information privacy and consumer choice in a Tuesday webinar hosted by Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies.
Political Scientists Discuss the Role of Federalism in Combating Coronavirus at DRCLAS Webinar
Political science professors analyzed how countries with federalist systems — those that combine national and regional governance — responded to the coronavirus pandemic at an online event hosted Tuesday by Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.
Public Health School Researchers Document U.S. Government’s Failures to Slow Pandemic in New Study
Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health documented points at which federal officials failed to take action to slow the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread in a study published Nov. 2.
Faster Immune Response Results in Longer-Lasting COVID-19 Immunity, HMS Study Shows
COVID-19 patients with milder symptoms and swifter recoveries have prolonged immunity from reinfection, Harvard Medical School researchers found in a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Nov. 3.
Medical School Launches 'Ideation Hub' and 'Translator' to Spur Scientific Discoveries
Harvard Medical School celebrated the launch of the Ideation Hub and the Translator — two key components of the school-wide Therapeutics Initiative — in a virtual symposium October 28.
Scholars Talk COVID-19 Impact on Latin American Minority Groups
Academics discussed the pandemic’s disparate impact on Black and indigenous populations in Brazil and Mexico during a webinar hosted by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Tuesday.
MGH Researchers Use Artificial Intelligence for COVID-19 Prognosis Prediction
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, have created a new artificial intelligence-based tool for predicting the prognosis of potential COVID-19 patients.