Science News
Harvard Researchers Classify Microorganism Species, Tardigrade
Harvard researchers recently identified a new fossilized species of tardigrade, a discovery that lends crucial insights into the microscopic organism’s evolutionary history and its unique resilience.
Kip Thorne, 2017 Nobel Laureate, Talks Black Holes During Inaugural Hawking Lecture
Hundreds packed Science Center Hall B to watch Kip S. Thorne, a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech and a 2017 Nobel Prize laureate, discuss black holes and wormholes during the inaugural Hawking Lecture on Friday.
‘Share the Universe’: Harvard Astronomy Club Holds Rare Comet Viewing
Dozens of students gathered at Harvard’s Loomis-Michael Observatory on Thursday and Friday for a rare viewing of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, a “naked-eye visible comet” that researchers say is unlikely to return for at least 80,000 years.
Cerebellum Only Necessary for Some Muscle Memory, Harvard Researchers Find
In an August study, researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences discovered a new distinction between long and short-term motor memories — a class of memories developed through repeated physical movements.
Researchers at Harvard SEAS Engineer ‘New Class of Fluids’
A group of researchers at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences engineered metafluids – the first of a “new class of fluids” — which bring a number of intriguing properties, such as tunable compressibility, changeable optical properties, and the ability to be programmed to handle a variety of loads.
‘Closure of a Circle’: Harvard Professor Haim Sompolinsky Wins Brain Prize for Neuroscience Research
Harvard professor Haim Sompolinsky was named a 2024 recipient of the Brain Prize — the world’s most prestigious honor for neuroscience research — by the Lundbeck Foundation on March 5.
Harvard Study Finds ExxonMobil Scientists Accurately Predicted Climate Change, Despite Denial
A Harvard-led team of researchers found in a study published earlier this month that internal ExxonMobil projections accurately predicted human-caused climate change even as the company downplayed its risks in public statements.
Arundhati Roy Talks Indian Politics, Development in Keynote at HKS Science, Technology, and the Human Future Symposium
Indian author Arundhati Roy, who wrote “The God of Small Things,” spoke about the political and social effects of India’s development in her keynote lecture Thursday for a symposium hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School.
Harvard Astrophysicists Confirm Existing Theories of Composition, Expansion of the Universe
Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics found that dark energy makes up two-thirds of the universe, according to a study published in a special issue of The Astrophysical Journal last month.
Harvard Astrophysicists Discover Black Hole With Delayed Stellar Burp
In October 2018, Sebastian Gomez, then a Harvard PhD student, observed a black hole tear apart and engulf a small star in a galaxy located 665 million light years away from Earth. Almost three years later, he and a team of researchers noticed that the same black hole had begun ejecting stellar material.
Harvard Researchers Debunk Popular Sleep Myths in New Study
A Harvard-led team of researchers debunked popular myths parents and caregivers believe about adolescent sleep habits in a study published last month.
Harvard Researchers Identify First Ever Proof of Sea Level Fingerprints
A new study conducted by Harvard researchers appears to have detected the first-ever proof of changes in ocean levels due to glacial melting, known as sea level fingerprints.
Harvard Medical School Professor Frederick W. Alt to be Awarded One of Germany’s Highest Medical Honors
Harvard Medical School professor Frederick W. Alt will be awarded the 2023 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, one of Germany’s highest medical honors, at an award ceremony held at St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt, Germany next March.
Lisa Kewley to Serve as Director of Harvard's Center for Astrophysics
Lisa J. Kewley will serve as the next director of Harvard’s Center for Astrophysics, a collaboration between the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Harvard Researchers Verify Existence of New State of Matter, Opens Doors for Quantum Science
The state of matter, known as quantum spin liquid, has special properties that produce long-range quantum entanglement — a phenomenon in which particles’ states are connected despite spatial separation.
Harvard-Affiliated Lab Is First to Discover Omicron Variant
The Omicron variant — a new strain of Covid-19 — was first discovered by researchers at the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership on Nov. 19.
HSPH Researchers Develop Model to Evaluate Spread of Covid-19 Variants
Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health developed a mathematical model to explore the population-level impacts of various SARS-CoV-2 variants and the effects of vaccination in combating them.
BWH Researchers Launch First-Ever Human Trial for Alzheimer’s Nasal Vaccine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital will begin treating patients this week in the first human trial for a nasal vaccine to prevent and slow Alzheimer’s disease.
Harvard Scientists Discover Neuroanatomical Basis for Acupuncture Signaling Pathway
Harvard scientists discovered the neuroanatomical basis for acupuncture points that trigger a specific anti-inflammatory signaling pathway, advancing the understanding of acupuncture’s therapeutic potential.
Harvard Researchers Find Ancient Earth Faced Severe Rainstorms Amid High Temperatures
Earth was once inundated by episodic cycles of heavy rainstorms followed by severe droughts, according to Harvard Environmental Science and Engineering researchers.
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.
Radcliffe Institute Fellow Challenges Classical Model of Planet Formation
Joan R. Najita ’85, a fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, challenged the widely-held understanding of how planets form at a virtual research presentation on Wednesday.
HMS Professor Presents Highly-Anticipated Climate Change Report at Webinar
The panelists worked through the contents of the report, which cautioned that climate change is having a severe and inequitable impact on human health around the world.
On the Cusp: SEAS Researchers Investigate Why Apples Have Dimples
Though seemingly mundane apple morphology rarely concerns even the most curious of scholars, Mahadevan had been musing over this particular concept for nearly a decade before it bore fruit.