Science
Harvard Astrophysicist Avi Loeb Set to Explore Pacific Ocean for Potential ‘Alien’ Meteor Fragments
Harvard professor and astrophysicist Abraham “Avi” Loeb is preparing to search the Pacific Ocean floor for fragments of an interstellar meteor and potential alien technology.
Helium Shortage Forces Harvard Physics Labs to Shut Down Equipment, Suspend Projects
Harvard is running out of helium — and it is no laughing matter. Harvard labs impacted by the helium shortage have been forced to shut down equipment that uses liquid helium and suspend entire research projects. Without the ability to continue their experiments, some Ph.D. candidates could even have their graduation delayed.
HMS and Broad Institute Researchers Discover First Strong Genetic Link to Bipolar Disorder
A research team including scientists at Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard reported the first strong genetic risk factor for bipolar disorder in a study published in the journal Nature Genetics on April 1.
Harvard-led Research Team Receives Department of Defense Award
The Department of Defense awarded its Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative prize to a team of researchers led by Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences professor Katia Bertoldi for the team’s work studying origami structures.
Harvard Kennedy School Professor Sheila Jasanoff ’64 Awarded Prestigious Holberg Prize
Harvard Kennedy School professor Sheila S. Jasanoff received the 2022 Holberg Prize, which is described by some as the “Nobel Prize for social science and humanities.” Jasanoff will be officially presented with the award on June 9 during a ceremony in Norway.
HSPH Researchers Determine Epstein-Barr Virus to be Primary Cause of Multiple Sclerosis
In a longitudinal study over two decades in the making, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system, is “likely caused” by infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
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.
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.
HSPH Announces Collaboration with Tsinghua Vanke School of Public Health in China
Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health announced a new academic and research collaboration with Tsinghua University’s Vanke School of Public Health in Beijing in a press release on Wednesday.
Visitors Laud Science and Culture Museums’ Public Reopening
After an extended shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture and its programs reopened to both Harvard affiliates and the general public last week.
Patients, Physicians Discuss Challenges of Long Covid in HSPH Panel
Medical experts and patients discussed the challenges associated with treating and studying long Covid in an event hosted by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on Friday afternoon.
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.
Whole Grain Intake Linked to Lower Liver Cancer Risk, Harvard Researchers Discover
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers found an association between high whole grain and fiber intake and a lower risk of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality.
Radcliffe Fellow Discusses Animal Attachments in ‘Biology of Intimacy’ Talk
Radcliffe fellow Steven Phelps, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, discussed his research on intimate attachments between animals during a presentation Wednesday afternoon.
Ancient Crabs
Amber recovered from the jungles of Southeast Asia by Harvard postdoctoral researcher Javier Luque and his team provided new insights into what is now believed to be the oldest modern-looking crustacean species, Cretapsara athanata.
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.
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.
Student Astronomers at Harvard-Radcliffe
The Loomis-Michael Observatory is lit up red as the telescope captures the Orion Nebula. The observatory, located on the 10th floor of the Science Center, is run by Student Astronomers at Harvard-Radcliffe.
Harvard Researchers Develop Shape-Shifting Material
Researchers from Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences developed a shape-shifting material that can morph into and hold any 3D shape, opening the door to a potentially infinite number of applications.
Harvard Study Finds Ancient Asteroid Collisions Far More Common Than Previously Thought
Past asteroid collisions took place far more frequently than previously thought and influenced the timeline of Earth’s increase in atmospheric oxygen, according to a recent study by Harvard Earth and Planetary Sciences faculty.
HMS Researchers Develop AI Model to Detect Disease-Causing Gene Variants
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Oxford University developed a new artificial intelligence model that can determine whether a gene variant is benign or disease-causing.
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.
Harvard Chemists Use Dyes as a New Data Storage Method
Harvard chemists developed a new data storage method using fluorescent dyes that may be much more durable and cost-efficient than traditional storage methods.
HMSC Fireside Chat
Brenda D. Tindal, the executive director of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, held a conversation on Tuesday night about her priorities in this new role.
Massages Can Aid Muscle Regeneration, Wyss Institute Researchers Find
Researchers from the Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering illuminated a connection between massage and the body’s immune response for muscle rehabilitation.