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Campus & Community
HSPH offers scholarship opportunity
The Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) recently announced a new scholarship opportunity for students and scholars from Southeast and East-Central Europe.
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Arts & Culture
HUL launches extensive ‘Contagion’ collection
The Harvard University Library (HUL) Open Collections Program recently launched http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/contagion. Created with support from Arcadia, the new collection, titled “Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics,” brings carefully selected historical materials from Harvard’s renowned libraries, special collections, and archives to Internet users everywhere.
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Science & Tech
Finding ingenious design in nature
“This,” Joanna Aizenberg says slyly, picking up a latticed tube from her desk in Pierce Hall, “is a glass house you can throw stones at.” The tube, tapered to a close at one end and festooned with a cluster of curious white fibers at the tip, resembles an upturned dog’s tail. It is, in fact,…
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Health
‘Attentional collapse’ causes an inability to imagine future satisfaction
Researchers have identified a key reason why people make mistakes when they try to predict what they will like. When predicting how much they will enjoy a future experience, people tend to compare it to its alternatives — that is, to the experiences they had before, might have later, or could be having in the…
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Health
From adult to embryonic stem cell
Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have taken a major step toward eventually being able to reprogram adult cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state without the use of viruses or cancer-causing genes.
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Health
Homing in on features of ‘humaniqueness’
Shedding new light on the cognitive rift between humans and animals, a Harvard University scientist has synthesized four key differences in human and animal cognition into a hypothesis on what exactly differentiates human and animal thought.
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Campus & Community
Nieman Foundation to honor Worthy for ‘courage and independence
The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard will present the Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism to William Worthy on Feb. 22.
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Campus & Community
Center for European Studies welcomes its new 2008 spring fellows
The Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES) has announced the arrival of its 2008 spring fellows.
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Nation & World
Victor Cha looks at Olympic politics
Victor Cha, director of Asian affairs on the National Security Council from 2004 to 2007 and a former Olin National Security Fellow at Harvard, returned to campus last week (Feb. 14) to talk about the surprisingly forceful “soft power” of sport in the realm of international relations and diplomacy.
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Science & Tech
Impact of global warming on health debated
Disagreement over the public health impact of global warming emerged in a symposium Monday morning (Feb. 18) at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The colloquium, titled “Sustaining Human Health in a Changing Global Environment,” addressed what hazards can be expected as a result of rapid and continuing climate…
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Health
Americans split on socialized medicine
During the course of the presidential nomination campaigns, some candidates’ health care plans have been described as “socialized medicine.” Historically, that phrase has been used to criticize health reform proposals in the United States.
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Campus & Community
Ferguson, Yu named as president, vice chair of Board of Overseers
Roger W. Ferguson Jr. A.B. ’73, A.M. ’78, J.D. ’79, Ph.D. ’81, chairman of Swiss Re America Holding Corp. and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, has been elected president of Harvard’s Board of Overseers for 2008-09.
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Campus & Community
Sunstein joins HLS, where eminent scholar will direct new program
Renowned legal scholar and political theorist Cass R. Sunstein has accepted an offer to join the Harvard Law School (HLS) faculty, Dean Elena Kagan announced Tuesday (Feb. 19). Sunstein, currently a tenured professor at the University of Chicago Law School, will begin teaching at HLS in the fall. He will also become director of the…
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Science & Tech
Are building environmental and health disasters result of climate change?
Disagreement over the public health impact of global warming emerged in a symposium this morning at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The colloquium,…
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Health
Medical basics still needed in Developing World
Despite all the progress and promise of modern medicine, most of the world is still struggling to get the fundamentals of medical care: simple diagnostic tests, affordable medicines, and efficient…
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Science & Tech
Roads not taken disappear more quickly than we realize
Researchers have identified a key reason why people make mistakes when they try to predict what they will like. According to the findings presented Sunday at the annual meeting of…
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Health
To lose weight – eat less; exercise more
How to lose weight and keep it off? Consume fewer calories and burn more calories than you consume, says Rena Wing, director of the Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center at…
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Science & Tech
Sharks being hammered by over-fishing
Shark-eating humans are putting pushing this finned species to the brink of extinction, Julia Baum today warned during a presentation at the AAAS annual meeting in Boston. A member of…
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Science & Tech
Violators of environmental treaties should have to pay
Countries that do not comply with environmental treaties should be hit hard in their pocketbooks, MIT professor Lawrence Susskind said at a special lecture delivered today at the AAAS Meeting…
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Science & Tech
Brain stem role in speech perception reassessed
The brain stem plays a greater role in speech perception than previously thought, according to Jackson T. Gandour, a professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences at Purdue University. “We…
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Health
Working to snip malaria drug resistance
Useful genetic maps showing the inner workings of drug-resistant malaria parasites, and where they live around the world, are being created as part of a major drive against the persistent tropical disease.
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Science & Tech
U.S. lagging in ability to trace nuclear materials
The United States must renew its resources in tracing unidentifiednuclear materials, specialists say. Michael May, a professor emeritus at Stanford University and the head ofa panel of nuclear forensic experts…
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Science & Tech
Solar evidence points to human causes of climate change
It’s getting harder and harder to blame the sun for causing the gradual increase in global temperatures that are now being seen in the climate record, scientists said today. In…
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Science & Tech
Public funding of science no business for public
The public should not be asked to decide which science programs should receive public funding, says Daniel Sarewitz, director of the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State…
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Campus & Community
SEAS dean to step down
Venkatesh Narayanamurti, dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), who for 10 years has directed the renewal and expansion of the former division and its transition to a School, has announced today (Feb. 15) his intention to step down from his position in September 2008.
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Science & Tech
Early childhood stress affects developing brain
It is now clear that creating a sustained, reliable, compassionate and widespread system that cares for tiny children born into troubled families is needed in this nation, said Jack P.…
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Science & Tech
Visualizing science focus of panel
The huge load of data now coming from modern computer systems is so overwhelming that new methods must be devised to allow people to visualize the world in more understandable…
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Science & Tech
Warming of Antarctic oceans endangers marine life
Global warming is endangering marine life in Antarctic waters for the first time in millions of years, said specialists participating on a panel at the American Association for the Advancement…
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Science & Tech
Religious beliefs shape views of science
Religion greatly influences the American public’s views of technology, says Dietram Scheufele, a professor in the Department of Life Sciences Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Presenting new survey results…