Health

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  • Digitization uncovers pre-WWII fossil loan

    Digitization of Harvard’s fossil insect collection produced a surprising twist: The return to Germany of hundreds of Eocene insects frozen in amber.

  • First draft of a genome-wide cancer ‘dependency map’

    Researchers have identified more than 760 genes upon which cancer cells of multiple types are strongly dependent for their growth and survival. 

  • When brains overvalue immediate rewards

    Study finds psychopaths aren’t inhuman, but have a particular kind of brain wiring dysfunction.

  • New insight on height, arthritis

    New findings point to a surprising link between a genetic variant that favors shortness and an increased risk of osteoarthritis.

  • SEAL-tested, NASA-approved

    Jonny Kim, a Harvard Medical School graduate and former Navy SEAL, has been selected to join NASA’s next astronaut class.

  • Finding signs of life when it matters most

    An MGH study has found that the use of fMRI and EEG may provide early detection of consciousness in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.

  • Making cancer vulnerable to immune attack

    CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology revealed a promising new class of cancer immunotherapy.

  • Older, heavier, more at risk

    A new study shows weight gain during young and middle adulthood may increase risk of chronic diseases and premature death, and decrease the likelihood of achieving healthy aging.

  • Understanding how the intestine replaces and repairs itself

    When working stem cells within the intestine are depleted, some types of mature cells can transform themselves into stem cells, replenishing the population.

  • New approach may kill tumor cells in the brain

    Harvard-based researchers have developed cancer-killing viruses that can deliver stem cells via the carotid artery, a potential treatment for tumor cells that have metastasized to the brain.

  • Satisfaction with Medicaid expansion

    Enrollees in Medicaid reported in a nationwide survey that they’re largely satisfied with the health care they receive under the program, according to researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

  • Whole brain imaging

    New research led by Professor Jeff Lichtman opens a path to deeper insight on brain action behind certain behaviors.

  • On Thoreau’s 200th birthday, a gift for botany

    Marking Thoreau’s 200th birthday, Harvard University Herbaria will post images of more than 800 plants the author and naturalist collected, part of a larger digitization effort.

  • Probing protein diversity

    A team of researchers has found that the stability plays a key role in the evolution of different protein structures.

  • Rising threat: Death by fentanyl

    Sarah Wakeman, an addiction specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses the role of fentanyl in the country’s opioid crisis.

  • RNA errors linked to ALS and dementia

    A new Harvard Medical School study shows how malfunctioning RNA may lead to ALS and a form of dementia.

  • Tackling childhood obesity with a text message

    Two interventions that link clinical care with community resources helped improve key health measures in overweight or obese children at the outset of a study, as reported in JAMA Pediatrics.

  • Nudging families away from fruit juice

    Harvard-affiliated diabetes specialists are calling for fruit juice to be cut from the federal WIC supplemental nutrition program for low-income families.

  • Closing in on a breakthrough

    New findings from the lab of Harvard Medical School Dean George Daley suggest a path for creating immune-matched blood cells, derived from patients’ own cells, for treatment purposes.

  • Probe of Alzheimer’s follows paths of infection

    Starting with microbes, Harvard-MGH researchers outline a devastating chain of events

  • The power of picturing thoughts

    A new Harvard study shows that people create visual images to accompany their inner speech even when they are prompted to use verbal thinking, suggesting that visual thinking is deeply ingrained in the human brain.

  • To age better, eat better

    Much of life is beyond our control, but dining smartly can help us live healthier, longer

  • Fighting words from former EPA leader

    Speaking at a Climate Week symposium, former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy urged an audience of climate scientists and health experts to speak out about climate change.

  • Study signals need to screen genes for stem cell transplants

    Research suggests that genetic sequencing technologies should be used to screen for mutated cells in stem cell cultures, so they can be excluded from scientific experiments and clinical therapies.

  • New vista for brain disorder research

    For the first time, researchers describe the types of cells generated in brain organoids, networks of nerve cells, and show the greater diversity, complexity, and response to stimulation developed for nine months and longer.

  • The balance in healthy aging

    To grow old well requires minimizing accidents, such as falling, as well as ailments

    senior health care

  • Mom, dad set in their ways? Maybe it’s not their fault

    Research led by Hopi Hoekstra breaks new ground by uncovering links between the activity of specific genes and parenting differences across species

  • How old can we get? It might be written in stem cells

    No clock, no crystal ball, but lots of excitement — and ambition — among Harvard scientists

  • Compound protects nerve cells targeted by diseases

    Harvard researchers have identified a compound that helps protect the cells destroyed by spinal muscular atrophy, the most frequent fatal genetic disease of young children.

  • Good genes are nice, but joy is better

    Harvard study, almost 80 years old, has proved that embracing community helps us live longer, and be happier

    Aging