Health

Oral contraceptives taken just before or during pregnancy do not increase the risk of birth defects, according to a new study by researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark.

A research team at the Wyss Institute has developed a novel microfluidic device in which blood flows through a lifelike network of small “vessels.” Using automated pressure sensors and a proprietary algorithm, the data acquired is analyzed in real time and precisely predicts when a certain blood sample will obstruct the blood vessel network.

Scientists gave little thought to the neurological effects of dance until relatively recently, when researchers began to investigate the complex mental coordination that dance requires.

A large new study of twins has found that a person whose twin is diagnosed with cancer stands an increased risk of also developing a form of cancer.

A multicomponent, microfluidic small airway-on-a-chip model provides new opportunities to study human lung inflammatory disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, and to test preclinical drug candidates outside the human body.

Scientists identify a molecular key that helps cells maintain identity and prevents the conversion of adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells — a process that would require a cell to “forget” its identity before assuming a new one.

Harvard Business School social psychologist Amy Cuddy explains how tapping into our inner strength can help us make the most of life’s big challenges.

Using a visual test that is known to prompt different reactions in autistic and normal brains, Harvard researchers have shown that those differences were associated with a breakdown in the signaling pathway used by one of the brain’s chief inhibitory neurotransmitters.

A study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital offers a new view of how cancer cells extend their reach, co-opting and transforming normal cells through “metastatic hijacking.” The researchers also found that in preclinical models, pharmacological intervention can prevent this from occurring.

In a new study, the Wyss Institute’s human-gut-on-a-chip technology is used to co-culture gut microbiome and human intestinal cells, which could spur innovation of novel therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases.

The Center for Wellness at Harvard University Health Services sponsors a range of meditation options for students.

A Harvard study links chemicals used in flavored electronic cigarettes to cases of severe respiratory disease.

Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the principal investigator of the diabetes component of the landmark Nurses’ Health Study, responded to the latest Center for Disease Control and Prevention findings in an interview with the Gazette.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History opens a new marine life gallery, which uses the seas off New England as a lens for learning about marine life around the world.

The Arnold Arboretum is seeking some 400 different species around the world to add to collections.

The Harvard Chan School’s Walter Willett discusses recent findings on obesity, blood pressure, and smoking.

Robert Ballard, director of the University of Rhode Island’s Center for Ocean Exploration and president of the nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust, returned to the roots of his love affair with the sea, notably an early reading of “Twenty Thousand Leagues” and a childhood move to San Diego.

An independent group of 20 international experts has issued a scathing analysis of the global response to the 2014-15 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Faculty and student panel examines efforts to make polio the second human disease to be eradicated during the “Every Last Child” event at Radcliffe.

A team led by Harvard statistician Samuel Kou has devised a new system for tracking flu outbreaks in real time.

Harvard addiction specialist on FDA’s OxyContin OK: We have to respond to both patients and population health, a tricky task.

Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers have shown that the networks of communication among reprogrammed neurons and their neighbors in the brains of living animals can also be changed, or “rewired.”

Two new studies from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shed light on critical dietary issues facing Americans. One showed how dietary changes have reduced premature death. The second found intervention in childhood obesity less costly than the health care that followed.

Ashish Jha, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, says the University has the talent, resources, and leadership to steer progress in improving health around the world.

A group of 48 scientists from 50 institutions in the U.S. has formed the Unified Microbiome Initiative Consortium (UMIC). The UMIC’s goal is to drive cutting-edge microbiome research, enabling breakthrough advances in medicine, ecosystem management, sustainable energy, and production of commodities.

Harvard-affiliated researchers are working on a procedure that will allow fully obstructed blood clots in the brain to be cleared using a device that opens a small channel through the blockage, which combines with a clot-busting drug to target the obstructed site.

The first study to measure the incidence of medication errors and adverse drug events during the perioperative period has found that some sort of mistake or adverse event occurred in every second operation and in 5 percent of observed drug administrations, according to information gathered from 275 operations at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Americans often have no idea whether they’re getting value for their prescription drug dollars, something that has to change if costs are to be reigned in in this country, according to a panel at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

New research suggests a way to cost-effectively manufacture red blood cells from stem cells; the patients who could potentially benefit include those who cannot use blood currently available in blood banks.

Researchers create complex kidney structures from human stem cells derived from the skin of adult patients.