Science & Tech
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Can AI be as irrational as we are? (Or even more so?)
Psychologists found OpenAI’s GPT-4o showing humanlike patterns of cognitive dissonance, sensitivity to free choice
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Stealing a ‘superpower’
Study finds some sea slugs consume algae, incorporate photosynthetic parts into their own bodies to keep producing nutrients
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Reading skills — and struggles — manifest earlier than thought
New finding underscores need to intervene before kids start school, say researchers
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Shining light on scientific superstar
Vera Rubin, whose dark-matter discoveries changed astronomy and physics, gets her due with namesake observatory, commemorative quarter
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A taste for microbes
New research reveals how the octopus uses arms to sense chemical clues from microbiomes
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Out of sight but not out of mind
By 15 months, children can learn the names of objects they’ve never seen
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Potential step toward new superconductors
Never-before-seen electron behavior could help scientists create superwires for supercharged technology.
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Getting the asteroid before it gets us
Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics explains the science and objectives guiding the agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test.
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Elizabeth Kolbert sees a world depleted, and possibly defeated, by climate change
New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert and Planetary Health Alliance Director Samuel Myers discussed whether humans can save the Earth during a “Weather Reports” panel hosted by the Harvard Divinity School.
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Meat and muscles, sure. But the human eye is a stretch, for now.
The author and MIT professor Ritu Raman discussed the promise and ethical challenges of a lab-shaped future.
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When will a robot write a novel?
In considering whether a robot could write a work of fiction, the computer science Krzysztof Gajos says it depends—trashy novel or a good one?
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A Rosetta Stone of biology
Harvard researcher develops program to read any genome sequence and decipher its genetic code.
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Lessons in regeneration by light of glowing worms
Harvard-led team is learning secrets of regeneration through a method for manipulating genome, which allows a better view of workings of cells.
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If we could talk to the animals … whales, specifically
A group of scholars who met at Radcliffe in 2017 have formed a nonprofit aimed at deciphering whale communication.
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A big discovery of a tiny critter
Discovery in 16-million-year-old amber is the third species of water bear ever found.
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Mathematician’s life advice: Subtract the boring parts
Marcus du Sautoy discussed his latest work “Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut in Math and Life,” with Melissa Franklin, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics.
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Why did some mammals develop tusks?
New study defines and traces the evolution of tusks from the first animals to sport them.
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Coming to grips with planetary existential threat
Environmental Science and Public Policy takes multidisciplinary approach to complex existential threat.
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People weren’t so lazy back then
Research comparing 19th- and 21st-century Americans finds a half-hour decline in physical activity. Blame it on planes, trains, and automobiles.
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Leaky natural gas pipelines are tip of the iceberg
Methane emissions from the distribution and use of natural gas across U.S. cities are 2 to 10 times higher than recent estimates from the EPA.
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Tantalizing transit
Signs of a planet transiting a star outside of the Milky Way galaxy may have been detected for the first time.
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How asteroid, comet strikes may have delayed evolution of atmosphere
Collisions more common than thought and hampered growth of oxygen on planet, Harvard professor’s team finds.
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Bad for 100-million-year-old crab, but good for scientists
Javier Luque’s first thought while looking at the 100-million-year-old piece of amber wasn’t whether the crustacean trapped inside could help fill a crucial gap in crab evolution. He just kind…
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Are Google and smartphones degrading our memories?
It’s been 20 years since Daniel Schacter first published his groundbreaking book on memory errors. In a recent talk he discussed some of those new findings, including how technology is helping and hurting.
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New gene-transport system gets more drugs to sick muscles
A newly engineered gene-delivery system has the potential to make gene therapy for muscle diseases both safer and more effective for patients.
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More climate research, teaching to make greater impact
The new vice provost for climate and sustainability talks about upcoming efforts to boost Harvard’s response to challenges presented by climate change.
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Brewery fit for a king
The remains of a 5000-year-old brewery found in the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos are providing insights into the relationship between large-scale beer production and the development of kingship in Egypt.
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No one outruns death, but hunter-gatherers come closest
Our sedentary tendencies may be robbing us of a key benefit of physical activity.
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Future sound of a Beatles playlist: drip, drip, drip
In a new paper, Harvard chemists describe a data-storage method that uses mixtures of seven fluorescent dyes to save files.
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Massage helps injured muscles heal faster and stronger
Using a controlled massage system, researchers found that treatment led to greater repair and strength recovery in mice.
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Deploying AI against colon cancer
Harvard-led research signals life-saving potential for artificial intelligence in fight against colon cancer.
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Biological triggers for infant abuse
Harvard team discovers neural circuits underlying aggressive behavior of adult mice toward young ones.
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Melting of polar ice shifting Earth itself, not just sea levels
Research by new Harvard Ph.D. finds warping of planet’s crust, with far-reaching effects.
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How a hormone affects society
The hormone testosterone provides a backdrop for male aggression and violence, both in nature and in society, argues a Harvard human evolutionary biologist.
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Like hitting a bullseye with closed eyes
Recently NASA updated its forecast of the chances that the asteroid Bennu will hit Earth in the next 300 years. Harvard statisticians put it into perspective.
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Knowing a big deal when you see it
The fossil was found to belong to a previously unknown species of a lizard-like reptile, representing the earliest evolving member of a lineage that today includes all lizards, snakes, and their closest relatives.