Science & Tech

The need for continuous rigorous and relevant climate science will be more important than ever. With that framing, a group of scholars on Wednesday shared their ideas for improving the process by which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) carries out its research agenda, at a side panel at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris.

The private sector — from large corporations to small businesses — will undoubtedly be impacted by whatever international agreement emerges from the U.N. Climate Change Conference taking place in Paris, but opinions vary as to how burdensome and costly those impacts will be.

Harvard scientists are helping launch a new initiative to foster collaboration among scientists working at the intersection of the environment and health.

A side-event panel titled “Dialogue on the Comparison of Climate Change Policies” on Friday at the Conference of the Parties (COP21) featured Robert Stavins, faculty director of the Harvard Project and Harvard Project Manager Robert Stowe.

Using a simple game in which candy is distributed between two players, researchers found that children in various countries were quick to reject unfair deals, but in three countries they were also willing to reject deals unfair to others.

Panelists at the Kennedy School on Monday expressed optimism about the U.N. climate conference set to begin in Paris on Nov. 30, calling U.S. participation on the heels of domestic climate-related moves a “game-changer.”

Speaking at the JFK Jr. Forum, architect Frank Gehry reflected on half a century of creating surprises.

Harvard’s Cruft High Tension Laboratory was used in World War I as the Navy School for Radio Electricians. By World War II it was again called into service, this time assisting in the development of a torpedo that used acoustic technology to navigate toward an underwater submarine.

During a construction explosion in 1848, an iron bar pierced the brain of foreman Phineas Gage. He survived, and his experiences opened a window into trauma and recovery.

Students in a new Graduate School of Design course use what they’ve learned to help restore the urban legacy of slain Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

It’s a question most attorneys wish they could answer: How and why do judges and juries arrive at their decisions? The answer, according to Joshua Buckholtz, may lie in the…

A video showcases “The Trouble with Jellyfish,” a new exhibition at Le Laboratoire Cambridge that spotlights a growing crisis beneath the sea.

Harvard physicist Lisa Randall discusses the research behind her new book, “Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs.”

Harvard will again fund grants of up to $150,000 for promising ideas to combat climate change.

Astronomers announced today that they have spotted a large, rocky object disintegrating in its death spiral around a distant white dwarf star. “We’re watching a solar system get destroyed,” noted a Harvard researcher.

Harvard lab develops first insect-size robots capable of flight and swimming.

What happens when homophobia hits the hospital? “The Doctor Is Out: A Conversation with Dr. Mark Schuster on Being a Gay Physician at Harvard” was part of Harvard Medical School’s Diversity Dialogue series.

A multidisciplinary project to investigate climate change, energy security, and sustainable development in China has received the first $3.75 million grant from the new Harvard Global Institute.

HUBweek drone demonstration at Harvard Stadium showcases potential usefulness of flying robots.

Across Harvard, programs and researchers are mining big data, vast quantities of computerized information, often revolutionizing their fields in the process.

A panel of climate change experts at Harvard said that nature is telling us where we need to make changes to lessen future climate change impact: the places flooded or otherwise damaged in past storms.

Harvard officials recommend steps to keep computer networks safe from cyberattacks.

A new study suggests that two adjacent brain regions allow humans to use a sort of conceptual algebra to construct thoughts.

In 2010, people in the United States spent 1.1 billion hours seeking health care for themselves or for loved ones. That time was worth $52 billion. Disadvantaged socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups bore a disproportionate amount of the time burden.

Each year the Harvard University Center for the Environment awards funding to students who have an interest in environmental and energy research. The students’ backgrounds vary as widely as their topics.

One of the lessons from this week’s announcement of liquid water on Mars is that the Red Planet is a much more diverse place than previously thought, one that holds a multitude of niche environments that might be more hospitable to life than average planetary conditions might indicate, said Professor Robin Wordsworth.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans to institute a cap-and-trade program in the Asian giant by 2017. Harvard China Project leader Michael McElroy discussed the announcement and its potential effects on both climate legislation in the United States and on future climate talks in Paris.

Harvard scientists and engineers have demonstrated an improved flow battery that can store electricity from intermittent energy sources. The battery contains nontoxic compounds, inexpensive materials, and can be cost-effective for both residential and commercial use.

A new Harvard study pokes holes in the belief that huge quantities of storage will be needed before clean, renewable sources can make a significant dent in greenhouse-gas emissions from electricity generation.

Professor Jerry Mitrovica shed light on the dynamics of sea level rise in a talk at the Geological Lecture Hall.