Science & Tech

All Science & Tech

  • Helping to uncover the mechanism controlling brain states

    A team of researchers led by two Harvard alumni uncover a switch that controls brain states.

    Two researchers in a lab with a large microscope.
  • The power of positive phrasing

    Analysis of more than 6 million clinical and life-science papers shows articles with male lead authors are up to 21 percent more likely than those with female lead authors to use language that frames their research positively, which could contribute to persistent gender gaps in pay and career advancement in life sciences and medicine.

    Words alphabets in scattered wood letters on the table.
  • Living hydrogel can help heal intestinal wounds

    A genetically programmed living hydrogel material that facilitates intestinal wound healing is being considered for development as a probiotic therapy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

    Graphic showing how bioactive material works in the intestines.
  • Who’s that girl?

    New research suggests a country’s degree of gender equality can shape men’s ability to recognize famous female faces.

    Detail of eye with formulas ghosted over it.
  • A platform for stable quantum computing, a playground for exotic physics

    Harvard researchers have demonstrated the first material that can have both strongly correlated electron interactions and topological properties. The discovery both paves the way for more stable quantum computing and creates an entirely new platform to explore exotic physics.

    A close up view of a quantum computer.
  • Speeding cell, gene therapy development

    Innovative public-private partnership led by Harvard and MIT aims to bolster state’s role as a leading region globally for life sciences.

    Preparing a gene therapy implant in a petri dish
  • Chinese botanists hit trail with Arboretum

    Chinese botanists collect seeds during their inaugural expedition in the Appalachian Mountains with members of the Arnold Arboretum.

    Holcomb Creek Falls in Chattahoochee National Forest in Rabun County, Georgia.
  • Where we get our sense of direction

    Using virtual reality experiments, Harvard neuroscientists have decoded how fruit fly brains integrate visual cues for navigation. Study also sheds light on a form of short-term memory known as unsupervised learning.

    Fruit fly up close.
  • The archaeology of plaque (yes, plaque)

    Christina Warinner says ancient dental plaque offers insights into diets, disease, dairying, and women’s roles of the period.

    Christina Warinner is a new faculty member photographed in front of a display at the Peabody Museum.
  • Learning from the land

    Harvard University doctoral candidate Jordan Kennedy studies the engineering marvels that beavers create in her home state of Montana.

    A collage of pictures of Montana, a beaver, and Jordan sitting on a hill with her dog
  • Predicting sudden cardiac death

    Researchers have determined that genetic testing could identify those at risk for cardiac death prior to any symptoms.

    Illustration of heart with puzzle pieces.
  • Building connections

    Harvard University doctoral candidate Andy Cohen survived getting stuck in a blizzard, and is a better engineer because of it.

    Andy tinkering with electronics
  • New laser paves way for better imaging, communications

    Harvard researchers have developed a totally new type of laser that can reach terahertz frequencies offering short-range, high-bandwidth wireless communications, very-high-resolution radar, and spectroscopy.

    Laser set up.
  • Physics, real and fictional

    A Harvard study is exploring the way humans’ sense of “intuitive physics” of the real world leaves fingerprints on the fictional universes we create.

    Levitating frog.
  • A second look at evolution

    Researchers find clues to evolution in the intricate mammalian vertebral column.

    Graphic of spines in mammals.
  • Faster testing for illicit drugs

    The landscape of the illegal drug trade changes constantly, particularly amid the current opioid crisis. Law-enforcement officers regularly find or confiscate pills, powders, and other substances and need to know…

    Christoffer Abrahamsson holding a small device
  • A better candidate for chemo delivery

    A new technique called ELeCt (erythrocyte-leveraged chemotherapy) can transport drug-loaded nanoparticles into cancerous lung tissue by mounting them on the body’s own red blood cells.

  • Survival of the fittest takes a hit

    By re-barcoding the DNA of yeast, researchers were able to follow evolution for approximately 1,000 generations, finding surprises along the way.

    Two researchers looking at a computer.
  • If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

    Research suggests that errors resulting from variability in motor function are a feature, not a bug, of our nervous system and play a critical role in learning.

    Two researchers talking in a lab.
  • Combination gene therapy treats age-related diseases

    Wyss Institute, Harvard Medical School study offers hope for single genetic treatment for multiple age-related ills.

    Heart with DNA strands.
  • First in flight: RoboBee powered by soft muscles

    Researchers have developed a resilient RoboBee powered by soft artificial muscles that can crash into walls, fall onto the floor, and collide with other RoboBees without being damaged.

    Falling RoboBee
  • Toll of climate change on workers

    Economist Patrick Behrer is tracking the health effects of working in an extremely hot environment and the ripple effects on the economy.

    Patrick Behrer in Harvard Square.
  • A clue to biodiversity?

    An analysis of 20 butterfly genomes found evidence that many butterfly species — including distantly related species — show a surprisingly high amount of gene flow between them, Harvard researchers found.

    Heliconius xanthocles butterfly illustration with wings spread.
  • Riding the quantum computing ‘wave’

    Google engineers claimed to have created a quantum computer that exhibited “quantum supremacy.” The Gazette spoke with Harvard Quantum Initiative Co-Director Mikhail Lukin about the achievement, about similar work at Harvard.

    Artist's drawing for Google Quantum
  • Power and pitfalls of gene editing

    CRISPR gene-editing technology has conquered the lab and is poised to lead to new treatments for human disease. Experts consider the promise and peril at Radcliffe.

    Panelists at Racliffe discussing gene editing.
  • Inspired by jumping spiders

    Inspired by the depth perception of spiders fixing to pounce on prey from a distance, Harvard researchers design a sensor that could be used in microrobotics, augmented reality, wearable devices.

    Spider jumping from one platform to an insect on another.
  • A rose by any other name — could be confusing

    Kanchi Gandhi is one of a small group of global experts who referees the rules of naming new plant species.

  • Both marathoner and sprinter

    Scientists from Harvard and the University of Virginia have developed the first robotic tuna that can accurately mimic both the highly efficient swimming style of tuna, and their high speed.

    George Lauder holding a robotic fish
  • My three suns

    Harvard astronomers are studying a newly discovered rocky planet with three suns called LTT1445Ab in the hopes it will provide valuable insights into Earth.

    Jennifer Winters
  • Learning apps for parents that help kids

    Harvard Graduate School of Education researchers Joe Blatt and Meredith Rowe conducted a study that developed learning apps to create foundations for literacy in young children.

    Joe Blatt and Meredith Rowe