Inquiry & Impact

The pursuit of knowledge through research, teaching, and learning, with impact at the FAS and beyond

The geological roots of life on Earth
Andrew Knoll standing in front of a vibrant formation of geological strata

The geological roots of life on Earth

Andrew Knoll previews his new book on the 4-billion-year “conversation” between Earth and life — and recent interruptions by humans

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Cracking the code of ‘what the nose knows’

Cracking the code of ‘what the nose knows’

A team of researchers from two labs has created the most comprehensive map to date of how the primary olfactory system detects and organizes social and predator odors.

Lives saved by sociologist’s fix for skin tone bias

Lives saved by sociologist’s fix for skin tone bias

The Monk Skin Tone scale, devised in 2019 by Professor Ellis Monk, helps create more accurate medical diagnostic tools for patients with dark skin

A skull full of surprises

A skull full of surprises

In a new study, OEB researchers CT-scanned 87 ray-finned fish species. Turns out fish aren't simple — they're just built completely differently than we assumed.

Stopping cervical cancer before it starts (external link)

Stopping cervical cancer before it starts 

A researcher focused on developing therapeutic vaccines for the human papillomavirus (HPV), Alton Gayton will graduate from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in May 2026 with a Ph.D. in virology. He discusses his pioneering work using circular RNA and artificial intelligence to treat and prevent cervical cancer, his upbringing in North Carolina, and his path from there to Harvard, via the University of North Carolina.

Bioengineering a career in cancer therapeutics (external link)

Bioengineering a career in cancer therapeutics 

Danika Rodrigues has been researching cancer therapies since she was a biomedical engineering undergraduate and master’s student at the University of Michigan. But it was working at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, that convinced her that not only was cancer research interesting — it was what she wanted for her career.

Re-examining the history of Black fathers (external link)

Re-examining the history of Black fathers 

Thousands filled the pews of one of Chicago’s largest Black churches on June 15, 2008, to hear then-Senator Barack Obama deliver a much-anticipated Father’s Day speech. Given the occasion and setting, few would have been surprised if the candidate for president had taken the opportunity to lift up the role of Black men in family life. And at first, he did, briefly praising the work and virtues of the congregation's leader, Bishop Arthur Brazier, and his son, Rev. Byron Brazier. Then Obama pivoted sharply, delivering a withering indictment of absentee fathers in the Black community.