First Proof’s second batch of math problems test AI
Humans are still doing the heavy lifting, despite rapid AI progress
Inquiry & Impact
The pursuit of knowledge through research, teaching, and learning, with impact at the FAS and beyond
Working from home works against mental health
A new study finds increased isolation and distress in remote-friendly occupations
Harvard astronomer, ‘our heroine’ of the 20th century, memorialized in London
FAS Dean Hopi Hoekstra helped dedicate a plaque at the teenage home of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.
The ‘atomic bomb’ of AI-driven science
Harvard scientists describe promise and peril of accelerating technologies
Proponents of gun rights, gun control want the same thing
Economics paper reveals common ground and tools with big potential to reduce harm
New space ‘archaeology’ uncovers billions of years of galactic history
Harvard astrophysicists developed a new method of “chemical archaeology” to reconstruct the history of distant galaxies by mapping the distribution of oxygen.
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
A 500-million-year-old clawed predator rewrites the origin of spiders and horseshoe crabs
“I had just exposed the oldest chelicera ever found.”
Research reveals octopuses as sensitive, long-distance lovers
Study discovers how species uses “taste by touch” sensory system to feel out potential mates
Fly ball!
For more than a century, the fruit fly has been a workhorse of the biological sciences that has helped scientists to make fundamental breakthroughs in fields such as genetics and neuroscience.
Experiment asks: What helps trees resist climate change?
This April, one thousand red oaks will be planted at Harvard Farm. The species, native to New England’s northern temperate climate zone, is increasingly threatened by drought and heat.
The atlas maker of the microscopic world
Throughout the history of biology, numerous discoveries stemmed from observing living systems, but seeing the innerworkings of living organisms presents challenges.
The oyster’s invisible architects
For an oyster, creating an internal environment for calcification that forms its distinctive hard shell is essential. But new Harvard research has found that these bivalves may outsource the work.
Assignment: Walk that robot across campus
Three robots walked into the Science Center, their human handlers trailing several feet behind. Within seconds, a crowd circled the cute one, a jaunty silver contraption.