New faculty director gives Zooarchaeology Lab a refresh
Shayla Monroe, assistant professor of archaeology, renovated the space with an eye to honoring its storied collection.
Research
Senior thesis creates healthcare feedback system
Communication has always been the thread tying the story of Lani Tran ’26 together. For her senior thesis in biomedical engineering, Tran turned that concept into action by designing a collaborative feedback system that helps healthcare providers improve patient care. Originally from the small town of Alhambra, Calif., Tran arrived at Harvard with an inkling that she wanted to pursue science.
Research reveals octopuses as sensitive, long-distance lovers
Study discovers how species uses “taste by touch” sensory system to feel out potential mates
Bolstered Dean’s Competitive Fund awards promising research
Awardees include faculty studying infection, Atlantic slave trade, and South Asia artisan practices
At Rowland Institute, photosynthesis inspires quest for greener future
Viktoriia Morad, a new fellow in physics and material science, wants to build upon the lab-grown semiconductors she uses to harvest light.
Nationalism, socialism, and migration
Natalie Behrends received an unusual present for her 10th birthday: a biography of Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, the turn-of-the-century American labor activist.
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.
A scholarly ode to federal data
The U.S. government publishes hundreds of thousands of datasets every year. For decades, social scientists eagerly mined them, crunching the numbers to glean insights on everything from wage inequality, health outcomes, and long-term trends in standardized test scores.
Inside the very hungry brains of preschoolers
Childhood is understood as a time to learn and grow. What Christopher Kuzawa’s research shows is that learning and growing are interconnected.
For policymakers, standing behind the curtain comes with risks
More than $198 billion in green investments were enacted under former U.S. President Joe Biden. But who reaped the political rewards from a set of policies that advanced renewable energy projects and green jobs across all 50 states?