Parkinson’s is the most common, chronic neurodegenerative movement disorder affecting 1% of the global population over seventy years of age. Right now, there is no cure for this disease and the available treatments focus on addressing its symptoms but not its progression. Although most cases of Parkinson’s are sporadic, the inheritable variants of the disease … Read more
Researchers at the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) have identified genetic mutations that accumulate in the adult liver that can promote regeneration in the context of chronic liver damage. The widespread use of genome sequencing has led to the realization that normal tissues in healthy people accumulate spontaneous changes in DNA, … Read more
Unleash your inner rebel Harvard Business School Professor Francesca Gino talks about what she learned from the talented rebels she’s worked with during her research over the years, and what they have to teach us about when to break the rules. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer In an age of constant change, it pays to be … Read more
Vulnerability as a tool for strong leadership Motivational speaker Mike Robbins discusses how to bring your authentic self into the workplace, and why it’s important to do so. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Motivational speaker urges ‘authenticity’ in the workplace Being authentic in the workplace — that is, exposing your stress, anxieties, pain, joys, good times, … Read more
The impact of ocean acidification Postdoctoral fellow Valentina Di Santo has found that continued ocean warming and acidification could impact everything from how fish move to how they eat. Photo by Maria F. Sanchez Research depicts its negative effects on fish skeletons For more than a century, the world’s oceans have been becoming steadily more … Read more
Facing crocodiles head-on CT scans of embryonic skulls of the dwarf African crocodile, American alligator, and false gharial. Research demonstrates that the diversity of skull shapes found today is the result of a "very flexible developmental tool kit." Courtesy of Zachary S. Morris Study examines how evolution modified the long-surviving reptiles’ snouts The story that’s … Read more
Focusing on the fovea Harvard researchers examined 200 genes implicated in blinding diseases and found that some, particularly those associated with macular degeneration, are expressed selectively in foveal cells. The fovea is a small, specialized area in the retina that makes sharp central vision possible. Harvard file photo First cellular atlas could prove valuable resource … Read more
Brainy birds Irene Pepperberg, a research associate in Harvard’s Psychology Department, with African grey parrot Griffin. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Study shows parrots can pass classic test of intelligence Usually, calling someone a bird-brain is meant as an insult, but an African grey parrot named Griffin is rewriting the rules when it comes to avian … Read more
Making sense of how the blind ‘see’ color Photo illustration by Judy Blomquist/Harvard Staff Study suggests that blind and sighted experience visual phenomena differently, but share a common understanding of them What do you think of when you think of a rainbow? If you’re sighted, you’re probably imagining colors arcing through the sky just after … Read more
Coding for a cause Professor Jelani Nelson founded AddisCoder, a program that teaches students in Ethiopia how to code. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer Professor Jelani Nelson shows young Ethiopians the opportunities of technology When he was just 4 years old, Jelani Nelson got his first taste of what computers could do, and it came in … Read more