Health

Overeating in mice triggers a molecule once considered to be only involved in detecting and fighting viruses to also destroy normal metabolism, leading to insulin resistance and setting the stage…

Skeletons of whales diving and breaching are enlivening the lobby of Harvard’s new Northwest Laboratory building, bringing the killer whale and bottlenose whale specimens new prominence more than 70 years after they were last exhibited.

JoAnn Manson leads a nationwide study to assess whether vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids can boost immunity and protect against ailments from heart disease to cancer.

The best scientific insights, which ultimately may lead to the solution of the world’s great puzzles, do not always come from the experts in the fields in question. Sometimes they…

Harvard biology professor Richard Wrangham talks about the importance of cooking in human origins.

New research suggests that barefoot running is far less stressful on feet than running in shoes, if runners learn how to alter their strides properly to reduce impact.

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center (JDC) have taken a major step toward eventually understanding — and perhaps slowing — the aging process. In a series…

Harvard researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered a “gene activity signature” that predicts a high risk of cancer recurrence in some breast tumors that have been treated with…

A study that analyzed data from 36,827,828 U.S. babies born at full-term between 1990 and 2005 has found that birth weights decreased by up to 2.78 ounces during that time frame.

Thirteen-pound babies may make headlines, but they aren’t the norm. In fact, U.S. infants are getting smaller, according to Harvard researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute’s Department of…

Some mouse sperm can discriminate between their brethren and the competing sperm from other males, showing an unusual behavioral complexity.

A new technique for screening drugs’ effects on zebrafish behavior is pointing Harvard University scientists toward unexpected compounds and pathways that may govern sleep in humans.

A robust new technique for screening drugs’ effects on zebrafish behavior is pointing Harvard scientists toward unexpected compounds and pathways that may govern sleep and wakefulness in humans. Among their…

Although the exact function of sleep remains unknown, sleep is clearly necessary for optimal cognitive performance, learning, and memory.

A group of Harvard scholars and visiting health care experts offers a pessimistic view of health care reform at a Harvard Medical School symposium.

Study uses quantum computing to make calculations, in a breakthrough that could change myriad fields, including cryptography and materials science.

Normal 0 0 1 701 4001 33 8 4913 11.1282 0 0 0 Ask people who suffer from migraine headaches what they do when they’re having attacks, and you’re likely…

The pressures of human evolution could explain the apparent rise of disorders such as autoimmune diseases and autism, researchers say. Some adaptations may even help such ailments persist.

Researchers devise method to pinpoint key genetic variations under positive natural selection that may impact human health.

Fossils may provide tantalizing clues to human history, but they also lack some vital information, such as revealing which pieces of human DNA have been favored by evolution because they…

Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found that relatively young men with longstanding HIV infection and minimal cardiac risk factors had significantly more coronary atherosclerotic plaques — some…

Scientists come up with method to track neurons as they interact with each other.

Harvard researchers report having discovered a family of naturally occurring antiviral agents in human cells, a finding that may lead to better ways to prevent and treat influenza and other…

Harvard scientists have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons’ ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons interact…

Harvard faculty members from a range of fields give tips on how to live healthy.

Harvard School of Public Health Dean Julio Frenk delivered the Barmes Global Health Lecture Dec. 15 at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, saying that new challenges and opportunities face the global health community amidst a changing health care landscape.

John Rinn, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Broad Institute, overcame a rocky start in life through a passion for biology and discovered a new category of RNAs.

As it celebrates its 150th anniversary, the Museum of Comparative Zoology is acknowledging its past and looking to its future as a source of zoological knowledge.

If obesity trends continue, the negative effect on the health of the U.S. population will overtake the benefits gained from declining smoking rates, according to a study by Harvard and…

Jaime Sepulveda, former Mexican health official and a current director at the Gates Foundation, outlined plans to improve health for the poorest residents of Mesoamerica.