Findings
Insights, discoveries, and analysis from Harvard scholars and scientists.
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HealthHearing breakthrough holds up
Gene therapy yields lasting gains for patients with inherited deafness: ‘How well it worked is really amazing.’
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HealthBlood test has potential to detect earliest signals of Alzheimer’s disease
New study suggests higher levels of pTau217 predict a faster progression, even when initial brain scans appear normal
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HealthRural U.S. bears heaviest burden accessing dental care
Researchers find 24.7 million Americans live in dental deserts, with transportation and specialty care the steepest barriers
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Science & TechA world-shifting moment (literally)
Geoscientists track when Earth went from ‘just another planet’ to ‘something very special’
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Science & TechStudy suggests healing skin without scarring may be possible
Researchers unblock embryonic regrowth mechanism that shuts down after birth in mice
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HealthNew study links more immigrants with lower elderly mortality
Researchers say among newcomers are medical, long-term care workers who are arriving amid critical U.S. shortage
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‘Surprise and relief’ from homeless patients: ‘This works for me’
Doctors report ‘fascinating and counterintuitive’ results delivering healthcare to hard-to-reach population via telehealth
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Does this cellphone habit raise risk of hemorrhoids?
Gastroenterologist Trisha Pasricha discusses why new findings may change how you think about bathroom routines
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Watching history being made
Astrophysicists think mysterious ‘little red dots’ are generated from spinning dark matter, studying them may yield insights into evolution of universe
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With charms to soothe savage back pain
Music appears to decrease anxiety, discomfort in ER patients, study finds
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Seeking a carbon-capture breakthrough
Chemist Richard Liu harnesses sunlight to trap greenhouse gases
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Weight loss drugs protect heart patients, study suggests
40% lower risk of hospitalization or death
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What makes us sleepy during the day?
Research links by-products of steroid hormone to excessive daytime sleepiness
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Solving evolutionary mystery of how humans came to walk upright
New study identifies genetic, developmental shifts that resculpted pelvis, setting ancestors apart from other primates
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When global trade is about more than money
Economist’s new tool looks at how China is more effective than U.S. in exerting political power through import, export controls
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Analysts highlight a school-sized gap in mental health screening
Less than a third conduct screenings, according to survey of more than 1,000 principals
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Mediterranean diet offsets genetic risk for dementia, study finds
Greatest benefit for those with highest predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease
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Physicians embrace AI note-taking technology
‘There is literally no other intervention in our field that impacts burnout to this extent’
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For some, the heart attack is just the beginning
Harvard clinic uses mindfulness techniques to treat medically induced PTSD
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Reading like it’s 1989
Report on classroom literature shows staying power for ‘Gatsby,’ ‘Of Mice and Men,’ other classics. Time to move on?
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Brain implants that don’t leave scars
Harvard startup is developing a softer device to monitor head injuries
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Researchers uncover surprising limit on human imagination
Humans can track a handful of objects visually, but their imaginations can only handle one
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Possible clue into movement disorders like Parkinson’s, others
Rodent study suggests different signaling ‘languages’ in parts of brain for learned skills, natural behaviors
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Could lithium explain — and treat — Alzheimer’s?
Study offers new theory of disease and strategy for fighting it
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What your credit score says about how, where you were raised
Study looks at national disparities, finds bill-paying habits emerge by early adulthood, influence upward mobility
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Working through pain? You’re not alone.
Researchers use Dutch tool to pursue full scale of functional limitations in U.S. labor force
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Taking a second look at executive function
New study suggests what has long been considered innate aspect of human cognition may be more a matter of schooling
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You’re a deer mouse, and bird is diving at you. What to do? Depends.
Neural study shows how evolution prepared two species to adopt different survival strategies to take advantage of native habitats
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A step toward solving central mystery of life on Earth
Experiment with synthetic self-assembling materials suggests how it all might have begun
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Going to bed earlier may help you hit fitness goals
New study finds link between sleep curfew, higher levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
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Overlooked climate-change danger: Wildfire smoke
Researchers rush to get hands around multiple serious health risks as blazes mount — and get bigger
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Ancient DNA solves mystery of Hungarian, Finnish language family’s origins
Parent emerged over 4,000 years ago in Siberia, farther east than many thought, then rapidly spread west
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Hot dispute over impact
Harvard team argues oldest meteorite strike to Earth may be more recent, smaller than claimed; site may offer hints on asteroid craters, life on Mars
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Long in the tooth
Research finds 18-million-year-old enamel proteins in mammal fossils, offering window into how prehistoric animals lived, evolved
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Why are women twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as men?
Researchers focusing on chromosomes, menopause
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Meditation provides calming solace — except when it doesn’t
Researchers find ways to promote altered states of consciousness, reduce risks of distress that affect some