Biology
Harvard Researchers Develop AI-Driven Framework To Study Social Interactions, A Step Forward for Autism Research
Harvard researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence-driven framework to track and analyze how rats interact in social environments, offering a new tool for studying autism and other disorders.
Human Evolutionary Biology Concentration Will Be Renamed This Summer
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences has officially voted to change the name of the Human Evolutionary Biology concentration during a meeting on April 1. Effective as of July 1, 2025 — when the academic year rolls over — the concentration will now be known as Human Biology, Behavior, and Evolution.
Harvard Professor Paola Arlotta Receives Momentum Award from the International Society of Stem Cell Research
Harvard Professor and Broad Institute member Paola Arlotta received the Momentum Award from the International Society of Stem Cell Research, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting human health through “excellence in stem cell research,” for her work on neurological diseases and stem cell-derived brain organoids.
Biotech Giant Roche Launches Innovation Center on Harvard’s Allston Research Campus
F. Hoffmann-La Roche, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies, announced on Thursday that it will establish an Innovation Center on Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. The Swiss multinational company is leasing 30,000 square feet of space from the ERC’s 1.9 million square feet,and plans to eventually employ up to 500 employees.
Harvard Study Identifies Socializing as a ‘Survival Need’ in Mice
Researchers in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Department published a study last week that found a brain drive for social interactions in mice, similar in neural organization to drives for hunger and thirst.
Nobel Laureate Martin Karplus ’51 Remembered as Attentive Mentor, ‘Pioneering’ Chemist
Martin Karplus ’51 developed ground-breaking computer models to study chemical reactions and molecular dynamics, mentored hundreds of scientists, and won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. But his love for the sciences began with another discipline — biology.
Harvard Biology Professors Win International Awards for Neuroscience Research
Two Molecular and Cellular Biology professors, Takao K. Hensch ’88 and Catherine Dulac, received prestigious international awards this fall for their neuroscience research.
European Court Invalidates Harvard Biotech Patent in Three Countries
A top European court ruled against Harvard last week in a patent dispute against biotech company NanoString Technologies, invalidating one of the University’s two disputed patents in three European countries.
Human and Evolutionary Biology Dept. Holds Focus Groups on Renaming Concentration
Harvard’s Human Evolutionary Biology department is holding focus groups to seek student feedback on potential name options.
Harvard’s Wyss Institute Gives Startup License to Use Newly-Developed Biomaterials
Attivare Therapeutics, a startup founded by researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, received a license from the Wyss Institute to use biomaterials developed at Harvard to create treatments for tumors that do not respond to existing immunotherapies.
The Nobel Laureate Harvard Didn’t Want
On Monday, one Harvard professor was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine. But if Victor R. Ambros had not been denied tenure more than three decades earlier, it could have been two.
Biology Professor Jeff Lichtman To Be Next Harvard FAS Dean of Sciences
Biology professor Jeff W. Lichtman will serve as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ next dean of Science, FAS Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced Tuesday afternoon.
Judge Says Harvard and Biotech Company 10x Must Face Antitrust Claims in Two Gene Analysis Lawsuits
Harvard and 10x Genomics — a biotechnology company — must face antitrust claims over their licensing practices in two gene analysis lawsuits, a federal judge ruled in July.
Harvard Museum of Natural History
The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology administrative offices are located in the Harvard Museum of Natural History, at 26 Oxford St.
Christopher Walsh ’65, Renowned Biochemist and Harvard Medical School Professor, Dies at 78
Christopher Walsh ’65, a renowned biochemist and Harvard Medical School professor, died on Jan. 10 at the age of 78. Throughout his career, Walsh made significant contributions in the areas of enzyme function, metabolic pathways, and antibiotic biosynthesis.
YouTubers Disguised as Harvard Students Crash Classes
A team of YouTubers disguised as Harvard students crashed some undergraduate classes Tuesday to the dismay of several professors and students.
E.O. Wilson, Renowned Harvard Biologist Known as ‘Darwin’s Natural Heir,’ Dies at 92
Edward O. Wilson, who taught at Harvard for 46 years and was dubbed “Darwin’s Natural Heir” for his groundbreaking research on evolutionary theory, died on Sunday at age 92.
Harvard Researchers Discover Clues About Cell Regeneration By Transforming Worm Genomes
Researchers in Harvard’s Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Department discovered that after they manipulated the cells of worms, the worms passed on those genomic changes to their offspring, a finding that may offer other insights into cellular regeneration.
Radcliffe Fellow Discusses Animal Attachments in ‘Biology of Intimacy’ Talk
Radcliffe fellow Steven Phelps, a professor of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, discussed his research on intimate attachments between animals during a presentation Wednesday afternoon.
Amber Fossil Shows Crabs Lived on Land Earlier than Previously Thought
Non-marine crabs began to live on land at least 100 million years ago, according to recently published research by evolutionary biologists, including Javier Luque, a researcher at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Harvard Study Finds Human Resting Metabolic Rate Has Declined Since 1830
The human resting metabolic rate and levels of physical activity have declined in the United States since 1830, according to a recent study by researchers in Harvard’s Department of Human Evolutionary Biology.
HEB Prof. Explores Evolution and Exercise in Webinar
Human Evolutionary Biology chair Daniel E. Lieberman ’86 offered evolutionary insights into physical activity in his virtual lecture, “Did We Evolve to Exercise?” Wednesday evening.
David L. Craft
David L. Craft holds up part of a narrow-leaf plantain plant by the Charles River. Craft lead an urban plant foraging tour around Harvard, identifying a variety of different plants for participants.
Jack-o'-lantern Mushroom
David L. Craft holds up a jack-o'-lantern mushroom in Cambridge. These mushrooms are poisonous.
Plant Foraging Tour
Participants on the plant foraging tour look at plants by the Charles River. The tour was free for participants and hosted by Fjällräven Cambridge.