Sciences Division
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.
FAS Dean Asks Center Directors To Show Compliance With Viewpoint Diversity Guidance
Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra told directors of FAS centers they would be required to meet with their divisional deans to explain how their programs are complying with recent guidance on intellectual diversity in a Tuesday email.
Researchers Discover Supermassive Black Hole in Neighboring Galaxy
A team of Harvard astrophysicists discovered a supermassive black hole at the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, the Milky Way’s closest galactic neighbor.
‘Science on Display:’ First Phase of Teaching Lab Renovations Completed in Science Center
Harvard completed the first phase of Science Center Teaching Lab renovations in January, refreshing existing lab spaces with glass walls and introducing collaboration spaces on the first and second floors of the building.
Harvard Affiliates Anticipate Uncertain Landscape for Climate Research Funding
Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly targeted environmental regulation — withdrawing from the Paris Accords, cutting staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, and even issuing an executive order banning paper straws at federal agencies. In late February, the administration cut funding to any research that mentions the word “climate.”
SEAS Professors Partner with Meta, Amazon, OpenAI to Enhance Computer Science Courses
Meta, which has sponsored the Puzzle Day for almost 15 years, is just one of the many tech companies that support courses at Harvard. Professors at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have repeatedly collaborated with companies — like Amazon, OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft — to secure technical support for their students.
Harvard Researchers Discover Origin of Indo-European Language Family
Harvard researchers traced the origins of the vast Indo-European language family to the Caucasus-Lower Volga region, identifying the ancestral population that gave rise to more than 400 languages, in a study published on Feb. 5 in Nature journal.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2024
At Harvard, 2024 began with an ending — the chaotic close of Claudine Gay’s short-lived presidency. It would not be a quiet year. Pro-Palestine student protesters staged an encampment in Harvard Yard. Congress expanded its investigation into campus antisemitism, issuing threats alongside blistering reports. Amid it all, Alan M. Garber ’76 quietly ascended from the interim presidency to a permanent post at Harvard’s helm. Here, The Crimson looks back at 10 stories that shaped the University, and Cambridge, in 2024.
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.
After Conviction for Lying About China Ties, Ex-Harvard Chemist Gets Approval to Visit Beijing
A federal judge gave former Harvard Chemistry professor Charles M. Lieber permission to visit China for “employment networking” and give a lecture in Beijing — nearly three years after Lieber was convicted for lying to federal investigators about his relationship to China.
Massive Meteor May Have Supercharged Early Microbial Life on Earth, Harvard Study Finds
A meteorite 200 times larger than the one that wiped out Earth’s dinosaurs may have been critical for the development of early microbial life on the planet three billion years ago, according to a Harvard study published last week.
Harvard Researchers Classify Microorganism Species, Tardigrade
Harvard researchers recently identified a new fossilized species of tardigrade, a discovery that lends crucial insights into the microscopic organism’s evolutionary history and its unique resilience.
Harvard’s New Science Dean Wants Students to Tackle ‘Genuinely Hard Problems’
Harvard College Dean of Science Jeff W. Lichtman wants to reshape how undergraduates are solving problems.
David Charbonneau, Professor in Search of Planets in Outer Space, Wins $1 Million Kavli Prize
Harvard Astrophysics professor David Charbonneau won the 2024 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics in June, sharing a $1 million prize with MIT professor Sara Seager for their discoveries of exoplanets — planets located outside Earth’s solar system.
‘It’s Not Gotten Worse’: Harvard Renovates Science Center Lecture Halls to Tepid Student Reactions
Harvard renovated the Science Center’s lecture halls, lobby, and a selection of first-floor classrooms over the summer. Some students said they didn’t notice.
‘Hyped Just About Right’: How the AI Boom is Reshaping Research at Harvard
As ChatGPT took the world by storm, many raised concerns about how it might help students cheat themselves out of learning. But a year and a half later, AI is changing the work of professors perhaps even more.
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.
‘Less Exciting and Less Fun’: Undergraduates Voice Frustrations with Science Lab Renovations
Ongoing renovations in Harvard’s Science Center have disrupted numerous science courses by closing off first and second floor teaching laboratories, eliciting frustration from undergraduates.
Harvard Quantum Initiative Construction Set to be Completed in the Spring
Construction on 60 Oxford Street — the new home of the Harvard Quantum Initiative in Science and Engineering (HQI) — is set to be completed this Spring, in accordance with its expected timeline.
‘Closure of a Circle’: Harvard Professor Haim Sompolinsky Wins Brain Prize for Neuroscience Research
Harvard professor Haim Sompolinsky was named a 2024 recipient of the Brain Prize — the world’s most prestigious honor for neuroscience research — by the Lundbeck Foundation on March 5.
‘Science on Display’: Renovations to Teaching Labs Continue in Science Center
Harvard began renovations to the Science Center teaching laboratories in December 2023, closing off much of the first and second floors of the building. The ongoing construction is part of a longer renovation of the Science Center expected to end in the summer of 2025.
Luxury Brands Will Fund Harvard Lab’s Medicinal Plant Research in 3-Year Agreement
Luxury giants LVMH and Christian Dior will fund the Harvard Davis Lab’s research on the genetic barcoding of nearly 2,000 edible and medicinal plants.
Harvard Team Celebrates Launch of Methane-Detecting Satellite at SEC Event
Dozens of Harvard affiliates gathered at a Friday reception at the Science and Engineering Complex to celebrate the launch of MethaneSAT, one of the world’s most advanced methane-detecting satellites.
Harvard Science Dean Christopher Stubbs Reflects on Tenure, Gives Advice to Successor
Harvard Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs discussed his decision to step down and urged his successor to beware of slow institutional change in a Thursday interview with The Crimson.
Hoekstra Likely to Pick Arts and Humanities, Science Deans In ‘Next Few Months’
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra hopes to select two new divisional deans — in Science and in Arts and Humanities — within “the next few months,” she said in a Wednesday interview.