Harvard clotting agent slows bleeding to help patients reach hospital

Blood loss from traumatic injuries is a major killer, but it’s relatively easy to treat in a hospital environment. The problem is that it can occur suddenly, and first responders don’t have the same tools that emergency rooms do. Now, Harvard scientist… Continue reading Harvard clotting agent slows bleeding to help patients reach hospital

New evidence linking high iron levels with shorter lifespan

Hot on the heels of a recently published genomic study correlating blood iron levels with healthy aging, more research is suggesting high systemic iron levels can be linked with reduced life expectancy. The current research does not prove a causal rela… Continue reading New evidence linking high iron levels with shorter lifespan

Harvard study finds that stem cell stimulation gives us goosebumps

Goosebumps are a weird quirk of our bodies that science doesn’t fully understand. Now, researchers at Harvard have uncovered a biological reason for the reaction: it’s our bodies’ way of stimulating stem cells to drive new hair growth.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading Harvard study finds that stem cell stimulation gives us goosebumps

New Harvard vaccine technique coats red blood cells in nanoparticles

Researchers at Harvard have developed a new platform for producing vaccines – and the secret ingredient is blood. The technique involves loading red blood cells with antigens that they can then use to generate a specific immune response, and tests in m… Continue reading New Harvard vaccine technique coats red blood cells in nanoparticles

Planet Nine could be a black hole, and a new telescope will tell us

The closest confirmed black hole to Earth is 1,000 light-years away – but could there be one hiding in our own backyard? It’s been hypothesized that a tiny black hole could be orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, and now astronomers have proposed how we mi… Continue reading Planet Nine could be a black hole, and a new telescope will tell us

Harvard’s programmable kirigami balloons inflate into “crazy” shapes

By turning to the paper-based art form of kirigami for inspiration, a team of Harvard researchers has developed a system for programmable balloons that can take on all kinds of “crazy” shapes when inflated. More than just a vehicle to produce impressiv… Continue reading Harvard’s programmable kirigami balloons inflate into “crazy” shapes

Nanofiber material tough as Kevlar but 20 times more heat-resistant

Kevlar and Twaron are famously tough materials, but there’s a bit of a trade-off to be made between strength, heat resistance and weight. Now, researchers have created a new nanofiber version of the material that’s just as strong, but much more insulat… Continue reading Nanofiber material tough as Kevlar but 20 times more heat-resistant

Experts Denounce Racial Bias of Crime-Predictive Facial-Recognition AI

An open letter signed by experts in the field from MIT, Microsoft and Google aim to stop the ‘tech to prison’ pipeline. Continue reading Experts Denounce Racial Bias of Crime-Predictive Facial-Recognition AI

NASA funds SETI study to scan exoplanets for alien “technosignatures”

Given just how incomprehensibly, unfathomably big the universe is, chances are tiny that Earth is the only planet with life on it. But how would we find others? A new NASA grant has been awarded to aid the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI… Continue reading NASA funds SETI study to scan exoplanets for alien “technosignatures”

How gut bacteria can break down cholesterol to improve cardiac health

An impressively rigorous new study, led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is shedding light on a century-old mystery. The study describes how bacteria in the gut can metabolize cholesterol at levels high enough to improve a pers… Continue reading How gut bacteria can break down cholesterol to improve cardiac health