Harvard Gazette » In the Media http://news.harvard.edu/gazette University News, Faculty Research & Campus Events Tue, 21 May 2013 15:17:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Harvard Endowment Rises 21% on Hedge-Fund Gains http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/lbB8yiOHkoo/ Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:54:57 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=91145 Harvard University, the world’s richest school, said its investments rose 21 percent in the past year, outperforming benchmarks and extending the rebound from record losses in 2008.

The value of the university’s endowment climbed $4.4 billion to $32 billion as of June 30, according to a report today by Harvard Management Co., which oversees the fund. The increase in value also reflects gifts from donors and distributions to help finance operations at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university…

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]]> 91145 Gillian Wee Bloomberg no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/09/harvard-endowment-rises-21-on-hedge-fund-gains/ Harvard endowment posts big investment gain http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/75GobvpVrQw/ Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:52:51 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=91143 Harvard University’s endowment earned 21.4 percent on its investments for the year ended June 30, roughly in line with the financial performance of other large funds, the school’s money managers reported yesterday.

The Harvard endowment, the nation’s largest, grew by about $4.6 billion to $32 billion over the school’s fiscal year.

The fund also contributed an estimated $1.5 billion to the university, covering about a third of Harvard’s operating budgets for the year…

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]]> 91143 Steven Syre The Boston Globe no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/09/harvard-endowment-posts-big-investment-gain/ Justice Goes Global http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/FmXaq7mECRQ/ Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:41:09 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=85024 You probably missed the recent special issue of China Newsweek, so let me bring you up to date. Who do you think was on the cover — named the “most influential foreign figure” of the year in China? Barack Obama? No. Bill Gates? No. Warren Buffett? No. O.K., I’ll give you a hint: He’s a rock star in Asia, and people in China, Japan and South Korea scalp tickets to hear him. Give up?

It was Michael J. Sandel, the Harvard University political philosopher…

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]]> 85024 Thomas L. Friedman The New York Times no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/06/justice-goes-global/ TV time tied to diabetes, death http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/NZqNTEy4YAQ/ Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:38:45 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=85022 NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – People who spend more hours in front of the television are at greater risk of dying, or developing diabetes and heart disease, with even two hours of television a day having a marked effect, according to a U.S. study.

Every day, U.S. residents spend an average of 5 hours watching television, while Australians and some Europeans log 3.5 to 4 hours a day, said researchers led by Frank Hu, at the Harvard School of Public Health…

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]]> 85022 Alison McCook Reuters no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/06/tv-time-tied-to-diabetes-death/ Century-old tortilla chip in a Harvard collection http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/flgif8jvYE8/ Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:36:48 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=85020 A beetle necklace, Mark Twain’s microscope, a 19th-century slate bearing “messages” from the spirit world, and a 100-year-old Mexican tortilla — given more than 350 years, you can collect some bizarre and fascinating items.

Harvard has been collecting things for a long time, probably beginning with the donation of a library by its namesake, John Harvard, upon his death in 1638. Since then, the university has amassed more than 50 collections, not including libraries…

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]]> 85020 Wynne Parry MSNBC no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/06/century-old-tortilla-chip-in-a-harvard-collection/ Human cell becomes living laser http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/vsjR8XMC9vg/ Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:44:56 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=84829 Scientists have for the first time created laser light using living biological material: a single human cell and some jellyfish protein.

“Lasers started from physics and are viewed as engineering devices,” says Seok-Hyun Yun, an optical physicist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who created the ‘living laser’ with his colleague Malte Gather…

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]]> 84829 Zoë Corbyn Nature no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/06/human-cell-becomes-living-laser/ Study ties bullying, domestic violence http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/Yb7QAOxvsw4/ Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:43:02 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=84827 Boys who are bullies are nearly four times as likely as non-bullies to grow up to physically or sexually abuse their female partners, a study led by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found. With growing public concern over bullying, the authors said they wanted to examine the tie to domestic abuse because both abusers and bullies are driven by the desire to exert control over another person…

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]]> 84827 Chelsea Conaboy The Boston Globe no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/06/study-ties-bullying-domestic-violence/ Prostate Cancer Risk May Be Reduced by Drinking Coffee, Harvard Study Says http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/KY0p4JGVizM/ Wed, 18 May 2011 14:40:31 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=82390 Drinking coffee, regular or decaffeinated, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, according to a study by Harvard University researchers.

The study found that men who consumed six or more cups of coffee a day had a 60 percent lower risk of developing deadly metastatic prostate cancer and a 20 percent reduced risk of developing any form of the disease. One to three cups cut the risk of lethal prostate cancer by 30 percent. The findings, published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggest non-caffeine elements in coffee may provide the benefit…

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]]> 82390 Nicole Ostrow Bloomberg no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/05/prostate-cancer-risk-may-be-reduced-by-drinking-coffee-harvard-study-says/ Star count of the universe may triple, new study suggests http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/Y-zi3Bj6Shc/ Thu, 02 Dec 2010 13:51:09 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=67968 A study suggests the universe could have triple the number of stars scientists previously calculated. For those of you counting at home, the new estimate is 300,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000. That’s 300 sextillion…

A second study, led by a Harvard University scientist, focuses on a distant “super Earth’’ planet and sees clues to the content of its atmosphere — the first of this kind of data for this size planet. It orbits a red dwarf…

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]]> 67968 Seth Bornstein no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/12/star-count-of-the-universe-may-triple-new-study-suggests/ Heavy smoking in pregnancy linked to crime in offspring http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/o3wCJNohN44/ Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:53:55 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=66336 PARIS — Mothers who puff a pack a day or more while pregnant run a 30-percent higher risk of having kids who become criminal offenders, according to a study published Tuesday…

Researchers led by Angela Paradis of the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed the health and criminal records of 4,000 American adults between 33 and 40 years old…

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]]> 66336 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/heavy-smoking-in-pregnancy-linked-to-crime-in-offspring/ Baby photos from the ultimate edge – a black hole http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/ODPuss3mYTM/ Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:49:28 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=66334 WASHINGTON — Astronomers may have lucked into the ultimate in cosmic baby pictures: a voracious black hole fresh from its violent birth…

In the past 30 years since this star exploded, this baby black hole has eaten about the equivalent of the Earth in mass, which is about as big as black hole appetites can get, said Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. He’s co-author of a new paper in the journal New Astronomy and he discussed the findings at a NASA news conference Monday…

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]]> 66334 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/baby-photos-from-the-ultimate-edge-a-black-hole/ Brain-damage risks higher for younger marijuana users, study says http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/SwlT2-zne3M/ Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:48:12 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=66332 People who start smoking marijuana before they turn 16 may damage their brains more than people who start later, according to a small study from McLean Hospital released yesterday. Early-onset users also smoke more marijuana and more often over the course of a week than later-onset users, the researchers found…

Staci Gruber, director of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core at McLean in Belmont and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, led a team that tested mental focus and flexibility among 33 young marijuana users and 26 non-users recruited from Greater Boston…

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]]> 66332 Elizabeth Cooney no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/brain-damage-risks-higher-for-younger-marijuana-users-study-says/ Screening: Side Effects From Endoscopic Procedures http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/iUWBfKiJSHE/ Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:08:14 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=64339 Instead of relying on doctors’ reports about adverse events, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston used electronic medical records to track emergency visits and hospital admissions that occurred within two weeks of a colonoscopy or upper-gastrointestinal endoscopy and that appeared to be related to the procedures…

“A lot of low-level complications were flying under the radar,” said Dr. Daniel Leffler, the paper’s lead author and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard…

]]> 64339 RONI CARYN RABIN no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/10/screening-side-effects-from-endoscopic-procedures/ At Harvard, the Kitchen as Lab http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/dAzCilsK7pY/ Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:16:29 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=63819 In a basement laboratory at Harvard, Ashley Prince read from the instructions as her lab partner, Allan Jean-Baptiste, poured fruit nectar into a pot.

“Heat it to 113,” Ms. Prince said.

Then Mr. Jean-Baptiste added a mix of sugar and pectin, and Ms. Prince whisked.

“So far, so good,” Ms. Prince said.

These Harvard students were making chewy fruit gelées for From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science, an undergraduate course that uses the kitchen to convey the basics of physics and chemistry, a most unusual Ivy League approach to science…

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]]> 63819 Kenneth Chang no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/10/at-harvard-the-kitchen-as-lab/ Do Americans Really Want a Smaller Government? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/jDlXGjDipqU/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:33:24 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=62845 As the midterm elections approach, many conservative Americans are making the Tea Party-style argument that the U.S. government should be small, localized, and as personally unobtrusive as possible.

But according to a new survey by The Washington Post, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University, many who take that position also hold positions inconsistent with a small-government mindset…

]]> 62845 Lucy Madison no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/10/do-americans-really-want-a-smaller-government/ Trials set for body-chilling anaesthesia http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/Nwysr3QP8H4/ Mon, 27 Sep 2010 15:29:46 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=55541 Medical researchers in the United States say they are poised to begin human trials on a suspended-animation technique for surgery patients.

The idea is to use extreme hypothermia to basically shut down the body during emergency trauma surgery, giving doctors more time to work and less need for anesthetics and life-support equipment.

Dr Hasan Alam, a leader of the research team from Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital, told the BBC that dropping the body’s core temperature as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit can work for as long as three hours without causing brain damage…

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]]> 55541 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/09/trials-set-for-body-chilling-anaesthesia/ Gordon Brown: UK and US must coordinate economic policy http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/u5XWp5fpm-4/ Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:50:35 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=55428 In his first major speech since losing the election in May, the former Prime Minister called for the establishment of a global financial constitution that sets out clear rules for banks, and urged that major powers begin to co-ordinate global economic policy.

“The question is where are the jobs going to come from and where’s the growth going to come from,” Mr Brown said in the Malcolm Wiener Lecture in Political Economy at Harvard University on Thursday…

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]]> 55428 Richard Blackden no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/09/gordon-brown-uk-and-us-must-coordinate-economic-policy/ The perfect dish? It’s all academic http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/ft_4WDftu5k/ Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:26:39 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=54227 The career path of a chef today can take an interesting route, beginning as lowly stagiaire, and perhaps leading to chef-owner of an acclaimed restaurant or two, then books, endorsements, and television. Few have the opportunity to use a top university classroom as their stage.

This year, Harvard University has gathered 12 of the most accomplished chefs from around the world to teach “Science and Cooking’’ at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Each lecturer presents a class to a group of 400 undergraduates. In an effort to allow some public access (and accommodate overflow students), each chef also presents a weekly seminar one evening. They kicked off last week with the world’s most talked-about chef, Ferran Adria of El Bulli restaurant in Spain, the man at the forefront of molecular gastronomy — though he prefers the term “avant garde cuisine…”

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]]> 54227 Ike DeLorenzo no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/09/the-perfect-dish-it%e2%80%99s-all-academic/ Ex-UK PM Gordon Brown to serve as Harvard fellow http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/zN43LktMucE/ Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:25:04 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=54225 CAMBRIDGE — Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been named a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.

The institute announced Tuesday that Brown would serve his fellowship the week of Sept. 20.

Fellows traditionally meet with students, lead discussion groups on current issues and their experiences in public service, and participate in public policy classes with students and faculty…

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]]> 54225 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/09/ex-uk-pm-gordon-brown-to-serve-as-harvard-fellow/ Medical Liability Costs Make Up 2.4% of U.S. Health Spending http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/154v6u8u9io/ Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:35:40 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=53606 Medical malpractice and guarding against suits cost the U.S. about $55.6 billion annually, or 2.4 percent of the total health-care bill, according to Harvard University’s Atul Gawande and co-authors.

The yearly price of so-called defensive medicine — tests, visits and procedures performed to reduce litigation risk — is about $45.6 billion, the authors said today in the journal Health Affairs, in a report using 2008 dollars. That’s the biggest part of the malpractice bill, which also includes clinicians’ time spent defending suits, and price increases to cover the cost of liability insurance…

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]]> 53606 Pat Wechsler no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/09/medical-liability-costs-make-up-2-4-of-u-s-health-spending/ Study Links Chronic Fatigue to Virus Class http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/JayV8Oszx5I/ Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:07:04 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=52190 When the journal Science published an attention-grabbing study last fall linking chronic fatigue syndrome to a recently discovered retrovirus, many experts remained skeptical — especially after four other studies found no such association…

The new paper, by researchers from the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and Harvard Medical School, was accepted for publication in May. Social networks and online communities soon learned the general findings and were eagerly awaiting the paper…

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]]> 52190 David Tuller no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/08/study-links-chronic-fatigue-to-virus-class/ Scientists Unravel Secrets of Sound Sleep http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/myyYT2u_ZoM/ Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:20:18 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=51571 MONDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) — Ever wonder how some people can sleep through thunderstorms and traffic noise, while others wake up at the slightest sound? Differences in people’s brain rhythms during sleep may hold the answer, scientists say.

While treatments based on the findings remain a long ways off, “by knowing this information, we will better understand what can be done to enhance natural sleep,” said study senior author Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen, chief of the division of sleep medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School…

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]]> 51571 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/08/scientists-unravel-secrets-of-sound-sleep/ Kindergarten skills pay off in big bucks http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/3uwWF-XReek/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:09:19 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=51038 But a surprising new bottom-line look at early learning suggests how much you learn in kindergarten — and whether you had a seasoned teacher — can help determine how rich and educated you will be as a grown-up, and even whether you will be married before age 30.

The Harvard-led study shows children, whether rich or poor, who were in top-scoring kindergarten classes back in the 1980s have grown up to earn about $1,000 more a year than their peers in weaker performing classes. They have earned more college degrees from more tony campuses, own more valuable homes, are saving more for retirement, and are more likely to be married — to high-earning spouses…

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]]> 51038 Louise Brown no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/kindergarten-skills-pay-off-in-big-bucks/ B-Schools All A-Twitter Over Social Media http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/glBmQKw6SRI/ Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:54:31 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=50959 Harvard Business School (Harvard Full-Time MBA Profile) and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business (Columbia Full-Time MBA Profile) have joined a growing list of business schools that are adding courses on social media to their MBA curricula, addressing the corporate demand for social-network-savvy employees. The two schools are among at least six that have added courses in the past year that allow students to learn about Internet marketing and social media strategy, according to course syllabi and faculty associated with the classes…

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]]> 50959 Sommer Saadi no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/b-schools-all-a-twitter-over-social-media/ Nasa Discoveries Spark Hopes Of Alien Life http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/ZdZENX7aVDY/ Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:53:10 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=50957 Nasa’s planet-hunting deep space observatory has found hundreds of new potential planets, sparking hopes of finding other worlds similar to Earth…

Scientists say the results contradict older theories that had suggested small and Earth-like planets would be less frequent.

An astronomer on the Kepler mission, Dimitar Sasselov, professor of astronomy at Harvard University, revealed the findings in a conference in Oxford earlier this month…

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]]> 50957 Johanna Kippo no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/nasa-discoveries-spark-hopes-of-alien-life/ Golden state for Lin http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/8GgR7Gf5qJU/ Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:47:54 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=50888 Former Harvard star Jeremy Lin, an undrafted free agent guard, was signed by the Golden State Warriors yesterday. He is the first Asian-American player signed by the Warriors since 1947. In an area with a large Asian population, Lin becomes an instant celebrity.

“This is unbelievable,’’ Lin told an array of television crews, photographers and print media in Oakland, Calif. “I’ve never been part of something like this…”

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]]> 50888 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/golden-state-for-lin/ Female Academics Less Satisfied Than Male Counterparts http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/70Equv1xHPs/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:20:12 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=50619 Differences in job satisfaction between men and women in academia exist, but vary across disciplines, a new study shows…

In the survey, led by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, women reported less satisfaction with reasonableness of scholarship expectations for tenure, whether their institutions make raising children and the tenure track compatible and the way they spend their time as faculty, among others…

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]]> 50619 Emmeline Zhao no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/female-academics-less-satisfied-than-male-counterparts/ Partners to build Haiti hospital http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/ExWtQfi8kak/ Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:44:10 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=50539 Partners In Health, the Boston-based global health initiative that has been the face of health care in Haiti after the devastating earthquake six months ago, is building a new teaching hospital there.

The 320-bed, seven-building hospital will rise in Mirebalais in the rural Central Plateau, a 45-minute drive from the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, the hard-hit capital. It will become a national referral center when it opens at the end of next year, seeing as many patients as are seen at the other 12 clinics in Haiti where Partners in Health currently works…

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]]> 50539 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/partners-to-build-haiti-hospital/ Screams from Greek stage aim for doctors’ hearts http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/NDY-WzvkKng/ Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:18:11 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=50351 As medical technologies extend the lives of the sickest, medical schools across the country have struggled to find a way to help doctors better navigate new moral quandaries around death and dying. The recent performance of scenes from Greek plays at Harvard Medical School represents one of the more unusual and emotionally powerful approaches…

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]]> 50351 Patrick G. Lee no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/07/screams-from-greek-stage-aim-for-doctors%e2%80%99-hearts/ HBS professor says male job loss a long-term problem http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/v9ZwD77romY/ Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:18:44 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=50028 Three quarters of the seven million jobs that have vanished in the recession belonged to men. The male unemployment rate is now 9.8 percent, vs. 8.1 percent for women. The trend got Larry Summers, the president’s top economic adviser, speculating recently, “When the economy recovers five years from now, one in six men who are 25 to 54 will not be working.”

Ouch. While the decline in construction and manufacturing is hurting men in the workforce, expansion of health care and education is helping women. It also helps women that we are traditionally paid less (earning 22% less than men, on average). It’s usually more profitable to keep a woman on the payroll than a man. …

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]]> 50028 Nancy Koehn Harvard Business School no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/06/hbs-professor-says-male-job-loss-a-long-term-problem/ Harvard professor a hit on Japanese TV http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/GwkOzJxW078/ Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:05:51 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=49758 One of the hottest television shows in Japan this spring revolved around Harvard professor Michael Sandel’s recorded classroom lectures about philosophy.

NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, picked up in April the PBS show featuring Sandel’s lecture show, titled “Justice.” Rebranded as “Harvard Hakunetsu Kyoshitu (Harvard’s Heated Discussion Classroom),” the show quickly drew wide notice and topped the list of downloads from “NHK On Demand,” an online pay-per-view service. …

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]]> 49758 Tomomichi Amano no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/06/harvard-prof-a-hit-on-japan-tv/ Scientists hit on universal theory of bubbles http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/8vrxJDHP4_Q/ Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:59:28 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=49357 Bubbles don’t just disappear when they pop but deflate in a rapid cascade of ever-smaller “daughter” bubbles, scientists
reported on Wednesday.

There was an element of serendipity in the discovery, according to lead researcher James Bird, a graduate student at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences…

]]> 49357 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/06/scientists-hit-on-universal-theory-of-bubbles/ All-USA College Academic winners defy expectations http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/57KAKgNk_Ks/ Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:03:39 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=49300 Harvard social studies major and ROTC member Christopher Higgins, 22, stumbled onto his passion in 2007 while interning at New Hope, an orphanage in Uganda. He had figured he would teach English for a couple of months while on break from school, then head back home. But within a few weeks, he was helping the staff develop fundraising and management strategies. He has since raised more than $120,000 for the orphanage and helped the staff develop several projects that are now making a small profit. With Ugandan university students, he has been researching the effect of poverty on child welfare in the community…

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]]> 49300 Mary Beth Marklein no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/06/all-usa-college-academic-winners-defy-expectations/ Child weight loss reduces diabetes risk http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/eRMKFTiWGMo/ Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:46:52 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=48968 U.S. researchers found overweight girls who lose weight before adulthood reduced their risk of diabetes.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and Boston’s Harvard University found nurses who reported being overweight at age 5 were twice as likely to develop diabetes as those who remembered being normal weight…

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]]> 48968 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/06/child-weight-loss-reduces-diabetes-risk/ Harvard Grads Choose Public Service Over Big Bucks http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/nuA8eUKU3rE/ Fri, 28 May 2010 19:31:02 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=48808

It’s college graduation season in the United States.

Even in today’s weak economy, students from prestigious Ivy League universities like Harvard have an extra advantage on the road to financial success. However, not everyone in Harvard College’s Class of 2010 is striving for a lucrative career.

Career choices

Graduation is just days away, and Robin Mount is even busier than usual.

The director of Harvard’s Office of Career Services is matching her students with the right employers and career opportunities, often in the fields of education, international development and public service.

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]]> 48808 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/05/harvard-grads-choose-public-service-over-big-bucks/ Hardened Arteries, Elderly Falls Linked http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/L-rq0PywUQ0/ Wed, 19 May 2010 13:00:49 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=47110 A stiffening of the aging brain’s blood vessels reduces their ability to respond to changes in blood pressure, increasing the risk of falls by as much as 70%, researchers reported Monday…

Dr. Farzaneh A. Sorond, a neurologist at Harvard University’s Institute for Aging Research, and her colleagues studied 420 people over the age of 65. The team used ultrasound to measure the flow of blood in the patients’ brains while they were at rest and when they were breathing rapidly…

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]]> 47110 Thomas H. Maugh II no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/05/hardened-arteries-elderly-falls-linked/ Adults’ suicide risk similar for all antidepressants http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/ADBXu8ZOLAY/ Wed, 05 May 2010 16:14:46 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=45599 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People have about the same risk of having suicidal thoughts or attempting suicide when starting out on antidepressants no matter what type of pill they’re prescribed, new research shows.

“There is no meaningful difference between these agents,” Dr. Sebastian Schneeweiss of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, one of the study’s authors, told Reuters Health…

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]]> 45599 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/05/adults-suicide-risk-similar-for-all-antidepressants/ Diabetes drug tied to reduced breast cancer risk http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/Y5yE3YQJQz0/ Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:17:07 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=44060 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women who have used the diabetes drug metformin for more than five years may have a lower risk of breast cancer than diabetic women on other treatments, a new study finds…

Researchers at Harvard University are currently developing a large clinical trial to test whether using metformin after standard treatment for early breast cancer helps prevent cancer recurrence…

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]]> 44060 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/diabetes-drug-tied-to-reduced-breast-cancer-risk/ In poor countries, taller moms’ kids are healthier http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/LJbe-iAhros/ Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:46:32 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=43924 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In developing countries, taller moms tend to give birth to healthier kids who are less likely to die in infancy, be underweight or have stunted growth, a new study finds. At the same time, good nutrition in adolescence and delaying marriage and childbirth appear to lead to taller adults.

“This is the first time we’re seeing an effect of the mother’s health — as captured through her attained height — being transferred well into the childhood of her offspring,” study author Dr. S. V. Subramanian of the Harvard School of Public Health told Reuters Health…

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]]> 43924 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/in-poor-countries-taller-moms-kids-are-healthier/ Harvard-based pay-for-study experiment shows students incentivized to actions, not results http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/DRppeFPTqhY/ Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:48:28 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=42901 A program that paid city students if they got higher test scores earned an F, a new study shows.

The Harvard-based study led by former city Education Department consultant Roland Fryer examined the program he spearheaded, which poured $6.3 million in private funds into 261 schools in four cities…

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]]> 42901 Meredith Kolodner no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/harvard-based-pay-for-study-experiment-shows-students-incentivized-to-actions-not-results/ Study: Walking Seems to Lower Women’s Stroke Risk http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/bKz-zPHOqFE/ Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:09:15 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=42771 Women can lower their stroke risk by lacing up their sneakers and walking, a new study suggests…

‘This certainly speaks to walking for a certain amount of time and walking briskly as well,” said Jacob Sattelmair, lead author of the study and a doctoral student at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston…

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]]> 42771 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/study-walking-seems-to-lower-womens-stroke-risk/ Radiation use may raise adult cancer risk http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/s0ID2mRZ2LY/ Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:57:36 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=42769 NEW YORK — Women’s risk of developing breast cancer may increase as much as 20-fold if they were treated with chest radiation for malignancies as children or young adults, according to an analysis of studies…

In the second study on lifespan, Jennifer Yeh, a research fellow at Harvard School of Public Health, developed a mathematical model to predict the longevity of survivors of childhood cancers, including leukemia, brain and bone tumors, and lymphoma…

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]]> 42769 Nicole Ostrow no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/radiation-use-may-raise-adult-cancer-risk/ From Homeless to Harvard http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/SYyJuWrkrxw/ Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:22:32 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=42390 Everyone has baggage, but Lalita Booth’s is heavier than most.

Raised in Ashville, N.C., the rebellious teen says her problems all began when her parents divorced and she was sexually abused by a family acquaintance.

“That led to substance abuse, staying out all night long, and running away,” Booth said…

By then, she learned to really dream big and another door opened. Booth was accepted to one of the most elite and the oldest of the Ivy Leagues: Harvard University. The 29-year-old Booth is earning a Master’s degree in business and public policy…

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]]> 42390 Michelle Miller no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/from-homeless-to-harvard/ Painkillers may lower risk of breast and ovarian cancers: Harvard researchers http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/yFdFUR5Tz0w/ Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:55:14 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=41462 It is thought the painkillers reduce levels of the female hormone oestrogen in the system which can fuel certain forms of cancer.

A team from Harvard investigated 740 women and found that those who took painkillers for 15 days per month had on average, oestrogen levels 10 per cent lower, than non-users…

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]]> 41462 Rebecca Smith Medical Editor no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/03/painkillers-may-lower-risk-of-breast-and-ovarian-cancers-harvard-researchers/ Harvard opens classes to all, online http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/GeYKw81RTC4/ Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:51:58 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=41459 Ever think about dropping in on a Harvard University lecture on law, loss or metaphysics?

Now you can, for free, and from your couch.

Harvard University yesterday launched its own version of iTunes U, on a dedicated portion of iTunes…

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]]> 41459 Christine McConville no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/03/harvard-opens-classes-to-all-online/ US ski Paralympian overcomes rare disease http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/LMQnDuO7ovE/ Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:10:43 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=41141 WHISTLER, British Columbia — No one knew if Caitlin Sarubbi would live through her first night.

Twenty years later, she’s on leave from her freshman year at Harvard to race on the U.S. Ski Team at the 2010 Paralympics.

Born with a very rare disease, no eyelids and several other facial deformities, Sarubbi’s journey to the Winter Games involves 57 reconstructive surgeries…

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]]> 41141 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/03/us-ski-paralympian-overcomes-rare-disease/ New cancer drug screening method created http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/Q5q3EXwNvBk/ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:04:43 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=41092 U.S. medical scientists say they’ve developed a laboratory technique that improves on traditional methods of screening potential anti-cancer drugs.

The researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute said their technique more closely simulates the real-world conditions in which tumor cells mingle with the body’s normal cells.

“Despite their often impressive results in the laboratory, for every 100 potential anti-cancer therapies administered in patients in clinical trials, only about eight prove safe and effective enough to receive Food and Drug Administration approval,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Constantine Mitsiades of Dana-Farber, a teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School…

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]]> 41092 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/03/new-cancer-drug-screening-method-created/ Few U.S. studies compare one drug to another http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/hjmeGQKySkQ/ Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:03:03 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=40098 Comparing medical treatments to find the best and the cheapest may be a pillar of U.S. healthcare reform efforts, but very little such research is being done, according to a report published on Tuesday…

“Most of the comparative effectiveness studies we reviewed simply tested whether medication ‘x’ is better than medication ‘y,’ rather than addressing fundamental questions such as: How can we use this medication more effectively? When is this medication better than surgery? Which among two effective approaches is the safest?” said Dr. Danny McCormick of Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the study…

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]]> 40098 Maggie Fox no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/03/few-u-s-studies-compare-one-drug-to-another/ Poll finds widespread pessimism among the young http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/g3tRZNzuG2A/ Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:01:08 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=40095 WASHINGTON – Young adults are financially anxious, worried that they can’t meet their educational, housing and health-care needs, according to a new poll that exposes a growing pessimism about achieving the American dream.

The poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics found that six out of 10 of those surveyed worry they may not meet their current bills and obligations. Nearly half of those attending college wonder whether they will be able to afford to stay in school. And more than eight out of 10 said they expect difficulty finding a job after graduation…

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]]> 40095 no http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/03/poll-finds-widespread-pessimism-among-the-young/ Climate coverage difficult, but journalists shouldn’t opt out http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HarvardGazetteOnlineInTheMedia/~3/ZHolaKFXnTY/ Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:19:03 +0000 http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/?p=39855 Not so long ago it appeared that a U.S. cap-and-trade bill was well on its way to becoming reality. But then came the “climategate” emails and increased political opposition, particularly in the Senate, to taking action. While public worries over the impacts of climate change had once been climbing, they’ve since fallen to levels lower than they were 20 years ago.

This was the context of “Climate Policy and Politics: Covering Conflict in the Capital, Copenhagen and Beyond,” a discussion panel featuring Eric Pooley, a former Shorenstein Fellow and current deputy editor of Bloomberg.com‘s BusinessWeek and Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post. Other participants included Cristine Russell and Henry Lee of the Belfer Center‘s Environment and Natural Resources Program and Alex S. Jones of the Shorenstein Center.

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