2026

The embryo was no bigger than a grain of sand. Under the microscope, it had divided just twice; four cells arranged in a tidy cluster, each carrying instructions for a different piece of the animal it was supposed to become. The two smaller cells, the...

A new video from Harvard University's Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability features Professor Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Director of the Harvard University Herbaria (HUH), making the case that the climate and biodiversity crises must be tackled...

Deep in the marine world lives an enigmatic creature that is challenging our understanding of early animal evolution. Known as the three-banded panther worm, Hofstenia miamia belongs to a mysterious group called acoels. While these worms might look like...

It had been a long day of teaching for Rudy Lerosey-Aubril . As a reward, he returned to cleaning an intriguing Cambrian arthropod fossil he had recently received for review. At first, the specimen showed all the expected characteristics of its time – yet...

For an oyster, creating an internal environment for calcification that forms its distinctive hard shell is essential. But a new study published in PNAS, has found that these bivalves may outsource the work, coordinating with microbes in a manner that may...

Congratulations to Professor Jeannine Cavender-Bares elected as American Association for The Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. Election as a Fellow honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to...

The recent issue of the journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, compiled studies that explore the issue's theme "Embracing variability in comparative physiology: why it matters and what to do with it." Yangfan Zhang, postdoctoral...

Despite having no legs and an essentially long, tube form, certain snakes can rise nearly straight upright, lifting more than 70% of their body length into the air without toppling over. For example, b rown tree snakes and scrub pythons can rise...

Congratulations to Wendy Valencia-Montoya (PhD ‘25, Naomi Pierce, Advisor) recipient of the Harold M. Weintraub Award from the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. Wendy is one of 12 recipients honored for their exceptional achievements of graduate studies in the...

The course is simply titled Tree , yet it is anything but simple for Harvard freshman. FRSEMR52C requires no classroom or textbooks. Instead, Professor Ned Friedman — Director of the Arboretum — holds class among the trees. Designed in 2020, the course...