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Harvard

All articles tagged with #harvard

Seven-year lab-grown brain organoids reveal time-keeping in a dish
science1 day ago

Seven-year lab-grown brain organoids reveal time-keeping in a dish

Harvard researchers grew brain organoids for up to seven years, using DNA methylation epigenetic clocks to show the artificial brains develop and effectively age like human brains; mixing older organoid tissue with younger tissue warped development, suggesting organoids can record developmental time, though most organoids die from oxygen limits and are destroyed after experiments. The work illuminates brain development and offers new angles for studying neurodegenerative diseases and other conditions.

Harvard settles for $53M over donated-bodies scandal and black-market sales
us-news6 days ago

Harvard settles for $53M over donated-bodies scandal and black-market sales

Harvard University will pay $53 million to settle a class-action by families whose loved ones’ bodies donated to Harvard Medical School were allegedly mishandled and some parts sold on the black market. The case centers on the 2023 arrest and eight-year prison sentence of Cedric Lodge, Harvard’s former morgue manager, who prosecutors say stole and sold donated body parts. Harvard faces claims of negligence that were revived by Massachusetts’ high court, and the university will also establish an annual scholarship for donors’ families and host a webinar to acknowledge the acts as morally reprehensible.

Harvard to pay $53 million in settlements tied to cadaver-misuse scandal
education7 days ago

Harvard to pay $53 million in settlements tied to cadaver-misuse scandal

Harvard Medical School will pay $53 million to settle civil lawsuits over the mishandling of donated bodies after morgue manager Cedric Lodge admitted to stealing and selling body parts; funds will be distributed to affected families once a court approves the agreement, and HMS will establish donor-inspired scholarships starting in 2027–2028 as part of the resolution.

Harvard’s SpaceX Stake Sparks SPCX Rally as Grok 4.6 Eyes OpenAI/Anthropic Edge
finance9 days ago

Harvard’s SpaceX Stake Sparks SPCX Rally as Grok 4.6 Eyes OpenAI/Anthropic Edge

Harvard Management disclosed a $2.2 billion SpaceX stake—the largest single SpaceX holding in its roughly $4.3 billion US equity portfolio, part of its around $57 billion endowment—boosting SPCX after the filing. Mizuho reiterates an Outperform rating with a $200 target on SpaceX, arguing Grok 4.6’s benchmark results are competitive with OpenAI/Anthropic models and could help SpaceX win enterprise customers; Grok 4.6 pricing starts around $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens. Nvidia’s disclosed $21 billion SpaceX stake and SpaceX’s Nvidia-aligned infrastructure plan (Vera Rubin era) underscore the AI ecosystem tie-in. On the price side, SPCX rose overnight and has logged weekly gains, reflecting investor enthusiasm around SpaceX and its AI ambitions.

Judge dismisses Trump’s bid to label Harvard antisemitism a civil-rights violation
politics12 days ago

Judge dismisses Trump’s bid to label Harvard antisemitism a civil-rights violation

A federal judge in Boston dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit alleging Harvard failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from harassment, finding the cited incidents largely from 2023-24 were too isolated to constitute an ongoing Title VI violation, and noting the amended complaint lacked factual allegations after Harvard was put on notice.

Harvard's tenure snub helped launch Sagan's Cornell legacy
science1 month ago

Harvard's tenure snub helped launch Sagan's Cornell legacy

Harvard denied Carl Sagan tenure in the late 1960s, reportedly over concerns about his public writing; Cornell hired him with tenure in 1968 and later named him the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences, turning him into one of the era's most productive science educators. Sagan published more than 600 papers, challenging the notion that public outreach harms rigorous research, while Harvard's decision is often cited as a missed bet that Cornell capitalized on before he spent decades advancing planetary science and education.

Apple Watch sleep data reveals menopause-linked sleep shifts in Harvard study
health2 months ago

Apple Watch sleep data reveals menopause-linked sleep shifts in Harvard study

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed over 94,000 nights of Apple Watch sleep data from 338 Women’s Health Study participants (ages 25–59). The study found increased wake time during sleep around perimenopause/menopause: about 60% showed higher wake-after-sleep-onset (WASO) in the 18 months before menopause with an average 7% rise; in the year before/after the last period, sleep time awake rose about 0.8% after menopause compared with before. Results varied widely between individuals, and common menopause symptoms (hot flashes, irritability, mental fatigue, sexual symptoms) were often linked with poorer sleep. Researchers also offered tips to improve sleep during perimenopause, such as cooling the sleep environment, keeping a regular schedule, regular movement, limiting fluids near bedtime, and practicing relaxation.

Harvard Sets A-Grade Cap to Sharpen Transcript Signals
education3 months ago

Harvard Sets A-Grade Cap to Sharpen Transcript Signals

Harvard faculty approved a plan to cap A grades at no more than 20% of enrolled students plus four per class, in effect Fall 2027, with supporters saying it will restore meaning to grades and distinguish high performers while critics warn it curtails faculty autonomy and imposes a quota. The vote also endorsed using average percentile ranks for internal prizes and rejected allowing courses to skip letter grades entirely. The move reflects a broader campus debate on grade inflation seen at peers like Yale, Princeton and others, and administrators will review the policy after three years.

Harvard to cap A grades at 24 per class to curb grade inflation
education3 months ago

Harvard to cap A grades at 24 per class to curb grade inflation

Harvard College faculty approved a roughly 20% cap on A grades, limiting A grades to 24 per class of 100, with the rule taking effect in fall 2027. The move is part of reforms to restore the integrity of grading after a 2025 report found the system inflated As and damaged academic culture. A second proposal to use average percentile rankings for internal awards passed, while a third opt-out option was rejected. The measures faced broad student disapproval (about 85% in a survey), but supporters say the cap will restore the transcript’s signaling value and the college’s academic standards.

Harvard tightens grading with cap on A grades for undergrads
education3 months ago

Harvard tightens grading with cap on A grades for undergrads

Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted to cap A grades in undergraduate courses, allowing no more than 20% of students in a class (plus four additional students) to receive an A, starting in Fall 2027. A− grades would not be subject to the cap. The reform, intended to curb grade inflation after data showing over 60% of undergrad grades were in the A range, also shifts honors comparisons to average percentile rank instead of GPA. An opt-out for a satisfactory/unsatisfactory option was rejected, and the policy will be reviewed after three years.

DOJ sues Harvard for alleged discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students
politics5 months ago

DOJ sues Harvard for alleged discrimination against Jewish and Israeli students

The U.S. Justice Department filed a 44-page federal lawsuit against Harvard University in Massachusetts, alleging the school violated Title VI by discriminating against Jewish and Israeli students and creating a hostile campus environment after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack; DOJ seeks billions in federal funding and says Harvard knew about harassment but failed to act. Harvard defends its efforts to address antisemitism and will contest the suit. The case follows prior government actions in this dispute, including a court ruling related to funding, and Harvard is slated to receive more than $2.6 billion in federal grants from HHS.