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Harvard

All articles tagged with #harvard

Trump's UAP Science Council Faces Data Delays as Sixth File Batch Released

The Trump administration released its sixth batch of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files in September 2026, spanning records from 1952 to 2025. Despite this, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who chairs the newly formed UAP Science Council, reports that intelligence agencies have not yet provided the classified data necessary to verify potential extraterrestrial technology. While the files include intriguing footage of high-speed objects, Loeb notes they do not constitute definitive proof of alien life.

via The New York Times|

#avi-loeb #declassification #harvard

politics17 days ago•1 min saved

White House Abandons Plan to Politicize NIH Grant Decisions After Bipartisan Pushback

The White House has dropped a planned executive order that would have transferred control of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants to a board of political appointees. The move follows intense pressure from Senator Susan Collins and bipartisan opposition in Congress. While the administration has paused the specific order, officials may revisit the issue after the midterm elections.

via Politico|

#harvard #jay-bhattacharya #nih

news20 days ago•8 min saved

NIH Director Clashes with Trump Over Harvard Grants, Politico Reports

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya reportedly refused President Trump’s demand to cut Harvard’s federal research grants during an Oval Office meeting, part of a White House push to overhaul NIH grant approvals via a new board that Bhattacharya would join; he has since distanced himself from the administration’s funding efforts, which have faced legal and political headwinds.

via The Harvard Crimson|

#bhattacharya #federal-funding #harvard

science1 month ago•4 min saved

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.

via New York Post|

#brain-organoids #developmental-biology #epigenetics

us-news1 month ago•26 min saved

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.

via New York Post|

#body-parts #donated-bodies #harvard

education1 month ago•2 min saved

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.

via BBC|

#anatomical-gifts-program #cedric-lodge #education

finance1 month ago•13 min saved

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.

via Yahoo Finance|

#finance #grok-46 #harvard

politics1 month ago•2 min saved

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.

via The Guardian|

#antisemitism #civil-rights-act #harvard

education2 months ago•3 min saved

Paul Devlin's 1981 Rejection Letter to Harvard Goes Viral

Harvard rejected Paul Devlin in 1981; he replied with a witty letter rejecting the rejection after spotting a grammar error. The New York Times published it, and in 2022 a British actor performed a dramatic reading. Devlin went on to win nine Emmys as a documentary producer/director.

via Upworthy|

#1981 #education #harvard

science2 months ago•10 min saved

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.

via Space Daily|

#astronomy #cornell #harvard

education4 months ago•2 min saved

Harvard Names Science Center Zimmer Hall Following $100 Million Gift

Harvard renames its Science Center to Zimmer Hall in honor of Alan Zimmer after a $100 million gift from the Zimmer Family Foundation, with funds supporting further campus renovations as well as expanded kosher dining and Jewish-life initiatives on campus.

via The Harvard Crimson|

#campus-renovation #education #harvard

health4 months ago•4 min saved

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.

via 9to5Mac|

#apple-watch #harvard #health

education4 months ago•5 min saved

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.

via WGBH|

#education #grade-inflation #grading-policy

education4 months ago•2 min saved

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.

via The Guardian|

#a-cap #education #grade-inflation

education4 months ago•179 min saved

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.

via CNN|

#education #grade-inflation #grading