HMS researchers have identified genomic regions that contribute to schooling behavior in cavefish, offering new insight into the genetic foundations of the evolutionary pathway of a complex social behavior. Clifford Tabin, chair of the Department of Genetics at HMS and Johanna E. Kowalko, HMS graduate student in genetics, led the research. Abigail Wark, HMS research fellow in genetics, is also quoted.
This Ask an Expert features Orfeu Marcello Buxton, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who answered questions about the causes and health consequences of sleep deficiency, particularly in middle age.
Elif Yavuz, a 33-year-old native of the Netherlands who earned a doctor of science degree from Harvard’s School of Public Health in May, died during the attacks in Nairobi, Harvard officials said. She was expecting to give birth to her first child next month.
David H. Hubel, a Nobel-winning Harvard scientist who helped revolutionize understanding of the brain, died Sunday at the age of 87, his family said. Hubel was the John Franklin Enders Professor of Neurobiology, Emeritus, at HMS.
Older people at risk for osteoporosis are sometimes recommended to get a bone mineral density screening test every two years to see if fractures may occur in the near future. But, a new study suggests screening that often may not be necessary. Sarah Berry, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Hebrew SeniorLife, led the research.
Irving Kirsch, HMS lecturer on medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is the keynote speaker at the Dr. Rogers Prize gala dinner in Canada. The award recognizes people who have made significant contributions to complementary and alternative medicine.
Married cancer patients live longer than single people who have the disease, suggesting that logistical and emotional support from a loved one may be far more critical to cancer care than previously recognized. Ayal A. Aizer, HMS clinical fellow in radiation oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the first author of the study.
Dr. David Hubel, who was half of an enduring scientific team that won a Nobel Prize for explaining how the brain assembles information from the eye’s retina to produce detailed visual images of the world, died on Sunday in Lincoln, Mass. He was 87. Hubel was the John Franklin Enders Professor of Neurobiology, Emeritus, at HMS.
The authors of a paper published in July, which reported significant findings in obesity research, seem to be phantoms. They are not only unknown at the institution listed on the paper, but no trace of them as researchers can be found. Bruce Spiegelman, the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is quoted.
Paul Farmer, Kolokotrones University Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine and head of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, and Joia Mukherjee, associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, coauthored this opinion piece about their recent experience treating Ebola patients in Africa.
Recovery from surgery can be quick and relatively painless for some, but a months-long slog for others. Now, researchers say they may be able figure out ahead of time how long a patient will be laid up after an operation, by looking at their immune cells. Ronald Tompkins, Sumner M. Redstone Professor of Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, is quoted.
