Daniel Mason, an acclaimed novelist and psychiatrist, never envisioned writing a comedy until he created the character Miles. His fifth novel, “Country People,” begins with an academic and her family leaving California for her professorship in rural Vermont. The narrative focuses on her husband, Miles, who struggles to adapt to small-town life while working on…

Harvard University is against proposed changes to federal-grant guidelines that could politicize the funding process, hinder scientific and health advancements, and threaten national security and competitiveness. On May 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and federal grantmaking bodies suggested a major revision to the Uniform Guidance, the framework for federal grant reviews, awards,…

Dimitri Bertsekas PhD ’71, a prominent figure in computer science and an esteemed author, passed away at 83 on June 3 at his residence in Belmont, Massachusetts. Bertsekas held the title of Jerry McAfee (1940) Emeritus Professor in Engineering at MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was a principal investigator at the Laboratory…

During my initial semester as a faculty member, I realized that most of my stress was not from teaching but from lacking effective systems. I faced numerous minor decisions like responding to student emails, handling extension requests, managing absent students, organizing course materials, and safeguarding research time amid a fragmented schedule. Though each decision seemed…

In the late 1970s, the United States experienced a pivotal realization. For many years, the food industry thrived on convenience and variety, largely without strong public health oversight. The 1977 McGovern Report officially highlighted the long-term costs of diets based on processed foods. The food sector responded by focusing on marketability. When the public was…

Researchers from Mass General Brigham have found that nearly a third of American adults without heart disease, and almost 80% of those who have suffered a heart attack or stroke, have LDL cholesterol levels exceeding the targets set by the new 2026 American cholesterol guidelines. The study, published in JAMA, highlights that around 75% of…

Stars and galaxies account for much of the universe’s visible matter, yet scientists have long puzzled over a discrepancy: there appears to be more matter than what is observed. Physicists estimate that shortly after the Big Bang, about 83% of the universe’s matter was dark matter, with the rest being ordinary matter. However, the quantity…

The Food and Drug Administration approved bemotrizinol (BEMT) as the first new sunscreen ingredient in 20 years. Dermatologists and oncologists welcomed the decision, highlighting its superior and longer-lasting protection compared to existing U.S. sunscreens. This approval comes amid rising melanoma rates. Hillary Tsibris, a Harvard Medical School assistant professor of dermatology, discussed the significance of…

This summer marks 100 years since the SAT was first introduced. The test, a well-known challenge for high schoolers, has evolved several times since its 1926 debut, with Harvard playing a pivotal role in its development as a measure of academic readiness for college applicants. The SAT, the flagship product of the College Board —…

Colson Whitehead, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, returns with “Cool Machine,” the concluding book in his Harlem trilogy. Whitehead, who won the Pulitzers for “The Underground Railroad” (2017) and “The Nickel Boys” (2020), focuses on Ray Carney, a Harlem furniture dealer entangled with criminal activities in the 1980s. In an interview, Whitehead shared insights about…