Harvard Medicine Magazine
From connectomics to hidden signs of consciousness, researchers are finding new ways to map the mechanics of thought
By Studying Fruit Flies, Rachel Wilson Is Changing How We Understand the Brain
Research on navigation in Drosophila melanogaster reveals fundamental principles about how nervous systems operate
Millions Already Turn to AI for Therapy. Is It Safe?
Researchers are working to make AI tools used for mental health support safer, smarter, and grounded in the full picture of a person’s life
The Covert Consciousness Dilemma
The discovery of hidden awareness in seemingly unresponsive patients is raising pressing questions in brain injury care
More from this issue
Reconsidering the Causes of Schizophrenia
Discovering a sensory quirk in patients sent Robert Freedman on a decades-long quest for genetic and biological clues
What Happens to the Brain Under Anesthesia
When nobody could explain exactly how anesthesia renders a person unconscious, Emery Brown went looking for answers
The Connectome 2.0 Scanner Captures the Brain in Unprecedented Detail
A one-of-a-kind MRI machine helps researchers see the relationship between the structure of the brain and how it functions
Alumni on the Advice They Wish They’d Received in Medical School
From career anxiety to finding community, HMS graduates pass along wisdom to help future students thrive
Fact and Fiction
Pediatricians Adapt to Changing Attitudes Toward Vaccines
In a new era of parental vaccine hesitancy, how can physicians rebuild trust?
Is There a Crisis of Trust in Science and Medicine?
Surveys of shifting U.S. attitudes reveal concerning trends — and some surprises
Confronting a Rising Tide of Cancer Misinformation
As patients take to social media for medical advice, doctors’ empathy and trust-building skills are more important than ever, says oncologist Samyukta Mullangi
The Surprising Demographics of Physician Mortality
Women outlive men — but not in medicine
Cancer Journeys
Building Cancer Care from the Ground Up in Rwanda
Fifteen years ago, a cancer diagnosis was essentially a death sentence in Rwanda. Today, the country’s Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence is a model for global cancer care.
Who Will Care for Cancer Survivors?
A growing number of patients living with and after cancer are shuffled between oncology and primary care. Can survivorship be transformed for both patients and physicians?
The Neuroscience of Cancer
Scientists are making surprising discoveries about the connections between cancer and the nervous system
A Biologist on the Mysteries of Regeneration
A conversation with Jessica Whited, associate professor of stem cell and regenerative biology