Features

Decoding the Chemistry of the Microbiome

Scientists zoom in on microbial messages at the molecular level to understand how the microbiome shapes health

• Discovery

How Generative AI Is Transforming Medical Education

Harvard Medical School is building artificial intelligence into the curriculum to train the next generation of doctors

• Medical Education
• AI

Did AI Solve the Protein-Folding Problem?

Now that AlphaFold has tackled biology’s greatest challenge, scientists can turn to even bigger questions

• AI
• Discovery
• Biological Sciences

Designing Brain-Computer Interfaces That Connect Neurons to the Digital World

Twenty years after meeting at HMS, two alumni are at the leading edge of efforts to use minimally invasive neural implants to improve human health

• Neuroscience
• AI

What a Polygenic Risk Score Can and Can’t Tell You

Scientists have made great strides in predicting the genetic risk of common diseases. Figuring out what to do with that information may be just as hard.

• Genetics
• Clinical Practice

Navigating the Uncertainties of Medicine

Embracing the unknown isn’t easy for either patients or doctors. HMS researchers are trying to help.

• Clinical Practice

Making Sense of Interoception

How we perceive what’s happening inside our bodies and what that means for our health

• Neuroscience
• Discovery

The Limits of Computer Vision, and of Our Own

In fields such as radiology, AI models can help compensate for the shortcomings of human vision but have weaknesses of their own

• AI
• Neuroscience

The Connections Between Smell, Memory, and Health

The ability of odors to bring to mind past experiences has intriguing scientific and therapeutic implications

• Neuroscience
• Mental Health

How Music Resonates in the Brain

Scientists tune in to the brain’s emotional response to music

• Art and Medicine
• Neuroscience

Shared Identity and the Doctor-Patient Relationship

Patients with demographically similar physicians tend to report increased satisfaction. Do they also have better health outcomes?

• Health Equity
• Clinical Practice

Language Barriers in the Clinic Could Harm Children's Health

Children who speak Indigenous and minority languages may be less likely to get the care they need to thrive

• Health Equity
• Global Health
• Clinical Practice

As Youth Demand Climate Action in Court, Doctors Bear Witness

A youth-led legal movement centers on the fundamental right to a healthy climate. Some physicians are providing key evidence to support these claims.

• Environment and Health
• Science and Society

Dyslexia and the Developing Brain

Research on dyslexia is identifying the many factors — neural to societal — that are linked to the condition

• Neuroscience
• Pediatrics

With A-Fib on the Rise, Researchers Work to Fine-Tune Treatments

Atrial fibrillation is an electrical malfunction. But what triggers it remains a mystery.

• Cardiology

Heart-Brain Health: A Two-Way Street

The health of the cardiovascular system is linked to the health of the brain — and vice versa

• Cardiology
• Neuroscience

COVID’s Damage Lingers in the Heart

Researchers increasingly find that the effects of infection by SARS-CoV-2 extend to the cardiovascular system

• Cardiology
• Infectious Disease

What We Get When We Give

In addition to helping others, kindness can benefit one's health

• Healthy Living
• Cardiology
• Mental Health

A Walk in the Woods May Boost Mental Health

Many physicians are prescribing time in nature as balm for the brain

• Healthy Living
• Mental Health

Alone in the Crowd

Loneliness among young people is on the rise, sparking concerns over possible damage to their mental and physical health

• Mental Health
• Pediatrics