Features
All Features
-
Winter 2025 January 2025
Decoding the Chemistry of the Microbiome
Scientists zoom in on microbial messages at the molecular level to understand how the microbiome shapes health
Feature -
Autumn 2024 October 2024
How Generative AI Is Transforming Medical Education
Harvard Medical School is building artificial intelligence into the curriculum to train the next generation of doctors
Feature -
Autumn 2024 October 2024
Did AI Solve the Protein-Folding Problem?
Now that AlphaFold has tackled biology’s greatest challenge, scientists can turn to even bigger questions
Feature -
Autumn 2024 October 2024
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
Feature -
Summer 2024 August 2024
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.
Feature -
Summer 2024 July 2024
Navigating the Uncertainties of Medicine
Embracing the unknown isn’t easy for either patients or doctors. HMS researchers are trying to help.
Feature -
Spring 2024 June 2024
Making Sense of Interoception
How we perceive what’s happening inside our bodies and what that means for our health
Feature -
Spring 2024 May 2024
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
Feature -
Spring 2024 April 2024
The Connections Between Smell, Memory, and Health
The ability of odors to bring to mind past experiences has intriguing scientific and therapeutic implications
Feature -
Spring 2024 March 2024
How Music Resonates in the Brain
Scientists tune in to the brain’s emotional response to music
Feature -
February 2024 Winter 2024
Shared Identity and the Doctor-Patient Relationship
Patients with demographically similar physicians tend to report increased satisfaction. Do they also have better health outcomes?
Feature -
February 2024 Winter 2024
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
Feature -
Nature, Nurture Winter 2024
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.
Feature -
December 2023 Winter 2023
Dyslexia and the Developing Brain
Research on dyslexia is identifying the many factors — neural to societal — that are linked to the condition
Feature -
The Heart Issue October 2023
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.
Feature -
The Heart Issue October 2023
Heart-Brain Health: A Two-Way Street
The health of the cardiovascular system is linked to the health of the brain — and vice versa
Feature -
The Heart Issue October 2023
COVID’s Damage Lingers in the Heart
Researchers increasingly find that the effects of infection by SARS-CoV-2 extend to the cardiovascular system
Feature -
The Heart Issue October 2023
What We Get When We Give
In addition to helping others, kindness can benefit one's health
Feature -
Nature, Nurture Summer 2023
A Walk in the Woods May Boost Mental Health
Many physicians are prescribing time in nature as balm for the brain
Feature -
Youth and Mental Health Spring 2023
Alone in the Crowd
Loneliness among young people is on the rise, sparking concerns over possible damage to their mental and physical health
Feature