All posts in Volume 2 Issue 1
Quantum dots, vacuum energy, and microfluidic chips
Every subfield exists to serve its own purpose as well as to augment progress in other subfields. One of the newest embodiments of this mantra is Harvard’s very own Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS).
Young people play bingo, too: Reducing priming effects through mindfulness
This study examined whether mindfulness, or active awareness, could reduce priming effects, the subconscious effects of stimuli on one’s behavior. With a sample of 39 undergraduates, we replicated an earlier study demonstrating the effect of priming the elderly stereotype through a word task on participants’ walk speed, and extended it by introducing a mindfulness manipulation through the task instructions given.
Evolution of marine cyanobacteria in the Red Sea
This research investigated the genetic compositions of multiple Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus species isolated from the Red Sea to determine how the organisms have evolved to nitrogen stress conditions and therefore differ from cyanobacteria found in other bodies of water.
Elasticity in ionically cross-linked neurofilament networks
This behavior is comparable to that of actin-binding proteins in reconstituted filamentous actin. We show that the elasticity of neurofilament networks is entropic in origin and is consistent with a model for cross-linked semiflexible networks, which we use to quantify the cross-linking by divalent ions.
Searching for life’s origins, on Earth and beyond
Since the beginning of recorded history, the questions “How did life begin?” and “Are we alone in the universe?” have mystified humans, dominating religious and political debate. Today, Harvard scientists from across four major disciplines have united to grapple with the same age-old questions, using innovative new technologies.