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In Focus

In Focus

A curated examination of Harvard’s research, scholarly work, and community.

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In Focus archives


HIV/AIDS

December 2024

For more than 40 years, the Harvard community has been working to understand the disease and treat those affected. Now, with life-changing treatments available and potential cures on the horizon, we may be entering a new phase of the epidemic.

Food

November 2024

Food nourishes us, inspires us, and brings us together. The Harvard community is exploring nutrition, sustainability, and the science behind the things we eat.

The Enhanced Body

November 2024

From glasses and hearing aids to responsive prosthetics and 3D-printed organs, assistive body augmentations have changed the way we live.

Veterans

November 2024

Harvard celebrates the long, proud legacy of students and alumni who answer the call to military service.

Voting

November 2024

Harvard experts look at the state of voting in the 21st century, and how participation is shaped by education, technology, and other historical forces.

Forests

October 2024

From sprawling jungles to city parks, forests are complex ecosystems that support the livelihoods of flora, fauna, humans, and the planet.

Nobels at Harvard

October 2024

Established in 1895 by the Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite Alfred Bernhard Nobel, the Nobel Prize is an annual award acknowledging outstanding contributions to physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace.

Harvard in the World

October 2024

Harvard faculty, students, and alumni compose a global network of researchers, scholars, and practitioners exploring and contributing to health, law, religion, social science, government, education, business, art, news, justice, design, and the environment around the world.

Water

September 2024

The Harvard community is exploring ways to ensure that the world’s water—from the vast oceans to a glass of tap water—is healthful, unpolluted, and abundant.

Housing

September 2024

In the average lifetime, a person spends 65% of their time inside their home. Harvard scholars are studying how to improve and evolve this critical part of our lives.

Welcome to Harvard

August 2024

Where world-class faculty, innovative research, and dynamic students come together to advance education and foster change in the world.

The Brain

August 2024

Since founding the world’s first neurobiology department in 1966, Harvard has been a hub for researchers who aspire to understand how the brain works, and clinician-scientists who are driven to fix it when it doesn’t.

The Olympics

July 2024

At the 2024 Paris Games, members of the Harvard community will add to the University’s Olympics history, which dates back to the first modern games in 1896.

Get reading this summer with classic must-reads, titles from faculty authors, and favorites from across the Harvard community.

The Senses

June 2024

Our senses help us experience the world around us. Harvard researchers are working to understand, improve, and replicate these sensory organs.

Physical Fitness

June 2024

Exercise—from gentle stretching to high-intensity training—is not only important for physical health, but Harvard experts are finding benefits for stress, memory, mood, and more.

Join the celebration for Harvard University’s 373rd Commencement and explore the amazing scholarship of our graduates.

Climate Solutions

April 2024

Faculty and students from across the Harvard community are working on ways to address climate change and its effects.

Space

April 2024

Harvard researchers are asking the big questions about the universe, building tools to answer them, and sharing their discoveries with the world.

Earth Science

March 2024

Harvard’s researchers are exploring Earth’s past, predicting its future, and working to understand the hidden mysteries of our home.

Museums

February 2024

Once simple cabinets of curiosity, museums have grown into institutes for preserving, studying, and displaying science, history, and art. Today, as culture-defining institutions, they are working to incorporate more voices and reckon with past practices.

Immune System

February 2024

From fending off the common cold to attacking cancer cells, the immune system is an incredibly complicated and crucial part of our survival.

The Harvard community is exploring what civil discourse is, why it’s important, and how we can foster it.

Research in 2023

January 2024

We look back on the scholarship, breakthroughs, innovations, and awards from the Harvard community in 2023.

Artificial Intelligence

December 2023

From health care to education, policy to art, artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our world and our daily lives. Are we ready?

Transportation

November 2023

Harvard experts are exploring planes, trains, and automobiles in their quest to innovate green travel, improve public transportation, and discover the future of getting from place to place.

Early Development

November 2023

The Harvard community is exploring the vital, early years to better understand how we can give all children the best start in life.

Architecture

October 2023

From the enduring wonders of the ancient world to the buildings where we all live and work, architecture is an extraordinary, quotidian art form. Join Harvard experts in exploring the past, present, and future of the built environment.

Revisit the celebration of Harvard’s 30th president and explore nearly four centuries of leadership at the University.

Every day, Harvard students, faculty, staff, and alumni all across the globe use their time and talents to serve the public good.

Games

August 2023

Games are where work, play, and art meet. Harvard experts are exploring how playing games can help people develop practical skills, make tough decisions, and connect with others.

Microorganisms

July 2023

Harvard experts are exploring how we can work with, defend against, and harness the capabilities of the estimated five nonillion microbes living on Earth today.

Happiness

July 2023

What is the key to finding happiness? The Harvard community explores the physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of living a life filled with joy.

Libraries

June 2023

A library’s purpose is as varied as the collections within it. From championing curiosity to preserving history, these institutions are vital to so many communities.

Join the celebrations for Harvard University’s 372nd Commencement.

Climate Action

May 2023

From emissions to the global food supply to policy research, Harvard experts are using interdisciplinary approaches to foster real results for the planet.

This month we celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Harvard’s Asian and Pacific Island communities.

Cities

April 2023

More than just home to half of the world’s population, cities are engines of economic growth, drivers of design, and centers of public health progress.

Sleep

March 2023

The Harvard community explores this state of rest, its many benefits and functions, and what we can do to ensure that we’re getting enough of it.

Performing Arts

March 2023

Whether it’s dance, theater, or musical performance, the Harvard community hits just the right note on all of our campus stages, creating vibrant, innovative experiences for patrons in our neighborhood and around the world.

The Great Migration

February 2023

Harvard experts explore the migration of millions of African Americans from the South to urban hubs in the Northeast, Midwest, and West, one of the largest internal migrations in American history.

Love

February 2023

While love is often associated with romance, it also applies to our passion for friendship, creativity, and connection. Members of the Harvard community are researching the science of love, exploring love in all aspects of our lives, and offering help, advice, and support on how to build a love-filled life.

Weather

February 2023

Explore how weather—the everyday atmospheric events that become climate’s long-term patterns—impacts our health and wellness, and what we can do to combat the challenges of extreme weather.

Healthy Living

January 2023

What is the secret to living a healthy life? Harvard experts explore the decisions we can make every day to ensure that we are prioritizing our health and wellbeing.

Celebrating a century and a half of groundbreaking work in the arts, sciences, and everything in between

2022 in Review

December 2022

Together we celebrated, innovated, and persevered as we encountered new challenges and opportunities. Join us in reflecting on some of the most memorable moments.

Gadgets

December 2022

Humankind has always strived for a reach that exceeds its grasp, and since time immemorial we’ve pushed past our limitations with the help of gadgets!

Language

December 2022

Languages allow us to express ourselves, create change, and share knowledge with people around the world and across time. Our Harvard experts look at the history, power, and science behind these systems of communication.

The Future of Democracy

November 2022

Democratic countries have long balanced stability and unrest. Are we at an inflection point?

With the crisis upon us, the Harvard community is advancing and catalyzing research across all of our Schools to create comprehensive University-wide environmental education and real-world climate solutions.

Migration

October 2022

As the globe faces uneven economic opportunity, violent conflicts, and escalating climate volatility, migration increasingly touches nearly all of our lives.

Hispanic Heritage Month

September 2022

This month we celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Harvard’s Spanish, Mexican, Caribbean, Central and South American communities.

Informed Aging

September 2022

The Harvard community explores the physical, spiritual, and intellectual aspects of growing older.

Arboretum Anniversary

August 2022

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of Harvard’s 281-acre living museum. Free and open every day, the Arnold Arboretum engages the public through educational opportunities and programs for all ages.

Changing Economics

August 2022

Far more than theory, the principles of economics are constantly evolving to help solve pressing societal problems, from inflation to income inequality.

Harvard experts are pushing digital and physical accessibility forward, because a more accessible world is a better world for everyone.

Juneteenth

June 2022

“Then, thenceforward, and forever free”
These words, issued on January 1, 1863 in the Emancipation Proclamation, were finally heard by the enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865. Join the Harvard community in celebrating and exploring the history of Juneteenth.

Celebrating Pride

June 2022

Meet students and faculty members, explore lessons from history, and discover what is happening today in the LGBTQ+ community.

Highlighting the accomplishments and celebrating the bright futures of Harvard’s Class of 2022.

Mental Health

May 2022

The Harvard community is exploring how we cope with, manage, and understand mental health and how it impacts our lives.

Music

April 2022

Whether through dance, song, instruments, or voice, music provides us with a universal language. Experts from the Harvard community explore how music aids in learning, improves well-being, and fosters social change.

Quantum Everything

March 2022

The word “quantum” can cause shrugs in even highly educated shoulders, but with a “discrete quantity” of knowledge, quantum physics, and the technologies based on it, can be illuminated for everyone.

The Pandemic Years

March 2022

Living through a pandemic for more than two years has highlighted how connected we are, how resilient we can be, and how far we still have to go for an equitable world.

As staff members, then as students and faculty, the women of Harvard paved the way for the next generation, and continue to carve new paths today.

Animal Magnetism

February 2022

Our neighbors in the animal kingdom have always fascinated, confused, and inspired us. Through research and observation, we can better understand them and ourselves.

Black History Month

February 2022

After receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912, Carter Woodson became known as the “Father of Black history,” launching Negro History Week, which later expanded into Black History Month.

Resolutions

January 2022

Whether you want to make small improvements to your lifestyle or treat yourself to some self-care, the Harvard community can help you start something new this year.

Looking Back at 2021

December 2021

From accomplishments and awards to viruses and vaccines, we’re reflecting on everything that happened this year.

Oceans

December 2021

While more than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by its oceans, nearly 80% of that remains unexplored. Harvard experts are investigating the mysteries of the deep, diving into the impact of climate change, and searching for answers only found beneath our ocean’s waters.

The Future of Work

December 2021

The global pandemic changed the way we work and how our workplaces function. Our experts investigate what changes may be here to stay and what else to expect in the future.

A Season of Gratitude

November 2021

Harvard experts say gratitude is not only beneficial for individual health, but also for the wellbeing of society.

Harvard, like so many American institutions, is addressing its uneven history with Native American people while also nurturing the next generations of Native students.

Happy Halloween

October 2021

With haunted houses and ghost stories, pumpkins and candy corn, we’re wishing you a Happy Halloween.

Space

October 2021

Research and scholarship at Harvard is designed to ask big questions about the universe, build the tools needed to answer them, and share the resulting discoveries with the world.

Misinformation and disinformation aren’t new, but digital and social media are allowing misleading, false, and harmful content to spread at a rate that is endangering society.

Heart Health

September 2021

Exploring research being done on this vital organ and highlighting studies aimed at keeping it strong and supported.

Vaccines

September 2021

The COVID-19 vaccine is just the most recent in Harvard’s long history of researching, treating, and helping to eradicate illnesses and diseases.

Remembering September 11

September 2021

A look back at the day that changed America.

The ideas, research, and actions from across Harvard University aimed at making education a pathway to success for everyone

At 140 years old at the time of the American Revolution, Harvard—and members of the Harvard community—played an important role in the country’s early history

The ideas, research, and actions from across Harvard University aimed at creating equitable opportunities for success and prosperity

Highlighting the accomplishments and celebrating the bright futures of Harvard’s Class of 2021

Although the practices of mindfulness and meditation are thousands of years old, research on their health benefits is relatively new, but promising

Infrastructure

April 2021

We asked three Harvard experts to explain the basics of infrastructure to help inform the national conversation

The ideas, research, and actions from across Harvard University aimed at finding solutions to climate change, pollution, and environmental contamination for all communities

The ideas, research, and actions from across Harvard University aimed at making democracy, democratic institutions, and elections more representative

The ideas, research, and actions from across Harvard University for creating a more equitable criminal justice system

Responding to COVID-19

February 2021

As a deadly new virus spread across the globe, the Harvard community quickly became a hub for researchers, hospitals, and institutes to share their resources and findings.