Boston University

Citizen Scientists Are Helping Butterfly Monitoring Take Flight in the Heart of Boston

At the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a BU student-founded program has inspired a growing network of volunteers to track butterflies and understand their ecological impacts

September 23, 2026
How Scientists Are Helping Restore Forests After a Wildfire

Boston University biologist Jennifer Bhatnagar is studying ways to help California and other states recover from—and become more resilient to—catastrophic fires

August 31, 2026
BU Ignition Award Winners’ Innovations Could Reduce Knee Pain, Extend Lives of Cancer Patients, and Propel Underwater Robots

Annual entrepreneurship awards given to research projects ready to make the leap from the lab to real-world impact

September 15, 2026
Indonesian Borneo Wildfires Endanger Orangutans—and Research Station Dedicated to their Conservation

Boston University biological anthropologist Cheryl Knott has spent decades studying the great apes’ habitat in Borneo and says fires may threaten essential food sources

September 18, 2026

Photo: A photograph shows two smiling women standing side by side in a classroom or meeting room. The woman on the left has long, dark curly hair and wears a navy-and-white checkered sweater with light-colored pants. The woman on the right has short, curly gray hair, glasses, and a brightly colored abstract-patterned jacket over blue clothing. Both women face the camera with their arms crossed. Behind them are large whiteboards with faint, indistinct writing, tables with laptops, black chairs, and a partially visible display board or poster along the right edge. The room is brightly lit with neutral gray and white walls.

High-Speed Vehicles

Tiny Water Droplets Can Ground Billion-Dollar Supersonic Vehicles. BU Engineers Are Working to Change That

Research into the physics of fluids could help keep future space and commercial high-speed flights in the air

September 28, 2026

PHOTO: Ed Damiano of Beta Bionics has silvery hair wearing a black t-shirt in a lab office. He's leaning on is left side against a wall with a welcoming casual smile. Photo by Cydney Scott Boston University Photography

Research News

Brink Bites: Major Grant Advances BU Imaging Facilities; a BU-Developed Invention Funds Endowed Professorship

Research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including a series of new grants and insights into military strategy

September 18, 2026

New Video Game Could Help Reveal How People with Autism Perceive the World

Boston University researchers built a game that can be played by people across the autism spectrum—and that could one day help improve the development and testing of new therapies

September 11, 2026
Helping Create Special Education Policies to Benefit Students and Teachers

Researchers at Boston University’s Wheelock Educational Policy Center are studying ways to improve teacher retention and help more kids access special education

September 8, 2026
BU Wheelock Professor Reflects on Serving as Commissioner of the National Center for Special Education Research

Nathan Jones on what he learned from leading a federal agency during a period of change and why researchers—and universities—need to become better public storytellers

September 2, 2026

Boston University Announces New Convergent Research Programs

New funding opportunities and a cluster hiring push are the first projects to emerge from Task Force on Convergent Research and Education’s recommendations

August 12, 2026
Tiny Flecks of Ancient Stardust Offer Clues to Solar System Origins

Boston University research scientist Nan Liu studies presolar grains that predate our world

August 10, 2026
Fragile Manuscripts Hold Hundreds of Years of African and Islamic History

Boston University researchers have digitally preserved more than 52,000 pages of Arabic and Ajami West African literature

August 10, 2026
The Trypanosome Parasite is a Tiny Troublemaker. A New BU Study Delves Into its Inner Workings.

Research highlights an evolutionary quirk—and could open new routes of exploration for stopping life-threatening parasitic diseases

July 30, 2026

Sociology

What Adults Misunderstand About Teen Bullying

BU sociologist Sarah Miller spent two years immersed in a high school and discovered how bullying has evolved online—and what anti-bullying initiatives miss

August 27, 2026

Polarization

Polarized Parents Are Raising Ideologically Divided Kids. How Do We Stop the Cycle?

Boston University’s Kathleen Corriveau, who studies why children believe what they do, says social exposure may be the key to ending the transmission of polarized beliefs

August 4, 2026

BU-Led Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program Receives $31.5 Million Funding Renewal

National Institute on Aging’s five-year grant will help researchers advance understanding of Alzheimer’s and related dementias

July 28, 2026
Why do Mosquitoes Bite Some People More than Others?

Boston University researchers hope the science of smell can help stop mosquito bites—and deadly diseases

July 28, 2026
NSF Awards Boston University $20 Million to Help Create National “Cloud Lab” Network

Automated, AI-driven labs can remotely run experiments for researchers across the country

July 23, 2026
What Motivates Black Women Voters?

In a new study, Boston University political scientist Christine Slaughter explores how Black women viewed Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign

July 20, 2026

Excessive Screen Time Increases Suicidal Thoughts in College Students, Boston University-Led Study Finds

Mental health counseling researcher Seungbin Oh says young cisgender men especially at risk

July 15, 2026
US Sunscreens Just Got More Effective. BU Dermatologist Explains Why

Michael Kwa calls approval of new ingredient, bemotrizinol, exciting for safety

July 14, 2026
NFL Players Four Times More Likely to Die of Diseases Like ALS, Dementia, and Parkinson’s, BU Study Finds

Analysis of nearly 20,000 current and former pro football players connects longer careers to increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases

July 8, 2026

Photo: Summer salad with raspberries

Public Health

As Cyclospora Cases Rise, a BU Expert Explains the Parasite Outbreak

Boston University infectious diseases expert David Hamer on how cases started, how it spreads, and how to protect yourself

July 14, 2026

Photo: An underwater image of dark blue waters looking up at the surface

Marine science

In His New Book, The Dark Frontier, BU Biologist Explores the Deep Sea—and Provides a Warning on Its Future

Jeffrey Marlow combines journalism, historical narrative, and policy work to illuminate the ocean’s depths before they are changed forever

June 11, 2026

Boston University-Led Biopharmaceutical Accelerator Boosts New Drugs’ Chances of Success, Study Finds

CARB-X-backed novel therapeutics to combat antimicrobial resistance are nearly five times more likely to reach clinical development

July 8, 2026
Brink Bites: A Boston Climate Leader and New Oral Cancer Targets

Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including a potential way to help immune cells take down cancer

June 30, 2026
How Augmented Reality Could Help Engineers Better Insulate Older Homes

Technology could make air conditioners, airplanes, and data centers quieter

June 25, 2026
Would Better Hip Care for Young Female Athletes Prevent Pain and Surgery Later in Life?

Most research into athletes’ hips only studies boys and men. With prevention and better training in mind, Boston University’s Cara Lewis is setting out to change that.

June 16, 2026

We Can Predict Space Weather. What If We Could Also Stop It?

Solar flares and geomagnetic storms can kill satellites and mess with GPS. A BU researcher has designed a space-based system to better protect us from rogue interplanetary weather.

June 2, 2026
Squid-Inspired Lab Technology Wins Student Team a Boston University Climate Award

Anthony Janetos Climate Action Prize given to project that makes lab fluid pumps greener, quieter, and cheaper

June 4, 2026
Boston University Joins National Science Foundation Institute Pushing Frontiers of Physics and AI

AI Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions includes MIT, Harvard, and other leading local universities

June 4, 2026
Chances Are You’re Not Carrying the Right Safety Gear When You Hike

Boston University researcher John Lambert asked hundreds of hikers and trail runners what they were carrying on their wilderness treks. Many were less prepared than they should be.

May 26, 2026

Photo: Protesters Demand End to COVID-19 Shutdown in Orlando, US - 17 in Apr 2020

Radicalization

How Do Social Movements Emerge—and Why Do Some Radicalize?

New book, Protests and Radicalization in the Digital Age: The Reopen Movement, explores protest and polarization in the social media era

June 9, 2026

Photo: Boston Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida running after hitting the ball during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies

Baseball

Does Spending Big in Major League Baseball Equal On-Field Success?

Boston University researchers built MLB Toolbox to compare payrolls, performance, and roster value across the league

May 18, 2026

Boston University Researchers Team Up with Massachusetts to Launch New Clean Energy Tools

Collaboration with the state produces online data tools that aim to help cities and towns implement greener energy programs

May 28, 2026
How Worried Should We Be About the Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak?

Boston University researchers are helping track disease’s spread and preparing to test new treatments

May 22, 2026
Measles, Cholera, and Mpox: BU-Based Outbreak Tracker Monitors World’s Most Dangerous Infectious Diseases

In its first year, BEACON has helped direct public health responses globally, monitoring 181 pathogens in 169 countries—and 1 in space

May 18, 2026
Boston University’s Loretta Lees honored by UK’s Royal Geographical Society

Director of Initiative on Cities’ work on gentrification and displacement called “pivotal” to urban geography

May 20, 2026

Should You Accept Internet Cookies? BU Researchers Say the Open Web Could Suffer Without Them

New study finds ad revenue that supports digital publishers and content creators tumbles when cookies are removed

May 14, 2026
Could This King-Size Citrus Fruit Inspire a Better Mobile Phone Case?

New Boston University study tracks America’s avoidable “excess deaths” and pinpoints major causes

May 13, 2026
Heart Attack, Stroke, and Dementia Risk May Be Higher for Older People Who Can’t Afford Dental Care

Boston University researchers find skipping dental procedures due to cost linked to range of health issues

May 7, 2026
Biomedical Engineer Wilson Wong Is Boston University’s Innovator of the Year

Cofounder of three biotech companies is pioneering new therapies for cancer and autoimmune disorders

May 5, 2026

Photo: A stock image of a graveyard in the daylight

Excess Deaths

Why Does the US Have Higher Death Rates than Other Wealthy Nations?

New Boston University study tracks America’s avoidable “excess deaths” and pinpoints major causes

May 8, 2026

Photo: COM professor Ayse Lokmanoglu poses for a photo in a white sweater

Online Polarization

Studying How Online Images Feed Polarization Wins BU Scholar Prestigious Andrew Carnegie Fellowship

Ayse Lokmanoglu aims to help people think more critically about internet content, especially during politically charged moments

May 5, 2026

How the Legal Opium Market Shaped Global Trade—and Led to an Opioid Crisis

BU historian Benjamin R. Siegel’s Markets of Pain charts opium from a commodity in colonial India to fuel for a drug crisis in modern-day America

April 29, 2026
Boston University Linguist Helps Preserve an Endangered Language in Papua New Guinea

Kate Lindsey worked with locals to develop a writing system for Ende and publish one of the first books in the language

April 27, 2026
Brink Bites: Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundation Grant to BU, Widowed Men Have Higher Depression Risk than Women

Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including a Questrom professor named to top global list of up-and-coming management thinkers

April 21, 2026
Could a Retinal Prosthesis Restore Sight for People with Age-Related Macular Degeneration?

Boston University–developed technology could one day bring hope to millions with the incurable disease that’s one of the nation’s leading causes of blindness

April 14, 2026

What Is the Cocktail Party Problem—and Can New Boston University Research Solve It?

Not so fast, says Boston University media historian Charlotte Howell

April 9, 2026
TV Viewership Is Down. The Oscars Are YouTube-Bound. Is TV Dying?

Not so fast, says Boston University media historian Charlotte Howell

April 2, 2026
Two Boston University Researchers Elected AAAS Fellows

Prestigious honor given to neuroscientist who studies diseases of aging and physicist whose work spans medicine to AI

March 30, 2026
Including People with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities in Research That Affects Them

Boston University epidemiologist Eric Rubenstein on why lived experience belongs in the research lab

March 25, 2026

Clergy Burnout

Finding Her Voice, in Song and Healing Research at Boston University

Being an ordained Jewish cantor informs Laura Stein’s studies of clergy burnout

April 7, 2026

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