Nosiness
Conservation
River Herring in Martha’s Vineyard Are Disappearing. A BU Marine Biologist Is Trying to Help Save Them
Maria Abate and her students are working with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) on Martha’s Vineyard to track—and protect—the dwindling migratory river herring population
Mental Health
Can Art Help Doctors Improve Mental Health Care for Non-English Speakers?
BU student researcher develops comic-style graphics for Boston Medical Center immigrant health unit
Partisan Politics
You’ve Heard of Red States and Blue States. But What About Red and Blue Neighborhoods?
Research by BU political scientist and Andrew Carnegie Fellowship winner Jacob Brown shows that where you live might have a lot of influence on partisan divides and how you vote
Alzheimer’s Disease
What a Newly Approved Blood Test Means for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s
BU researcher and physician Wendy Qiu says Lumipulse can help with clinical trials and screening for early cognitive impairment
Politics
BU Historian’s New Book Traces the Rise of Today’s Far-Right Movement
The New York Times calls Hayek’s Bastards by Quinn Slobodian a “riveting read” and “illuminating history”
Marine Biology
Protecting Maine’s Coastal Heritage—and Her Own
Student researcher and daughter of a lobsterman Sierra Koerber-Marx (CAS’26) dives to help save sugar kelp in a changing ocean
AI and Stolen Art
Using AI to Identify Plundered Antiquities
BU archaeologists use machine learning algorithm to help identify stolen Cambodian statues
NEIDL
Renowned Virologist Robert A. Davey to Lead NEIDL, BU’s Infectious Diseases Research Hub
An expert on virus-host interactions and antiviral drug discovery, Davey says NEIDL will continue to focus on conducting “creative, inventive science in the safest ways possible”
Encryption
Our Online World Relies on Encryption. What Happens If It Fails?
Quantum computers will make traditional data encryption techniques obsolete; BU researchers have turned to physics to come up with better defenses
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From Wedding Attire to Living Room Curtains: A BU Scholar Is Unraveling the History of Brocade Weaving in Morocco
Iconic throughout history, richly woven silk brocade fabrics have evolved in purpose and utility, but a BU Fulbright Scholar is finding how the traditions are still alive today
May 31, 2025 -
What to Make of the Recent COVID Vaccine Guidance Changes—and Will You Be Eligible for a Shot This Fall?
BU infectious diseases doctor and researcher Nahid Bhadelia says a lot of people still qualify for shots, advises patients to talk with their physician
2May 28, 2025 -
Finding Non-Opioid Solutions for Low Back Pain
A robotic exosuit trial is the latest research coming out of the BU Physical Therapy Center
May 21, 2025 -
BU Students Win Janetos Climate Action Prize for Uncovering Air Quality Gaps Between Old and New Campus Buildings
Using student-designed, low-cost sensors, the team hopes to help improve classroom air quality
2May 22, 2025
CTE
NIH Awards $15M to BU-Led Effort to Diagnose CTE During Life
New study to look for potential biomarkers of progressive brain disease; former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck among the first to sign up
Research News
Brink Bites: Tracking Endangered Frogs, Why Concentration Wanders, Studying Kids’ Beliefs
Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including an AI system for detecting frog calls, a study of disrupted attention, and a project to examine children’s belief formation
Carbon Credits
Do Forest Carbon Credits Work and Actually Help the Environment?
BU environmental ecologist and alum scientist team up for study of forest carbon credits and recommend ways to boost schemes’ potential to offset emissions
Autism
What Causes Autism? And Is There an Autism Epidemic, as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Says?
BU researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg founded the Coalition of Autism Scientists to advocate for robust research on the disorder—and counter myths and misinformation
Infectious Diseases
What’s It Like to Be an Infectious Diseases Outbreak Responder?
In a public education event at Boston’s Museum of Science, BU’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases experts empower people to make tough decisions
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Pulmonologist Darrell Kotton Is BU’s Innovator of the Year
Regenerative medicine researcher is recognized for his work in pioneering lung disease treatments with stem cell technology and accelerating scientific discovery with open-access resources
2May 1, 2025 -
Massachusetts Could See Drastic, Cascading Economic Downturn from New Trump Policies, BU Study Finds
Questrom’s Mark Williams says a combination of tariff hikes, federal funding cuts, and crackdown on immigration could cost state billions in lost growth
4May 2, 2025 -
Native Ads Are Shaping Climate Opinions. BU Researchers Say There’s a Way to Resist
A new BU study examines how fossil fuel ads can masquerade as news stories, and the techniques being used to recognize them
April 24, 2025 -
“Everyday Discrimination” Linked to Increased Anxiety and Depression Across All Groups of Americans
BU public health expert says that discrimination isn’t just an unpleasant experience, but has real health consequences
1April 30, 2025
Suicide
Red Sox Player Jarren Duran’s Suicide Attempt Admission Praised by BU Trauma Expert for Helping with Stigma
Epidemiologist, and director of BU’s Center for Trauma and Mental Health, Jaimie Gradus says “predicting suicide is a challenge”
Global Health
BU Launches an Open-Source Infectious Diseases Monitoring Tool Powered by AI and Human Experts
The Biothreats Emergence, Analysis and Communications Network (BEACON) is slated to become a global hub for critical information about emerging outbreaks
Elections
How Could the SAVE Act Impact Young Voters and Married People Who’ve Changed Their Name?
BU political scientist Christine Slaughter says that changing the electoral process can deter people from the polls
Hearing Loss
Trouble Hearing in Noisy Places and Crowded Spaces? Researchers Say New BU-Developed Algorithm Could Help Hearing Aid Users
Brain-inspired algorithm could improve word recognition accuracy in noisy situations by up to 40 percentage points, potentially helping with the so-called “cocktail party problem”
Awards
Guggenheim Fellowships Awarded to Six BU Researchers and Scholars
Winners, recognized as “visionary scientists, scholars, writers, and artists,” will use honor to support work on artificial intelligence, space science, American history, and more
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Microbes Reveal Clues About Extraterrestrial Life
BU student Natalie Lett explains the science behind biologist Jeffrey J. Marlow’s research into “extremophile” life
April 16, 2025 -
BU Sociologist and Her Students Train as Doulas to Help Inform Research on Pregnancy and Childbirth
Celeste Curington argues these care workers play an important advocacy role, especially in BIPOC communities where “birth is literally a battle”
1April 10, 2025 -
Aphasia Robs Millions of Communication. Boston University Is Helping Them Regain Their Voice
Treatments, informed by research, make BU and Sargent College a leader in combating the neurological disorder
April 7, 2025 -
“The Trade Deficit Isn’t an Emergency—It’s a Sign of America’s Strength,” Writes BU Economist
Tarek Alexander Hassan says the US trade deficit shows the country’s financial and technological ascendancy and that high tariffs may erode pillars of American economic dominance
2April 8, 2025
Research News
Brink Bites: A Super Jupiter, the Ethics of BU’s Lobster Night, the Toll of Boston’s Traffic
Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including a fresh look at a gas giant, calculating deaths caused by vehicle emissions, and an undergraduate’s study of a campus dining tradition
Mental Health
BU Researcher Teams Up with Boston’s Fathers’ UpLift to Support Black Men’s Mental Health
Trauma expert Daniel Jacobson López will help reduce mental health care stigma and train culturally competent clinicians
Browse Sections
Arts & Humanities
- From Wedding Attire to Living Room Curtains: A BU Scholar Is Unraveling the History of Brocade Weaving in Morocco
- Guggenheim Fellowships Awarded to Six BU Researchers and Scholars
- Brink Bites: Studying Cigarette Restrictions, the Life of a Famed Poet, and Shifting Attitudes Toward Capitalism
Business
- Massachusetts Could See Drastic, Cascading Economic Downturn from New Policies, BU Study Finds
- Native Ads Are Shaping Climate Opinions. BU Researchers Say There’s a Way to Resist
- “The Trade Deficit Isn’t an Emergency—It’s a Sign of America’s Strength,” Writes BU Economist
Engineering & Computing
- Our Online World Relies on Encryption. What Happens If It Fails?
- Using AI to Identify Plundered Antiquities
- BU Students Win Janetos Climate Action Prize for Uncovering Air Quality Gaps Between Old and New Campus Buildings
Health & Medicine
- Can Art Help Doctors Improve Mental Health Care for Non-English Speakers?
- What a Newly Approved Blood Test Means for Diagnosing Alzheimer’s
- What to Make of the Recent COVID Vaccine Guidance Changes—and Will You Be Eligible for a Shot This Fall?
Innovation
- Renowned Virologist Robert A. Davey to Lead NEIDL, BU’s Infectious Diseases Research Hub
- BU Students Win Janetos Climate Action Prize for Uncovering Air Quality Gaps Between Old and New Campus Buildings
- Native Ads Are Shaping Climate Opinions. BU Researchers Say There’s a Way to Resist
Natural Sciences
- River Herring in Martha’s Vineyard Are Disappearing. A BU Marine Biologist Is Trying to Help Save Them
- Protecting Maine’s Coastal Heritage—and Her Own
- Our Online World Relies on Encryption. What Happens If It Fails?
Research Accolades
- Brink Bites: Tracking Endangered Frogs, Why Concentration Wanders, Studying Kids’ Beliefs
- Pulmonologist Darrell Kotton Is BU’s Innovator of the Year
- Guggenheim Fellowships Awarded to Six BU Researchers and Scholars
Social Sciences
- You’ve Heard of Red States and Blue States. But What About Red and Blue Neighborhoods?
- BU Historian’s New Book Traces the Rise of Today’s Far Right Movement
- Brink Bites: Tracking Endangered Frogs, Why Concentration Wanders, Studying Kids’ Beliefs