On the cover: Illustration by Taylor Callery
Cambridge 02138
Readers’ views on gender gaps, freedom of speech, an editor’s farewell, the hippocampus, Alice Hamilton, standing up to the Trump administration, and more
On Permanence
Back to campus, and to challenging conversations
July-August 2025
On the cover: Illustration by Taylor Callery
The Standoff: Harvard’s Future in the Balance
Introducing a guide to the issues, players, and stakes
Harvard’s Standoff: The Fight’s Key Players
The people shaping the battle over federal funding, international students, and DEI
Harvard’s Standoff: The Financial Stakes
Putting Harvard’s $53 billion endowment into perspective
Meet the Lawyers Behind the Harvard v. Trump Lawsuit
A roster of lawyers on both sides
Harvard’s Standoff: The Research At Risk
A sampling of the 1,000-plus University studies canceled by federal funding cuts
Harvard’s Standoff: The International Students
Research, revenue, and global standing are all on the line.
The Professor Who Quantified Democracy
Erica Chenoweth’s data shows how—and when—authoritarians fall.
A Justice’s Modest Counsel
Remembering David Souter ’61, LL.B. ’66
Celebrating Integrity
Harvard passes a test of its values, yet challenges loom.
RIGHT NOW Harvard research and ideas
Can Citrus Stave Off Depression?
A research study digs into the gut microbiome.
How AI energy demand costs consumers
Utilities shift AI infrastructure costs onto consumers.
A Space-Age Project for Harvard’s Plant Collection
Light-based analysis of botanical collections link plants to Earth’s changing climate.
John Harvard's Journal University news
Agree to Disagree
The Undergraduate asks if intellectualism is really on life support.
Nicole Maestas
The Harvard health economist not afraid to get in the weeds
Harvard Releases Antisemitism and Anti-Muslim Task Force Reports
The two reports find similar problems but, at times, work against each other.
Yesterday’s News
Including profundity and pretzels
News In Brief
New leaders, fresh funding cuts, and evolving policies
Montage Books, creative arts, performance, and more
Sister Acts and Cyanotypes
Julia Rooney’s paintings cross the analog-digital divide.
Activism, Then and Now
A retrospective on resistance
Reconstructing the Berlin Wall
David Leo Rice explores the strange, unseen forces shaping our world.
Dollar Dramas
The preeminence of U.S. currency at risk
Off the Shelf
The wealth gap, shamanism, the life of David Nathan, and more
On the Margins
Filmmaker John Armstrong’s “outdoor adventures” find the human spirit.
Harvard SquaredWhat to do in Boston, Cambridge, and beyond
No More [Lovin’ That] Dirty Water
Enjoying the Boston Harbor’s Renaissance This Summer
Salsa Squared
Latin dancing fills the streets in Harvard Square
Use your Imagination
I Spy Creator Walter Wick at the Norman Rockwell Museum
University People Harvardians far and wide
Making Money Funny
Matt Levine’s spunky Bloomberg column
New Overseers and HAA Directors Announced
Alumni showed increased interest in this year’s elections.
Harvard Medalists
Four people honored for exceptional service to the University
Saluting the 2025 Centennial Medalists
Four alumni of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are honored.
Stand-Up to Simmer Down
In comedy groups, students find ways to be absurd, present, and a little less self-conscious.
Tips of the Hat(s)
On regalia, a Jack-of-all-trades retirement, and a Bok’s office bon mot.
Pony Plunges
Scrapbooking a woman who rode horses into the sea
