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A diverse group of adults and children holding hands, standing on varying levels against a light blue background.

Why America’s Strategy For Reducing Racial Inequality Failed

Harvard professor Christina Cross debunks the myth of the two-parent Black family.

by Saima Sidik

Hyman professor of chemistry Charles Lieber has created a transistor so small it can be used to penetrate cell membranes and probe their interiors, without disrupting function. The transistor (yellow) sits near the bend in a hairpin-shaped, lipid-coated silicon nanowire. Its scale is similar to that of intra-cellular structures such as organelles (pink and blue orbs) and actin filaments (pink strand).

Charles Lieber's nanoscale transistors can enter cells without harming them

Chemist Charles Lieber and his colleagues have developed a nanoscale transistor so small it can enter, probe, and communicate with cells without harming them.

by Jonathan Shaw

When poverty is defined as living on $1.25 or less a day, about 40 percent of both Ethiopians and Uzbekistanis are considered poor. But by multidimensional measures that capture living standards, almost 90 percent of Ethiopians live in poverty, while only a small percentage of Uzbekistanis do.

Amartya Sen proposes a measure of poverty that looks beyond income

A multidimensional poverty index, based on the ideas of Amartya Sen, reveals a different map of the world's poor.

Warren Brown: Stars escaping the Milky Way help map matter in our galaxy

Stars escaping the Milky Way help Warren Brown and other astronomers map the distribution of matter in our galaxy.

Our sense of touch influences our actions

Tactile sensations change perceptions, says psychologist Christopher Nocera.

by Elizabeth Gudrais

Raj Chetty

Raj Chetty: Good kindergarten teachers boost pupils' lifetime earnings

An economist finds that good kindergarten teachers boost pupils' earnings later in life.

by Erin O’Donnell

Thick bunches of nerves leave the brain or spinal cord and branch intricately within muscle (fibers of which can be seen running vertically in the background at right). The inset image shows individual axons (yellow) connecting to single synapses (red). The red stain is a snake venom that binds only to muscle receptors; poisonous kraits use it to immobilize their prey.

Exercise and caloric restriction counter aging in neural synapses

Caloric restriction and exercise boost mental acuity and motor ability by rejuvenating synapses.

by Jonathan Shaw

Michael Greenberg studies molecular-level memory formation and eRNA

Neurobiologist Michael Greenberg investigates how memories form at a molecular level, and discovers a new class of RNA.

Termites like this soldier, patrolling a piece of fungal comb, aerate and improve the soil near their mounds.

Robert Pringle says termite-mound distribution reveals ecosystem productivity

Robert Pringle says the grid-like distribution of Kenyan termite mounds helps answer an old question about ecosystems.

by Samuel Bjork

The fate of stem cells (white) in bone marrow is influenced by their immediate environment of bone cells (green), blood vessels (red), and bone (blue). Genetical­ly defective “bad neighbors” can actually cause cancer.

David Scadden studies cellular environments, seeking the origins of cancer

David Scadden studies the environmental cues that can cause normal cells to become diseased.

by Jonathan Shaw

A vintage golden dress with a fitted bodice and flared skirt displayed on a mannequin.

Jeannie Suk advocates copyright protection for fashion designers' work

Should U.S. fashion designers enjoy the same copyright protection as fellow creative artists—and their European counterparts?

by Craig Lambert