How the Egg Got Its Shape

June 22, 2017

An international team of scientists led by L. Mahadevan and Mary Caswell Stoddard (former postdoc in Edwards Lab) have answered the question of why there is great diversity in egg shape and sizes. And, the answer may help explain how birds evolved. The groundbreaking study published in Science was chosen as the cover article. More News: Science, Read more about How the Egg Got Its Shape

File photograph by Ruby Arguilla/Harvard News Office

New Study Suggest Parents of Newborn Daughters Take Fewer Risks

June 21, 2017

David Haig teamed with professors at the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick to examine the effect of learning a child’s gender on parents’ attitudes towards risky behaviors upon learning a child’s gender. The authors gathered prenatal and post-birth data from the pediatric wards of hospitals in both the United Kingdom and Ukraine, allowing for longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses of those attitudes; a first for a study of this kind. The study was presented at the Read more about New Study Suggest Parents of Newborn Daughters Take Fewer Risks

Variability in Plant Hydraulic Traits Explain Differences in Drought Tolerance Among Amazon Rainforests

May 29, 2017

A study led by Thomas Powell (Moorcroft Lab), former OEB PhD student, James Wheeler (Holbrook Lab) and Paul Moorcroft examined the unknown effects of drought tolerance among mature Amazon rainforest trees. The study found the differences in xylem and leaf hydraulic traits not only explained the differences in drought tolerance among mature Amazon rainforest trees, but is critical in determining the fate of the Amazon rainforest if Read more about Variability in Plant Hydraulic Traits Explain Differences in Drought Tolerance Among Amazon Rainforests

The team studied the spread of the Zika virus (left; courtesy NIAID) among affected regions in South and Central America and the Caribbean (right, in red). Broad Institute

Pardis Sabeti and Team of Scientists Show Zika Virus Spread Before Anyone Knew

May 25, 2017

Pardis Sabeti is part of three international teams of researchers that sequenced and studied the genomes of the Zika virus to trace its origin and spread across the Americas. Using a genetic clock and looking at DNA from samples from people and mosquitoes, the teams determined the virus was spreading long before the first cases were reported. Sabeti's team authored one of three studies published in Nature. Full story: Read more about Pardis Sabeti and Team of Scientists Show Zika Virus Spread Before Anyone Knew