Heliosphere
Public Health
Airplane Noise May Be Bad for Your Health
Researchers find that exposure to aircraft noise is tied to a higher body mass index, which can increase risk of heart attack and stroke
Air Quality
Air Quality Sensors Could Be Coming to a Bicycle Near You
A team of BU undergraduates’ air quality monitors have won them the 2024 Janetos Climate Action Prize
Awards
BU Researcher Named a 2024 Hertz Fellow; Award Honors “Innovators with the Greatest Potential”
Biophysicist and recent alum Emmy Blumenthal wins prestigious fellowship that comes with up to $250,000 in funding
Artificial Intelligence
Is AI Biased against Some Groups and Spreading Misinformation and Extreme Views?
BU computer scientists will use support from first-of-its-kind federal AI pilot program to scrutinize artificial intelligence for “socially undesirable behavior”
Abortion
Permanent Birth Control Up following Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
Researchers find Dobbs decision ending right to abortion spiked use of permanent contraception—vasectomies and tubal ligations
Engineering
A Robot on a Mission
See how an autonomous robot created a shock–absorbing shape no human ever could—and what it means for designing safer helmets, packaging, car bumpers, and more
Latest Headlines
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Explain This! How Do Planets Form?
In this episode of The Brink’s podcast, we take a trip into space and our solar system with BU astrophysicist Catherine Espaillat, who teaches us about protoplanetary disks, baby stars, and planets
May 13, 2024 -
BU’s Innovator of the Year Has Pioneered Devices to Advance Astronomy, Microscopy, Eye Exams
Photonics Center Director Thomas Bifano recognized for helping others nurture their ideas and for “always trying to solve problems”
May 7, 2024 -
BU Study Shows a Correlation between Social Media Use and Desire for Cosmetic Procedures
The more time you spend on image-led social media, like Instagram and Snapchat, the more likely you are to want to alter your appearance
1May 2, 2024 -
COVID-19 Photo Contest Winners Capture Moments of Joy, Sorrow, Meaning in Crisis
Life in the Age of a Pandemic competition a reminder of impact of empty shelves, masking, and socially distanced celebrations
May 1, 2024
Climate Change
How High-Level Lawsuits Are Disrupting Climate Change Policies
BU researchers are pushing for changes to international treaties to better protect the planet after finding fossil fuel companies are increasingly suing countries for billions over climate policies
Evolutionary Development
Why Is a BU Researcher So Fascinated with the Diets of Dung Beetles?
Biologist Sofía Casasa studies tiny insects to learn whether their genes or diet are most responsible for their size, shape, and structure
Bird Flu
The H5N1 Bird Flu Is a Growing Threat for Farm Animals and Humans—How Serious Is It?
Nahid Bhadelia, a BU infectious diseases expert, wants to see more concrete action to prevent further spread of this deadly avian flu
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Expert Take
We Are Underestimating the Health Harms of Climate Disasters
As extreme weather becomes more common and catastrophic, we need new public health systems to better understand, prepare, and respond
Awards
Three BU Researchers Elected AAAS Fellows
World’s largest scientific society gives lifetime honor to BU biologist, engineer, and physicist
Expert Take
Should People Be Fined for Sleeping Outside?
As the US Supreme Court hears a historic case, Grants Pass v. Johnson, on criminalizing people sleeping outside, BU social scientists say there are better ways to prevent and end homelessness
Expert Take
Not Having Job Flexibility or Security Can Leave Workers Feeling Depressed, Anxious, and Hopeless
New research from BU public health expert finds greater work security lowered risk of mental health challenges and reduced number of absences
Archaeology
Secrets of Ancient Egyptian Nile Valley Settlements Found in Forgotten Treasure
Archaeology student’s UROP project delves into 5,000-year-old wood charcoal that had languished at BU for decades
Best Of
Browse Sections
Arts & Humanities
- Best of The Brink 2023: 10 Life-Changing Inventions, Amazing Discoveries, and Surprising Findings from BU Researchers
- What Were BU’s Most-Read Science and Research Stories in 2023?
- How Dickens and Other Authors Shaped Attitudes to Education—with Lasting Impacts
Business
- BU’s Innovator of the Year Has Pioneered Devices to Advance Astronomy, Microscopy, Eye Exams
- How High-Level Lawsuits Are Disrupting Climate Change Policies
- Can the Bias in Algorithms Help Us See Our Own?
Engineering & Computing
- Air Quality Sensors Could Be Coming to a Bicycle Near You
- Is AI Biased against Some Groups and Spreading Misinformation and Extreme Views?
- 3D Printing Robot Uses AI Machine Learning for US Army Research
Health & Medicine
- Airplane Noise May Be Bad for Your Health
- Permanent Birth Control—Vasectomies and Tubal Ligations—Up following Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
- BU Study Shows a Correlation between Social Media Use and Desire for Cosmetic Procedures
Innovation
- BU’s Innovator of the Year Has Pioneered Devices to Advance Astronomy, Microscopy, Eye Exams
- CARB-X Funds 100th Project—a Milestone for BU-Based Nonprofit Leading Antimicrobial-Resistance Fightback
- Can We Find a Cure for Alzheimer’s Disease?
Natural Sciences
- The Solar System May Have Passed through Dense Interstellar Cloud 2 Million Years Ago, Altering Earth’s Climate
- BU Researcher Named a 2024 Hertz Fellow; Award Honors “Innovators with the Greatest Potential”
- Explain This! How Do Planets Form?
Research Accolades
- BU Researcher Named a 2024 Hertz Fellow; Award Honors “Innovators with the Greatest Potential”
- Is AI Biased against Some Groups and Spreading Misinformation and Extreme Views?
- BU’s Innovator of the Year Has Pioneered Devices to Advance Astronomy, Microscopy, Eye Exams
Social Sciences
- How High-Level Lawsuits Are Disrupting Climate Change Policies
- Should People Be Fined for Sleeping Outside?
- Secrets of Ancient Egyptian Nile Valley Settlements Found in Forgotten Treasure