Science

Rising to the occasion: Sea level research at Tufts

By Kylie Liggett | March 26

The Kemp Lab, located in the newly renovated Bacon Hall, focuses on coastal stratigraphy and the reconstruction of sea levels over the last 2,000 years. A core facet of the lab’s work is its interdisciplinary approach, which combines oceanography, seismology, statistics, geochemistry and climate science. The lab — led by Andrew Kemp, an associate professor of earth and climate sciences — is one of the leading university research labs studying sea level rise, with some of the most highly cited work in this field. Professor Kemp’s lab relies heavily on geological data to create these reconstructions. Specifically, sediment cores from coastal wetlands and salt marshes provide a significant portion of the data the lab uses. The lab also focuses on the Gulf Stream and on documenting the prehistory of large earthquakes, which can cause the land to shift vertically. Additionally, researchers study isostasy models, which describe the geological equilibrium between Earth’s crust and mantle.

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Science

Cristian Staii: The physics of the brain

By Hande Naz Kavas | March 26

From outer space to the human brain, Tufts University’s research labs explore various fields of science to uncover new insights and develop principles to test them. Diving deep into the human brain, one such Tufts lab analyzes how neurons grow and form neural networks. Cristian Staii, an associate professor of physics and astronomy, runs a biophysics lab that operates on ex vivo brain cells, mimicking actual biological environments and utilizing atomic microscopy to analyze these cells under different conditions. By examining how neurons in neural networks function and how their mechanical properties change under different environmental conditions, the team aims to mathematically explain the brain’s complex structure. Staii devises mathematical formulas for the mechanical properties of these cells, emphasizing the importance of applying physical and mathematical knowledge to different areas. His previous work across various fields led him to his current research in neurophysics.

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Science

Tufts Biotechnology Series: Dr. Atsuko Polzin, intellectual property lawyer, neuroscience Ph.D., shares her story

By Essey Tesfai | March 12

For most science students, it can seem that there are only two paths open after one earns a Ph.D. — being a professor or working in a privately-funded lab. Regardless, this confines scientists to a laboratory. Yet, careers in science can extend to nearly any field, even the humanities. At a recent event hosted by the Tufts School of Engineering’s Biotechnology Industry Series, Dr. Atsuko Polzin (GBS’01), senior vice president and head of intellectual property at Scholar Rock, shared her path from research in neurobiology to intellectual property law which beautifully illustrates the diverse roles sciences can have in biotechnology.

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Science

Friedman School creates a twist on produce prescriptions

By Nicole Dacey | March 12

Pharmacies are cornerstones of every town and city across the U.S. — this has been the case for centuries. There’s a good reason why businesses like CVS have grown so essential: you can pop into one place for your granola bars, ADHD medications and a Valentine’s Day Snoopy toy. What could be better than that?

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Science

Dissertation Diaries: Kirsten Trinidad

By Addison Dion | March 9

This installment of Dissertation Diaries highlights Kirsten Trinidad, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate at the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture. Before joining Tufts, Trinidad completed a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers University.

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Science

GUARDIAN: The newborn screening study redefining early detection for rare diseases

By Hannah Merritt | March 5

The survival rate in infants with severe combined immunodeficiency, a rare hereditary disease that prevents the body from producing immune cells, is 96% when they receive a bone marrow transplant in their first 3½ months of life. If transplantation is delayed, that number drops to 70%. Without treatment, most children die before their first birthday. This condition is rarely visible at birth and only becomes apparent after a major infection, often outside of the window of opportunity for treatment. 

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Science

Redirecting the approach to solving Alzheimer’s Disease

By Jamie Song | March 5

At least 55 million people are living with dementia worldwide. Among the various forms of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease — a neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by a loss of neurons — is the most common. Alzheimer’s progressively impairs thinking and behavior, eventually leading to serious memory loss and affecting a person’s ability to do everyday tasks. It may begin with mild forgetfulness, but over time, patients experience frequent memory loss and increasing confusion about everyday tasks and their surroundings.

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Science

Our health is stronger together: Insights from Dr. Monica Wang’s ‘The Collective Cure’

By Demarie Hao | March 5

Award-winning public health researcher Dr. Monica L. Wang (LA’07) spoke on Feb. 26 at Boston’s Museum of Science, discussing her new book “The Collective Cure: Upstream Solutions for Better Public Health” and the importance of community-centered solutions in healthcare.

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Science

New documentary ‘Ending HIV: The Journey to a Vaccine’ premieres at Boston’s Museum of Science

By Josie Abramson | February 26

On Feb. 19, “Ending HIV: The Journey to a Vaccine,” a new documentary, premiered at Boston’s Museum of Science. The premiere was preceded by a conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Larry Corey, who discussed their personal involvement in HIV vaccine efforts, what the future may hold for science and what young people can do to help the cause.

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Science

Tufts professor creating assistive technology through AI

By Jaylen Daley | February 26

Engineering and social sciences are widely considered to be separate fields of practice. However, all technology we develop has the capacity to shape the society in which it is applied.

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Science

Light unrequired: The discovery of dark oxygen

By Emma Thomas | February 19

For centuries, it was believed that the production of oxygen relied on one component: photosynthesis (the conversion of light energy into chemical energy). Plants and algae use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, providing the foundation of life on earth as we know it. However, the discovery of ‘dark oxygen’—produced in environments with little to no sunlight— challenges this assumption, proving that oxygen production is not actually limited to photosynthesis.

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Science

Tufts Biotechnology Series: Ted Myles, a leading voice in biotech, shares his experiences with Tufts students

By Essey Tesfai | February 19

For most students, science is limited to the lab bench — pipetting solutions and taking precise measurements to check the validity of their hypothesis. Yet, beyond the world of the wet lab, quietly supporting scientific discovery, is the high-stress, high-reward business of biotechnology. Last week, Ted Myles, chief executive officer of Cellarity, came to speak at Tufts as part of the School of Engineering’s Biotechnology Industry Series. He spoke candidly about his journey, sharing several insights into the lessons that have shaped both him and his career.

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Science

The science behind Olympic snow: Climate change and industrial snowmaking

By Kylie Liggett | February 12

The Winter Olympic Games, this year hosted in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, have increasingly had to rely on human-made snow due to climate change. Shrinking snowpacks, rising temperatures, fewer freezes and shorter snow seasons have led to an estimated 85% of competition surfaces in the 2026 Olympics requiring artificial snow. The two host cities this year have created massive artificial reservoirs to provide sources of water for snowmaking. Cortina d’Ampezzo itself has experienced a 3.6 degrees Celsius increase in average February temperature and 41 fewer freezing days annually since they first hosted the games in 1956.

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Science

Tufts Professor Lisa Freeman wins inaugural Canine Health Discovery of the Year Award

By Verena Runstadler | February 12

Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common cause of congestive heart failure in some large dog breeds, including doberman pinschers, Saint Bernards and Great Danes, and is often inherited. DCM causes thinning of the heart muscle, leading to a weakened heart with arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, and fluid buildup, that can ultimately result in heart failure. However, another form of the disease — diet-associated DCM — can affect many breeds of dogs and cats regardless of genetics.

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Science

Winter Olympics 2026: How the brain handles high-speed fear

By Hande Naz Kavas | February 10

The Winter Olympics 2026 officially began last Friday in northern Italy. From ski jumping to curling, figure skating to snowboarding, lots of athletes will reach extraordinary speeds over the course of two weeks. As we perch on the edge of our seats, waiting for the start gun to fire or the start gate to drop, these athletes prepare to push the limits of physics. While their professionalism may deceive us into thinking we could do the same,we should remind ourselves of the fear we had when skiing ourselves down a snowy mountain for the first time or competing in front of an audience far smaller than a global one.

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Science

An update on the flu season

By Shanzeh Haider | February 5

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, influenza activity is “high” across the state. From the week of Jan. 4 to Jan. 10, 498 cases of influenza were reported in Boston. While cases have decreased in past weeks, they are still persistent with 158 cases reported in the week of Jan. 18 to Jan. 24. With data through Jan. 17th, the state of Massachusetts reports 193 deaths in the current season, including six pediatric influenza deaths.

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Science

New bioinformatics specialization to provide biology master’s students with a competitive edge

By Addison Dion | February 5

In an increasingly tech-driven world, specialization in bioinformatics will set graduate students in Tufts’ biology master’s program apart. Bioinformatics is a scientific subdiscipline situated at the intersection of biological and computer sciences. Through the use of computer technology, complex datasets from biological experiments can be effectively stored and analyzed.

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Science

Dissertation Diaries: Nicholas Mandel

By William Nguyen | January 22

Welcome back to a new semester of Dissertation Diaries. As a reminder, this is the series where we highlight Ph.D. students at Tufts as they approach the end of their degree. This time, we will be highlighting Nicholas Mandel, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Sergei Mirkin Lab here at Tufts.

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Science

A glimpse into the life of historical Tufts professor Amos Dolbear

By Hande Naz Kavas | January 20

Since 1852, numerous inventions and discoveries have been made at Tufts University. While recent patents receive significant recognition, earlier patents remain equally important and should not be overlooked. One of the inventors of these patents was Amos Dolbear (1837–1910). Following an unusual academic journey, Dolbear became the inventor of various machines, including models of wireless telephones and the electric gyroscope, which his son later described as “the first successful electric motor-driven gyroscope ever built to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation.”

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Science

At the intersection of art and biology: LABLINES project launching soon at Tufts

By Addison Dion | January 15

LABLINES: “Linking Arts and Biology through Lines & Narrative for Engaging Science,” is set to launch at Tufts this semester. The initiative recently received a grant from the Tufts MUSE funding program, which supports “arts, humanities, and humanistic social sciences projects” that may otherwise have limited funding options.

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