Health How friends helped fuel the rise of a relentless enemy  The Faces of Fentanyl Memorial at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in Arlington, Virginia, displays thousands of photos of people who died from the drug. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images Alvin Powell Harvard Staff Writer May 3, 2024 8 min read Economists imagine an alternate universe where the opioid crisis peaked in ’06, and then explain why it didn’t The U.S. opioid epidemic is a story of failed policy initiatives, missed opportunities, and more than 600,000 deaths. It’s also a story with no end in sight, and for that, t ..read more

Campus & Community No business like show business — except the law Photo by Dylan Goodman Liz Mineo Harvard Staff Writer May 3, 2024 5 min read Nicholas Gonzalez was a child star who felt curiously at home in front of a jury box Part of the Commencement 2024 series A collection of stories covering Harvard University’s 373rd Commencement. Nicholas Gonzalez found his vocation for the law through his love for acting. A child actor who booked his first professional job at age 12, he was instantly smitten when he took part in mock trial and moot court competitions in high school. The perf ..read more

Campus & Community Turning ideas into impact Matt Segneri, the Bruce and Bridgitt Executive Director of the Harvard Innovation Labs, stands in front of a screen filled with members of the i-lab community. Photos by Eve Photography LLC Alex Parks Harvard Correspondent May 2, 2024 5 min read Startup founders inspire global audience at 2024 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge Awards ceremony Helping trauma surgeons control abdominal bleeding, using AI to maximize farmers’ crop yields, and enabling more African small businesses to participate in global trade. These were three of the ..read more

“Telling people not to use ChatGPT is not preparing people for the world of the future,” said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer Campus & Community Did student or ChatGPT write that paper? Does it matter? Sam Altman, CEO of firm that developed app, says ethics do matter, but they need to be rethought (and AI isn’t going away) Clea Simon Harvard Correspondent May 2, 2024 4 min read Colleges and universities have been wrestling with concerns over plagiarism and other ethical questions surrounding the use of AI since the emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022 ..read more

Health Getting ahead of liver cancer Researchers hope identifying blood proteins may lead to earlier prediction of risk, increase treatment options Jacqueline Mitchell BIDMC Communications May 2, 2024 5 min read A new study suggests that proteins detectable in the blood could improve predictions about risk of liver cancer, which is typically diagnosed at later stages when survival rates are lower. Led by investigators at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Mass General Brigham, the team’s results are published in JNCI. Liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HC ..read more

Nation & World Cease-fire will fail as long as Hamas exists, journalist says Times opinion writer Bret Stephens also weighs in on campus unrest in final Middle East Dialogues event Christina Pazzanese Harvard Staff Writer May 1, 2024 6 min read Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer An immediate cease-fire in Gaza sounds like a principled idea to those recoiling at the thousands of Palestinian civilians who have died since fighting began in earnest seven months ago, but it would be foolhardy to strike any deal unless it includes the complete dismantling of Hamas, according to journa ..read more

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Campus & Community Colleagues, students remember Helen Vendler, a ‘titan’ of poetry criticism Eileen O’Grady Harvard Staff Writer May 1, 2024 6 min read Beyond her passion for her work, they say, she was creative and engaged teacher, thoughtful adviser and mentor, trusted friend  When Helen Vendler taught William Blake’s “The Lamb,” she often ended class discussions by reading the poem aloud. Arms extended as if cradling a lamb, gaze directed upward, Vendler would embody the character of the worshipful child speaker.  One time, g ..read more

Arts & Culture Everything, everywhere, all at once (kind of) A Human-AI Affair in the atrium of Harvard’s Science and Engineering Complex. Two models posing during the fashion show, which aims to showcase the potential within human-AI collaboration. Designers were encouraged to use materials that reflect global sustainability. Niles Singer/Harvard Staff Photographer Eileen O'Grady Harvard Staff Writer April 30, 2024 4 min read There’s never a shortage of creativity on campus. But during Arts First, it all comes out to play. The 2024 Arts First Festival brought campus concert halls, ga ..read more

Health Alcohol is dangerous. So is ‘alcoholic.’ Anna Lamb Harvard Staff Writer April 30, 2024 5 min read Researcher explains the human toll of language that makes addiction feel worse  When Mass General transplant hepatologist Wei Zhang says he wants his colleagues to think before they speak, he has the tragedy of a recent patient in mind. Admitted to intensive care for advanced alcohol-associated liver disease, the 36-year-old woman hid the truth when asked about her drinking. “She was like, ‘No, I quit over a year ago, I didn’t drink at all,’” said Zhang, also director of the hospi ..read more

File photo by Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Campus & Community Jeff Lichtman named dean of science  Neuroscientist inspired by ‘great challenge’ of leading life, physical sciences division in era of rapidly growing knowledge  Anne J. Manning Harvard Staff Writer April 30, 2024 3 min read Neuroscientist Jeff Lichtman has been appointed dean of science, effective July 1, by Hopi Hoekstra, the Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Lichtman, the Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is a pioneering experimental neuroscientis ..read more