Scientists have mostly focused on the benefits of meditation for the brain and the body, but a recent study by Northeastern University’s David DeSteno, published in Psychological Science, takes a look at what impacts meditation has on interpersonal harmony and compassion. Several religious traditions have suggested that mediation does just that, but there has been no scientific […]

Brook Baker, a law professor at Northeastern University, “said he doubts the pharmaceutical industry will pull back much on its investments in India based on the decision,” Bloomberg News writes. “The country will still grant 20 year patents on new, innovative drugs and a growing middle class with chronic diseases will provide many business opportunities, he […]

Long before he was mayor, Thomas M. Menino was championing public health. In the late 1980s, when AIDS was ravaging Boston, a medical study found that providing clean needles to intravenous drug users could help stem transmission of HIV, the virus that causes the disease. Most politicians did not want to touch the subject, but […]

In the early 1990’s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, there was a shortage of courage among many political leaders. That was why I was surprised when I heard that a little-known city councilor from Hyde Park was taking a public stance that needle exchange should be considered as a way to slow the […]

In 1973, the sociologist Mark Granovetter published a paper called “The strength of weak ties” in which he put forward the idea that information largely spreads through society between individuals with weak connections rather than strong ties. His evidence came from asking a few hundred people how they found their jobs. It turned out that […]

While the documents show that Mr. Lanza readily had access to weapons, a fact that was already known, by themselves they do not shed light on his motives, said Jack Levin, a professor of sociology and criminology at Northeastern University who has written several books on mass murders. But in many school shootings, the killers were […]

Strong ties between individuals can actually hinder the spread of information through a network, a study has shown. A team of data scientists at Northeastern University in Boson led by Marton Karsai examined more than 600 million time-stamped mobile phone calls between six million people over six months in an unnamed European country. “Our results provide […]

Consequence: Leaders With “Feminine” Qualities Are More Valuable “The aim is to behave like a good coach, and channel your charisma to motivate others to be hardworking and creative. The model is not explicitly defined as feminine, but it echoes literature about male-female differences. A program at Columbia Business School, for example, teaches sensitive leadership […]

IDEA: Northeastern’s Venture Accelerator – Education Chris Wolfel IDEA: Northeastern University’s Venture Accelerator “This student run Venture Accelerator is working with over 110 Ventures and is run by 20 undergraduates.  They have funded over $250,000 since inception in January 2010 and they are on track to fund $175,000+ in the 2012-2013 school year alone.”

The daughter of a pharmacist and a preschool teacher from Newburgh, N.Y., she had come out, with some difficulty, while an undergraduate at Hamilton College. There, Ms. Bonauto was harassed over her sexual orientation, which she said contributed to her desire to “make life better” for others. By 1990, with a law degree from Northeastern […]

Andrew Sum, professor of economics at Northeastern University, estimates that in 2012 there are six people looking for a full-time job for every one opening. What will people who have been out of work for over two years do? It may be 10 or 15 years before they can get on the Social Security they […]

Northeastern University economists Barry Bluestone and Alan Clayton-Matthews, who wrote the report, noted the Massachusetts approach has focused on building an “ecosystem” of start-ups that can work with the state’s research universities and teaching hospitals. They said the $300 million spent by the state so far has spurred more than $1 billion in spending by […]