College of Science

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Your child is feeling sluggish. How much water has she had to drink today?

A new study co-authored by Northeastern professor Charles Hillman has found that the better hydrated children are, the faster their reaction times and the better they are able to multitask. So why are so many kids in America not drinking enough water?

by Khalida Sarwari November 4, 2019

When you can’t imagine living in a city again

LANAS DE PURISCAL, Costa Rica—Jessica Slevin pushes a wheelbarrow full of farming equipment along a muddy jungle trail. She is on her way…

by Alexander Villegas - contributor October 31, 2019

What’s going on in your brain (when you’re scared out of your mind)

There isn’t one single circuit of brain activity that controls fear in humans. Ajay Satpute, an assistant professor of psychology at Northeastern, is mapping the neural activity that underlies fear in people, which can serve as the basis for tracing other emotions in the brain.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa October 29, 2019

The salamander that eats its siblings’ arms could one day help you grow a new one

Lots of amphibians can regrow limbs after an injury. But no species does it better than the axolotl, a salamander that can regenerate fully developed organs at any point in its life. Now, Northeastern associate professor James Monaghan is testing whether these amphibious superpowers can be transferred to humans.

by Emily Arntsen October 21, 2019

We know what we know (even when we don’t want to)

Northeastern psychology professor Iris Berent studies how we’re equipped from birth to acquire language, a concept that elicits skepticism in laypeople and scientists alike. Berent’s new work reveals that this skepticism is due to a bias against the concept of innate knowledge—a bias that itself might be innate.

by Aria Bracci October 17, 2019

Can nature reduce the damage caused by hurricanes?

When we think of the first line of defense against hurricanes, seawalls might come to mind before all else. Steven Scyphers, an assistant professor of marine and environmental sciences at Northeastern, is studying whether marshlands can help protect communities from the havoc wreaked by intense storms.

by Kerry Benson - contributor October 8, 2019

How to breed a better oyster

A group of shellfish geneticists, including Katie Lotterhos, an assistant professor of marine and environmental sciences at Northeastern, is using genetic testing to help the oyster industry selectively breed the traits that will make oysters thrive in their environment and melt in your mouth.

by Laura Castañón October 7, 2019

Deciphering the medieval secrets of the Dragon Prayer Book

Erika Boeckeler, an associate professor of English at Northeastern, happened upon a mysterious, uncatalogued book in the university’s archives. What she and a team of students have discovered has given them a glimpse into medieval life.

by Ian Thomsen and Irvin Zhang October 3, 2019

Marine organisms can evolve and adapt to new climates. But will they?

Marine life is able to evolve and adapt, but the question is whether it can keep up with the pace of climate change, says Kathleen Lotterhos, a Northeastern professor of marine and environmental sciences. A sweeping U.N. report released this week shows that the effects of climate change are changing the ocean’s chemistry much more rapidly than previously thought.

by Roberto Molar Candanosa September 26, 2019

He knows the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe

As mathematics professor Valerio Toledano Laredo will tell you, symmetry is more complicated than you might think. But the theory that underlies it might make the world a little more simple to understand.

by Aria Bracci September 13, 2019