This office assists departments and centers to achieve a diverse faculty and graduate student body through our membership and activities with the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and through our affiliation with the Clare Boothe Luce program of the Henry Luce Foundation.

Boston Medical Center recognised for implementing quality cardiac care

27 July 2006 - Boston University Boston Medical Center is one of 173 hospitals in the United States being recognized in the July 17 issue of US News & World Report by the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines SM program in an ad for its performance achievement in cardiac patient care.

Multi-sensory approach suggests adult perceptual systems can be modified

24 July 2006 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University and UCLA have found that using multi-sensory training programs, a research technique that engages more than one of the senses, helps adults improve their performance of low-level perceptual tasks, such as visually detecting the motion of an object, significantly faster than methods that use only one stimulus.

BU researcher says more than 3 or 4 drinks per occasion can be harmful

21 July 2006 - Boston University Not all heavy consumers of alcohol are addicted to alcohol. Among the 30 percent in the United States who are considered excessive drinkers, about one-third of that group is dependent on alcohol. However, studying those who are addicted to alcohol as well as those who drink excessively has provided significant insight into the societal consequences of alcohol consumption, according to Richard Saitz, medical doctor and professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health.

BU Photonics Center Deputy Director Dr. Glenn Thoren demonstrated acoustic-driven platform

30 June 2006 - Boston University The new RedOwl “sniper detection and surveillance” robot was recently demonstrated to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Dr. Delores Etter, by Dr. Glenn Thoren, Deputy Director of the Photonics Center at Boston University.

iSTART model illustrates brain functions that lead to autistic behaviors

30 June 2006 - Boston University Approximately 1.5 million children and adults in the U.S. have autism and it is estimated to be the fastest growing developmental disability with a 10 – 17 percent increase each year. While much is known about the symptoms of autism, the exact cause of the condition is not yet defined.

Model suggests Antarctic ice sheet more dynamic than previously believed

22 June 2006 - Boston University Through dated geological records scientists have known for decades that variations in the Earth’s orbit around the sun, subtle changes in the distance between the two, control ice ages. But, for the first 2 million years of the Northern Hemisphere Ice Age there has always been a mismatch between the timing of ice sheet changes and the Earth’s orbital parameters.

Researchers aim to bring new technologies and treatments from the bench to the bedside

09 June 2006 - Boston University A non-invasive test to predict a smoker’s risk for lung cancer, a needle-free way to deliver insulin and other therapies, and a potential new non-addictive painkiller captured the inaugural round of the newly introduced Ignition Awards. The grants, which are offered through the university’s Office of Technology Development, aim to help BU researchers move their ideas and inventions into commercial development. The Ignition program will continue to award the grants on a quarterly basis with approximately six to eight winners annually.

Study shows even modest weight gain may cause or exacerbate symptoms of heartburn

31 May 2006 - Boston University New findings from the Boston-based Nurses’ Health Study reveal a strong link between Body Mass Index and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in women.The study, which appears in the June 1, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine finds that the risk of GERD symptoms, such as heartburn and acid reflux, rises with BMI in both normal-weight and overweight women.

Astronomers help discover extrasolar planet

18 May 2006 - Boston University An international team of professional and amateur astronomers, using simple off-the-shelf equipment to trawl the skies for planets outside our solar system, has hauled in its first 'catch.'

BU biologist discovers diversity in mantis shrimp underestimated

11 May 2006 - Boston University There is a push to document the biodiversity of the world within 25 years. However, the magnitude of this challenge is not well known, especially when it comes to vast and often inaccessible marine environments. To date, surveys of species diversity in the world's oceans have focused on adult organisms, but new research from Boston University has found that studying marine life in its larval phase with DNA barcoding is a valuable way to estimate biodiversity.

Researchers have identified a common genetic variant, present in ten percent of individuals

13 April 2006 - Boston University An international team of scientists led by researchers in the Genetics and Genomics Department at Boston University School of Medicine have identified a common genetic variant, present in ten percent of individuals studied, that is associated with an elevated risk of obesity in populations of both European and African ancestry. The risk of obesity is increased for both adults and children. The study appears in the April 14th issue of the journal Science.

Boston University scientists produce clearest images of star-forming clouds

23 March 2006 - Boston University A team of astronomers from Boston University’s Institute for Astrophysical Research has produced the clearest map to-date of the giant gas clouds in the Milky Way that serve as the birthplaces of stars. Using a powerful telescope, the astronomers tracked emissions of a rare form of carbon monoxide called 13CO to chart a portion of our home galaxy and its star-forming molecular clouds.

HIV-positive individuals with alcohol problems are more likely to use the hospital

13 March 2006 - Boston University HIV-positive individuals with alcohol problems are more likely to use the hospital during periods of homelessness, according to researchers from Boston Medical Center. The study currently appears online in the journal BMC Health Services Research.

BU researchers say that D-cycloserine helps patients learn how to conquer their fears

10 March 2006 - Boston University Researchers from the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University have found that adding D-cycloserine, a drug used to treat tuberculosis but that has also been shown to stimulate learning, to therapy programs helps people with Social Anxiety Disorder learn how to overcome fears of social situations, such as public speaking. The fear of public speaking is the most common among individuals with SAD, as well as in the general population. The results of the study are published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Researchers from BU’s Center for Remote Sensing locate crater using detailed satellite data

03 March 2006 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University have discovered the remnants of the largest crater of the Great Sahara of North Africa, which may have been formed by a meteorite impact tens of millions of years ago. Dr. Farouk El-Baz made the discovery while studying satellite images of the Western Desert of Egypt with his colleague, Dr. Eman Ghoneim, at BU's Center for Remote Sensing.

New technique provides insight into how DNA conforms to microarray surfaces

01 March 2006 - Boston University A team of researchers from Boston University has developed a new application to enable more precise measurement of the location of a fluorescent label in a DNA layer. According to their study, published in a recent issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the new technique provides insight into the shape of DNA molecules attached to surfaces, such as microarrays used in genomics research. Determining how DNA molecules conform to microarry surfaces may significantly improve the efficiency of DNA hybridization and microarray technology and thus impact emerging clinical and biotechnological fields.

Excavations on Red Sea coast uncover clues about Ancient Egyptian sailors and lost-land of Punt

27 February 2006 - Boston University A team of archaeologists from Boston University and the University of Naples l’Orientale recently uncovered the oldest remains of sea-faring ships in the world and cargo boxes containing goods from the lost-land of Punt, a fabled southern Red Sea trading center. The discoveries were made during a round of excavations inside two man-made caves previously found by the team at Wadi Gawasis on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

New research shows X-ray bursts from the Sun cause dramatic changes to the planet’s ionosphere

23 February 2006 - Boston University Boston University astronomers announced today the first clear evidence that solar flares change the upper atmosphere of Mars. In an article published in the February 24th issue of the journal Science, the researchers describe how X-ray bursts from the Sun in April 2001 recorded by satellites near Earth reached Mars and caused dramatic enhancements to the planet’s ionosphere, the region of a planet’s atmosphere where the Sun’s ultraviolet and X-rays are absorbed by atoms and molecules.

New theory resolves mystery of anomalous cosmic rays

17 February 2006 - Boston University When Voyager 1 finally crossed the “termination shock” at the edge of interstellar space in December 2004, space physicists anticipated the long-sought discovery of the source of anomalous cosmic rays. These cosmic rays, among the most energetic particle radiation in the solar system, are thought to be produced at the termination shock, the boundary at the edge of the solar system where the million-mile-per-hour solar wind abruptly slows. A mystery unfolded instead when Voyager data showed 20 years of predictions to be wrong.

Upset frequency higher compared with baseball, hockey, and basketball, and football

06 January 2006 - Boston University A scientific measure of sporting competitiveness shows that soccer is the most “interesting” sport to follow while American football is the most predictable, according to study by a Boston University theoretical physicist and two colleagues.

Doctoral student develops computer program to find star clusters amid cosmic dust

12 December 2005 - Boston University Boston University researchers led a team of astronomers who recently discovered nearly 100 new star clusters in the Milky Way, each containing tens to hundreds of never before seen stars. Astronomy Professor Dan Clemens and Emily Mercer, a BU doctoral student, are members of the multi-institutional Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire team.

New program offering post doctoral fellowships in rehabilitation outcomes research

17 November 2005 - Boston University Dr. Alan Jette, director of the Health & Disability Research Institute at Boston University, announced a new program offering post doctoral fellowships in rehabilitation outcomes research to be offered at the University.

Study to examine results, progress since Institute of Medicine’s Crossing the Quality Chasm

13 October 2005 - Boston University A first of its kind study to examine the current state and impact of quality improvement activities undertaken by U.S. hospitals since a 2001 report identified severe failures and shortcomings and recommended significant changes in the U.S. healthcare system.

Pediatricians at Boston Medical Center Concerned about Impact on Child Health

29 September 2005 - Boston University According to a study released yesterday by the Food Research and Action Center, entitled 'Food Stamp Access in Urban America: A City-by-City Snapshot,' the majority of eligible Boston residents are not enrolled in the 100% federally funded Food Stamp Program. In 2003, only 48% of Boston area residents who qualified for Food Stamps received benefits, leaving 49,413 of the 95,135 eligible individuals without access to the food assistance they need, and leaving millions of federal dollars unclaimed.

BU study finds high homocysteine levels associated with lower cognitive functioning

27 September 2005 - Boston University Determining levels of homocysteine may be one way to intervene in mild cognitive deficit early in the adult life-cycle, according to a recent study by a research team led by Merrill F. Elias, a professor of epidemiology in the Statistics and Consulting Unit of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Boston University. Normally present in blood plasma, homocysteine is an amino acid by-product of the biological process that converts food to the chemical compounds that keep the body running.

Researchers will evaluate strategies useful when broaching issue of giving up driving

09 September 2005 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University Medical Center are conducting a new study that could help caregivers of people with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, or Alzheimer’s disease address the difficult decision of when their loved ones should limit or stop driving.

BU geographer shows dual approach informs farmers’ decisions, yields better harvests

23 August 2005 - Boston University It’s not enough just to let subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe know it will be a dry or wet growing season, says new research from a team led by Boston University’s Anthony Patt. You should back up that information with opportunities for the farmers to meet together and ask questions about the forecasts. The study’s findings could aid farmers in regions strongly influenced by large global climate variations such as those caused by El Niño and La Niña.

Study finds family experiences more telling in adjustment of female adult children of alcoholics

25 July 2005 - Boston University In a recent study, researchers at the Boston University School of Social Work found that while parental alcoholism can serve as an indicator of long-term harm to children, contrary to common beliefs it is not a direct cause.

BU medical researcher indicates facts satisfy need-to-know for financial, care decisions

23 June 2005 - Boston University Adult children of people with Alzheimer’s disease were satisfied and unharmed by the experience of genetic risk assessment, even when results suggested they might be at risk, according to new findings presented by Robert C. Green at the recent International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association. Green, a medical doctor and professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, led the team that conducted the study.

Researchers have found that adolescent girls living in Maine are at an increased risk for vitamin D

21 June 2005 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have found that adolescent girls living in Maine are at an increased risk for vitamin D deficiency, which may eventually compromise their bone health.

University psychologists find the downside to perceptual learning

14 June 2005 - Boston University Our ability to learn to see things that may be new or unfamiliar to us is a plus; it allows us to adapt to changes in our surrounding environment. A big benefit is that it allows us to learn to do new tasks, such as becoming skilled at seeing the mere suggestion of a tumor on a mammogram. Learning to increase our sensitivity to a visual stimulus also seems to come at a cost, according to new research by Takeo Watanabe, an associate professor and director of the Vision Science Laboratory in Boston University’s Department of Psychology.

New state-of-the-art, robotically assisted surgery to help patients recover more quickly

02 June 2005 - Boston University Robotically assisted surgery allows the surgeon to perform a complicated surgery using minimally invasive techniques that are less traumatic for the patient; it also lowers the complication rate, according to Richard Babayan, MD, chief of Urology at BMC and professor of urology at Boston University School of Medicine. “There is less blood loss and faster healing. Some patients go home the day after surgery, which is something you couldn’t do before using the old, open procedure.”

Researchers report latest patterns of medication use in the US

27 May 2005 - Boston University In 2004, 82 percent of adults and more than 50 percent of children took at least one prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal/natural medication in any given week, Boston University researchers revealed today. These findings are part of an ongoing population-based survey of the full range of medications used in the United States started in 1998 by the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University Medical Center. The investigators previously reported on patterns of use in adults in 1998-99.

BU team shows how the human brain can learn without thinking

26 May 2005 - Boston University Watch out, you may learn something and not even know it, says Takeo Watanabe, an associate professor of psychology at Boston University’s Center for Brain and Memory. Watanabe and his team recently pinpointed the mechanism that makes subliminal learning work. Watanabe will present the team’s findings at the American Psychological Society meeting in Los Angeles, May 27 and 28.

Short-term radiation for cancer pain as effective as longer regimen

25 May 2005 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine confirm that single dose (8 Gy) radiation is as effective as the current standard of ten treatments (30 Gy) of radiation therapy for patients with painful bone metastases. These recommendations appear in an editorial in the June 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Ocean-going acoustic sensor array to aid in national security, ocean research efforts

20 May 2005 - Boston University Jason Holmes, a mechanical engineering graduate student at Boston University and guest researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, has devised a low-cost, highly sensitive array of underwater ears that is perking up interest in both homeland security and ocean research circles. Holmes’ device, an underwater hydrophone array designed to be towed by a small, autonomous submarine, can monitor for ocean-going threats to America’s waterways or for sound for ocean acoustics studies.

Embryos distinguish vibrational differences, hatching early to snake attacks but not to rain

05 May 2005 - Boston University At the edge of Ocelot Pond, Panama, red-eyed tree frog embryos still in their eggs are about to make a life-or-death decision. The egg clutch, a gelatinous blob clinging to a leaf overhanging the water, has been spied by a bright green parrot snake. In a twinkling, the snake tears a few eggs from the clutch.

A self-management rehabilitation study may help people with Parkinson’s disease

11 April 2005 - Boston University A “self-management” rehabilitation study at Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences may help people with Parkinson’s disease restore function and improve quality of life.

Chemists journey to Gobi region for samples, discover novel dye in textiles from Peru

01 April 2005 - Boston University Although searching for 3,000-year-old mummy textiles in tombs under the blazing sun of a western Chinese desert may seem more Indiana Jones than analytical chemist, two Boston University researchers recently did just that. Traveling along the ancient Silk Road in Xinjiang Province on their quest, they found the ancient fabrics ,and hit upon a research adventure that combined chemistry, archaeology, anthropology, botany, and art.

Biotech start-up developed, grown with help from BU's Technology Development Fund

28 March 2005 - Boston University Genes that could bolster crop yields, improve nutritional content, or make food crops more disease resistant can now be more easily identified and developed because of breakthrough technology developed by Modular Genetics Inc., a Woburn, Mass.-based biotechnology company.

New gene helps regulate production of potentially deadly tumor necrosis factor alpha cytokine

28 March 2005 - Boston University In a paper featured today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, researchers from Boston University School of Dental Medicine report the discovery of a new gene, STAT6(B), that helps regulate production of the potentially deadly tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) cytokine.

What’s bad for your ticker may be good for your bean, according to scientists at Boston University

22 March 2005 - Boston University The team looked at 18 years of data from the long-running Framingham Heart Study and found an association between naturally high levels of blood cholesterol and better mental functioning. The results were recently published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Discovery of genetic variation, that's strongest risk factor associated with age-related macular degeneration

10 March 2005 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and SEQUENOM, Inc., report the discovery of a genetic variation, that is the strongest known risk factor associated with age-related macular degeneration. Published in the March 10, 2005, online issue of the journal Science, the study entitled “Complement Factor H Polymorphism and Age-Related Macular Degeneration,” details the discovery of the gene that may account for approximately fifty percent of the cases of AMD in the population.

Boston University biomedical engineers, chemists collaborate on novel method

08 March 2005 - Boston University The ability to select and develop compounds that act on specific cellular targets has just gained a computational ally, a mathematical algorithm that predicts the precise effects a given compound will have on a cell’s molecular components or chemical processes. Using this tool, drug developers can design compounds that will act on only desired gene and protein targets, eliciting therapeutic responses free of unwanted side effects.

Researchers find key pathway linking oxidation chemical reaction to heart failure

08 March 2005 - Boston University Enlargement (or hypertrophy) of the heart muscle is a disease process underlying heart failure. Although reactive oxygen species are known to be involved in this process, relatively little is known about precisely how ROS, highly reactive molecules that arise from incomplete chemical reaction of oxygen, activate the pathways that direct cardiac myocytes to enlarge.

Renowned Scientist to lead Tularemia research at Boston University Medical Center

25 February 2005 - Boston University Renowned research scientist Dr. John R. Murphy has been named the Principal Investigator of a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study tularemia, it was announced today by Boston University Medical Center officials. Dr. Murphy, a resident of the South End neighborhood in Boston, will be responsible for the administration of the tularemia grant over the next four years.

Hospital makes history by offering patients new high-intensity focused ultrasound technology

22 February 2005 - Boston University Boston Medical Center recently made history when Richard Shemin, MD, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at BMC, performed the world’s first and second stand-alone surgical cardiac ablation procedures using High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, a unique energy source that allows surgeons to treat atrial fibrillation from outside a patient’s beating heart without having to use a heart-lung bypass machine. Both patients, a 46-year-old male and a 76-year-old male are recovering normally.

Delta Dental of Massachusetts awards $4 million to support new programs at BU dental school

17 February 2005 - Boston University With the goals of increasing diversity within the dental profession while increasing the number of dentists practicing in underserved areas in the state, DSM (d.b.a. Delta Dental of Massachusetts) has awarded a $4 million grant to Boston University School of Dental Medicine to create the Delta Dental of Massachusetts Scholars Program. The gift establishes the largest endowment in the nation for dental scholarships for low income and minority students.

Researchers find most American medical schools fail to protect subjects

14 February 2005 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have found most American medical schools fail to protect subjects from the financial burden of research-related injury. The study, which appears in the February 2005, issue of the American Journal of Medicine, also found the informed consent language regarding research-related injury was particularly complex and difficult to understand.

BU team’s nanomechanical device bridges classic and quantum physics

09 February 2005 - Boston University Nanotechnology leapt into the realm of quantum mechanics this past winter when an antenna-like sliver of silicon one-tenth the width of a human hair oscillated in a lab in a Boston University basement. With two sets of protrusions, much like the teeth from a two-sided comb or the paddles from a rowing shell, the antenna not only exhibits the first quantum nanomechanical motion but is also the world’s fastest moving nanostructure.

World's fastest oscillating nanomachine holds promise for telecommunications, quantum computing - BU team's nanomechanical device bridges classic and quantum physics

09 February 2005 - Boston University Nanotechnology leapt into the realm of quantum mechanics this past winter when an antenna-like sliver of silicon one-tenth the width of a human hair oscillated in a lab in a Boston University basement. With two sets of protrusions, much like the teeth from a two-sided comb or the paddles from a rowing shell, the antenna not only exhibits the first quantum nanomechanical motion but is also the world's fastest moving nanostructure.

Supervised medication delivery needed to ensure HIV patients stick to their medication regimens

01 February 2005 - Boston University Supervised medication delivery or simplified dosing regimens may be needed to ensure that HIV-infected patients with a history of alcohol problems stick to their medication regimens, according to a new study by researchers at Boston University Medical Center.

NASA to provide BU $9.5 million for development and construction of CRaTER instrument

19 January 2005 - Boston University Boston University Professor Harlan Spence recently joined five other space scientists at Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland to discuss their participation in NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter program.

Statistical physics approach to analysis of heartbeat pattern uncovers link to circadian cycle

20 December 2004 - Boston University In a newly reported, first-ever finding, physicists from Boston University and physiologists from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital have found that the body’s biological clock affects the patterns of heart-rate control in healthy individuals independent of sleep/wake cycle or other behavior influences. Their analysis of the heartbeat dynamics of the healthy individuals in the study showed significant circadian rhythm, including a notable response at the internal circadian phase corresponding to 10 a.m., the time of day most often linked to adverse cardiac events in individuals with heart disease.

Nanomechanical memory cell could catapult efforts to improve data storage

30 November 2004 - Boston University There are no gears or levers involved, nor even, for those who remember such things, punch cards transported in oblong boxes. Yet research by a Boston University team led by physicist Pritiraj Mohanty does update a decidedly “old” technology in a bid to build better, faster data storage systems for today’s computers.

BU psychologist heads team in culturally attentive study of world views of domestic aggression

29 November 2004 - Boston University According to the vast body of research presented in the new book, International Perspectives on Family Violence and Abuse, the term conjures quite different descriptions from individuals throughout the world. Edited by Kathleen Malley-Morrison, a professor of psychology at Boston University, the compendium presents evidence that, among participants in the two dozen countries included in the study, a country’s history and culture strongly influence what its residents consider to be unacceptable, and acceptable, examples of domestic violence and abuse.

Study examines role of physician perceptions in care

24 November 2004 - Boston University Patients’ beliefs play little or no role in explaining racial disparities in cardiac care, according to a new Boston University School of Public Health study being published in the December issue of the 'American Journal of Public Health.' The study, “Racial Differences in Cardiac Catheterization as a Function of Patients’ Beliefs”, suggests that it is physicians’ assessments and perceptions about patients that could explain the difference in care.

Boston Medical Center’s are offering a minimally invasive treatment

17 November 2004 - Boston University Boston Medical Center’s departments of orthopaedic surgery and radiology are offering a minimally invasive treatment known as kyphoplasty to provide patients with osteoporosis and other disorders quick relief from the pain of spinal compression fractures, with high rates of success.

Findings point way to identifying therapeutics to stem muscle atrophy

16 November 2004 - Boston University In research that could benefit astronauts posted to the International Space Station as well as individuals whose universe is defined by their sick bed, Boston University Sargent College researchers Susan Kandarian and R. Bridge Hunter have found that disrupting either one of two genes, nfκb1 and bcl3, can block the biological process of muscle wasting known as atrophy.

Hydrogel can be made to exacting specifications, producing biocompatible sealant

12 October 2004 - Boston University By introducing just the right biocompatible molecules to one another, a research team led by Mark Grinstaff, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and of chemistry at Boston University, has produced an elastic, transparent gel that sets so fast and adheres so surely to the eye’s surface that it could soon become the first and best choice for sealing corneal incisions.

Study is first to explore links between U.S. immigration policy, immigration status

06 October 2004 - Boston University In a first-of-its-kind study to examine the relationship between immigration-related abuse and domestic violence, researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health have concluded that current U.S. immigration policies preventing women on spousal visas from working and self-petitioning for change of status increase women’s vulnerability to partner abuse and may constitute human rights violations.

Boston University psychologists study contrast sensitivity deficiency in AD patients

24 September 2004 - Boston University According to new visual perception research from a team at Boston University, the use of boldly colored tableware is a mealtime aid to those with severe AD, helping individuals overcome a diminished sensitivity to visual contrast, a condition often found among people with advanced AD. With bright “frames” for the food and beverage in front of them, study participants were found to increase by 25 percent or more the amount they ate and drank.

BU neurobiologists find evidence hippocampus in rat brain triggers special form of memory

08 September 2004 - Boston University For millennia, the process of memory and remembering has intrigued scholars and scientists. In 350 B.C., Aristotle, in his seminal treatise on the subject, described it as having two forms: familiarity and recollection. Of these, he considered recollection to be a purely human condition.

Discovery may help lead to new treatments for most deadly form of skin cancer

01 September 2004 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have discovered that small DNA fragments or oligonucleotides that resemble the telomere (chromosome end), also called T-oligos, can cause human melanoma cells to undergo extensive apoptosis (cell death), while surviving melanoma cells become more differentiated and therefore less aggressive.

BU team shows so-called urban heat island effect influences onset of 'greenup,' dormancy

29 July 2004 - Boston University Summer can sometimes be a miserably hot time for city dwellers, but new research shows that an urban setting allows plants to bask in a hot-house environment that keeps them greener longer.

Scientists link early flowering to influence of temperature change over past century

26 July 2004 - Boston University Taking something of a back-to-the-future approach, biologists from Boston University have looked into the past to find that flowering plants growing today blossom more than a week earlier than a century ago.

Boston University physicist, James Stone, announces findings for U.S. contingent

08 July 2004 - Boston University A team of nearly 100 physicists from around the world have achieved results verifying that the elementary particle known as the neutrino exhibits a distinctive pattern of oscillation. This discovery shows that it is likely that the Standard Model, proposed in the 1970s to describe the fundamental forces and particles that make up all matter, is incomplete.

BU geographer Tigga Kingston links speciation potential to acoustic differences in calls

11 June 2004 - Boston University It may not matter whether there is a mountain high enough or a river wide enough to keep members of a species apart. New species may diverge and form because of something as fundamental as a call to dine.

Public portal, with recipes for building complex molecules, could fuel drug research

09 June 2004 - Boston University It’s not exactly a “pinch of this and a dash of that” kind of guide. Yet the online resource for making molecules unveiled today by the Center for Chemical Methodology and Library Development at Boston University is essentially a collection of organic chemistry procedures handed from researcher to researcher the new-fashioned way, through a fully searchable, publicly accessible, Internet-based notebook.

Pediatricians concerned about health impacts on infants and toddlers living in food insecure households

01 June 2004 - Boston University Infants and toddlers being raised in food insecure homes are more likely to suffer poor health, including illness severe enough to require hospitalizations, according to a new study published in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine strengthen link between periodontal & heart disease

03 May 2004 - Boston University Strengthening the link between periodontal and heart disease, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine found they can prevent mice from developing P. gingivalis-accelerated heart disease by immunizing the mice with a vaccine that protects against periodontal disease.

There is an increase in operative time required to complete some surgical procedures

12 April 2004 - Boston University There is an increase in operative time required to complete some surgical procedures associated with training surgical residents in the operating room, according to an article in the April issue of The Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Clinicians must become more aware of clinical triggers that suggest a patient’s increased risk

05 April 2004 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have shown that missed opportunities for addressing HIV testing remain unacceptably high when patients seek medical care in the period before their HIV diagnosis. The study appears in the April 2004 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Boston University Professor recommends napping at the workplace

18 March 2004 - Boston University Boston University Professor, William Anthony, Ph.D., and his wife, Camille Anthony, president of The Napping Company, began this observance in 1999 to showcase the many health benefits of napping.

Women who consume healthy diets & avoid smoking have greatest opportunity to prevent heart disease

01 March 2004 - Boston University Women who consume “heart-healthy” diets and avoid smoking have the greatest opportunity to prevent heart disease according to results from the Framingham Nutrition Study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Shadows original, found by Prof. Ray Carney, gets world premiere at Rotterdam Film Festival

20 January 2004 - Boston University The never-released original version of pioneer independent filmmaker John Cassavetes’ first feature film has been found after a 17-year hunt by Boston University film studies Professor Ray Carney. The 16 mm rendition made in 1957-58 has been presumed destroyed. A second version, with two-thirds of the original footage replaced with new material, was released in 1959. The newly found original “Shadows” gets its world premiere this weekend at the Rotterdam Film Festival.

Improved maps of cities, surrounding areas crucial for decisions addressing climate change

16 December 2003 - Boston University Using satellites rather than ships and pixels rather than paper, modern cartographers have pushed both the scope and technology of maps to produce images that move well beyond the simple detailing of boundaries. Today’s map makers produce regional, continental, and global portraits of Earth’s environment, images that detail the use, or abuse, of existing resources and the effects such actions have on populations near and far.

Greater response seen when scolds, bad words are heard in native language

09 December 2003 - Boston University Say that to a colleague and you may see a brief widening of the eyes or a sharp turn of the head. If so, there may be more than just the element of surprise at work. It is quite likely, according to research reported by Catherine Harris, an associate professor of psychology at Boston University, your colleague is a native English speaker and you have struck a chord that resonates with early language memories.

Work by biomedical engineer James Collins may help stem injury, death from accidental falls

03 October 2003 - Boston University This seemingly contradictory news comes out of recent research by James Collins, a biomedical engineer at Boston University whose investigations into how the human body works often begin with “thinking-outside-the-box” approaches that produce novel results.

BU biologist Michael Sorenson finds genetic clues to influence of adopted songs on speciation

29 August 2003 - Boston University Indigobirds may never win “parent of the year” awards. Known as brood parasites, they are more the “park-and-fly” type; a female lays an egg in the nest of another bird species and then wings away, confident that her egg, and the hatchling that develops, will be cared for by the nest owners.

Findings by chemist John Caradonna may lead to targeted therapeutics for PKU

19 June 2003 - Boston University For the first time, a chemical link has been identified as a potential cause of a disease that affects one in every 16,000 infants born in the United States. Researchers have found that a misaligned molecular component can significantly reduce the activity of an enzyme associated with the disease phenylketonuria or PKU. This finding opens the possibility to “cofactor therapy,” in which pharmaceuticals would be designed to chemically correct the misalignment and, for some people, correct the metabolic malfunction that causes PKU.

Boston University researchers have developed a better method for identifying genes associated with diseases

18 June 2003 - Boston University Two Boston University researchers have developed a better method for identifying genes associated with diseases. Where previous methods could only locate disease genes by looking at individual mutations separately, this new technique can simultaneously scan several disease genes. This new method gives greater statistical power to disease association studies.

Large regions of Earth have been greening in recent decades because of global climate changes

03 June 2003 - Boston University Large regions of Earth have been “greening” in recent decades because of global climate changes that have brought more rainfall, better growing temperatures, and more sunlight, according to findings reported by Ranga Myneni, associate professor of geography at Boston University, and co-investigators in the June 6 issue of Science. The researchers indicate the increase, however, falls far short of the food, shelter, and heating demands of a burgeoning global population.

Stock trade paterns could predict financial earthquakes

14 May 2003 - Boston University The stock market has its share of shakeups, but who would guess that large movements in this man-made system adhere to a similar pattern of predictability as earthquake magnitudes?

New Data on Childhood Cancer rates in MA

08 May 2003 - Boston University The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow and Boston University’s School of Public Health announce new report findings that chemicals, from pesticides to industry byproducts, can cause childhood cancer. The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production report also found higher rates of cancer among African American and Latino children in Massachusetts.

Chemist Tom Tullius finds directional bend to helix, posits role in repair processr

16 April 2003 - Boston University Fifty years after the discovery of the helical structure of DNA, the body of knowledge on the reactions of that structure to damaging agents such as ionizing radiation now has a valuable addition.

Researchers identify obesity as new risk factor for lowered cognitive function

26 March 2003 - Boston University list of risk factors that contribute to cognitive deficit should now include obesity, according to research reported by Merrill Elias, research professor of epidemiology at Boston University, in the February 2003 International Journal of Obesity.

Boston University’s Tejal Desai engineers innovative system for oral drug delivery

10 March 2003 - Boston University Since the Greek physician Galen, doctors have devised and prescribed medicines that need to be swallowed. Oral delivery is easy, it’s noninvasive, and it doesn’t demand the use of trained medical personnel. It also has drawbacks. Dosing schedules must be adhered to, quantities often must be struggled with, and bioavailability must be ensured. These drawbacks may soon be an historical note as a result of innovative research by Tejal Desai, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University.

Boston University researchers discover surprising number of unknown frog species

11 October 2002 - Boston University All around the world the diversity of life forms seems to be diminishing as species die out and become extinct. Frogs in particular have shown dramatic population declines worldwide. Researchers at Boston University, however, reporting in the journal, Science, have discovered a phenomenal exception to this trend. On the island nation of Sri Lanka they found nearly 120 previously unknown species of the Asian tree frog. Only 18 species had been identified earlier.

Treatment expected to help parents cope with separation-anxiety situations

06 September 2002 - Boston University Most parents have faced the occasional heartbreaking wail of their child fearing separation from mom or dad. It's normal. But such children's fears may be eased using techniques being tested for the first time at Boston University on young children who have Separation Anxiety Disorder, which experts say is the most prevalent yet least studied of childhood anxieties.

Boston University study suggests terrorism against US will continue because of negative attitudes held by teen-agers

05 September 2002 - Boston University A new Boston University study suggests that terrorism against the U.S. is likely to continue because of negative attitudes held by teen-agers around the world about Americans as people, impressions largely drawn, ironically from made-in-America movies, TV, and popular music.

First published study examining hospital earnings from managed care contracts

11 June 2002 - Boston University In the first published study examining hospital earnings from managed care contracts, Gary Young, associate professor of health services at Boston University’s School of Public Health, found that teaching hospitals did not fare as well as community hospitals and that overall, hospitals’ profit margins declined in the late 1990s. The study appears in the June issue of Inquiry.

Study finds youth drinkers more likely to drink and drive, get in alcohol-related crashes as adults

09 June 2002 - Boston University The younger people are when they start drinking alcohol, the more likely they are to drive after excessive drinking and get into alcohol-related car crashes over the course of their adult lives, according to a new study conducted at Boston University's School of Public Health.

Researchers find that big and little may not be the same

06 May 2002 - Boston University Flip a switch and the lights go on. Same with a computer: turn it 'on,' and electricity flows through its circuits, enabling it to work. At bottom, the work the computer does is simply the end product of millions of ingenious manipulations, manipulations of tiny little on-off switches. The great achievement of the computer industry over the past decades has been its ability to make those switches smaller and smaller and still operate.

Detoxification services may represent an opportunity to establish harm-reduction interventions

14 February 2002 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have shown that injury is a serious problem for a substantial portion of patients undergoing detoxification, particularly those with alcohol dependence. The study appears in the February 2002 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research and examines injury prevalence, and the impact of alcohol use on injury, among alcohol and drug-dependent persons seeking detoxification.

Elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood had nearly double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

13 February 2002 - Boston University People with elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood had nearly double the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a new report from scientists at Boston University. The findings, in a group of people participating in the long-running Framingham Study, are the first to tie homocysteine levels measured several years before with later diagnosis of AD and other dementias. The report, which appears in the February 14, 2002, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, provides some of the most powerful evidence yet of an association between high plasma homocysteine and later, significant memory loss.

Boston University researchers locate where Northern Forests store carbon

11 December 2001 - Boston University Boston University researchers and their NASA and European colleagues have mapped for the first time the location of forest areas in the northern hemisphere that serve as major 'carbon sinks', specific areas where carbon from the atmosphere is stored in the wood of trees. The researchers also determined that for the past 20 years forests in America, Europe, and Russia have been storing nearly 700 million metric tons of carbon per year. The carbon, taken in by trees as carbon dioxide, comes primarily from the burning of fossil fuels and amounts to about 12 percent of the yearly carbon emissions caused by industrial activity around the world.

Boston University to study the groundwater potential in the northern United Arab Emirates

01 November 2001 - Boston University Boston University has signed a contract to study the groundwater potential in the northern United Arab Emirates. The three-year research project will be performed by the Boston University Center for Remote Sensing in cooperation with the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority.

Screening for Tuberculosis needs to become a priority

25 October 2001 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have shown that patients with rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease taking the drug Infliximab, are at greater risk of developing tuberculosis. The study, which appears in the October 11, 2001 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that the drug lowers the resistance of patients with latent tuberculosis infection making them more susceptible to tuberculosis disease.

Researchers from Boston University discovered that parts of northern hemisphere have become much greener

04 September 2001 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University and NASA have recently discovered that parts of the northern hemisphere have become much greener and the growing season has increased over the past 21 years. By using satellite data in correlation with temperature data from thousands of meteorological stations on North America and Eurasia, the researchers have confirmed that plant life above 40 degrees north latitude, from New York to Madrid to Beijing, has been growing more vigorously since 1981 because of rising temperatures and a buildup of greenhouse gases.

Researchers find that compounds found in green tea may offer some protection from development of breast cancer

09 July 2001 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health have shown that compounds found in green tea may offer some protection from development of breast cancer. The study, which appears in the July 2001 issue of Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, is the first study to report significant reduction in the size and malignancy of breast tumors in rats drinking green tea compared to rats drinking water.

Physician antitrust exemption legislation recently proposed at both state & federal levels could impact health care costs

02 July 2001 - Boston University Physician antitrust exemption legislation recently proposed at both the state and federal levels could impact health care costs and considerably alter the relationship between physicians and managed health care plans. Researchers from Boston University School of Public Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality recently published their analysis of this significant legislative development in the July 3rd issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers report case of vitamin D intoxification from supplements

02 July 2001 - Boston University For many people, vitamins are beneficial and essential, not potentially poisonous. However, in a 'Letter to the Editor' of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, describe the dangers associated with ingestion of an over-the-counter vitamin D supplement.

Does shortening length of stay reduce or shift costs?

30 April 2001 - Boston University Hospitals may be saving money because coronary artery bypass surgery patients are being discharged sooner, but surgeons from Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center have shown that costs are actually being shifted to other health care providers. Because CABG patients subsequently utilize outpatient nursing services and extended care facilities upon discharge from the hospital, or may be readmitted to the hospital, what appears to be cost savings is actually cost shifting. These findings appear in the April 27, 2001 issue of The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

A promising investigational drug called may become a useful new treatment for acute congestive heart failure

22 April 2001 - Boston University A promising investigational drug called nesiritide may become a useful new treatment for the one million Americans hospitalized each year with acute congestive heart failure, according to a comprehensive review article published in this week's issue of the Journal of Cardiac Failure.

Researchers are embarking on first-of-its-kind drug study of a treatment that may reverse damaging effects of emphysema

21 April 2001 - Boston University Boston University School of Medicine researchers are embarking on a first-of-its-kind drug study of a treatment that may reverse the damaging effects of emphysema. The Feasibility of Retinoid Therapy for Emphysema study, is a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded clinical trial that will test retinoic acid, a vitamin A derivative, in treating emphysema.

Boston Medical Center offers new procedure to detect diabetic retinopathy

06 April 2001 - Boston University Ophthalmologists at Boston Medical Center are now able to better detect diabetic retinopathy and prevent further damage to the retina with a new Retinal Imaging Program. Simple, quick and available on a walk-in basis without an appointment, this retinal photography procedure aids in the early detection of retinopathy, and can easily be done when the patient is at the hospital for a primary care visit, just like a blood test or x-ray.

Researchers found no consistent, negative association between prenatal cocaine exposure and physical growth

27 March 2001 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health have found there is no consistent, negative association between prenatal cocaine exposure and physical growth, developmental test scores, or receptive or expressive language. The study, which appears in the March 27, 2001, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that prenatal exposure to tobacco, marijuana or alcohol, and the quality of the child's post natal environment may contribute more to developmental impairments than cocaine exposure.

Study says medication events monitoring system provides limited adherence information

16 March 2001 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have shown that the Medication Events Monitoring System, devices that electronically monitor medication adherence, is limited in providing detailed accurate information. The study, which appears in the March 2001 issue of AIDS and Behavior, shows that the complexity of the regimen, patient lifestyle factors, and the use of adherence aids such as pill boxes prove to be obstacles in the use of MEMS as an adherence measurement tool.

NIAAA announces start of Combining Medications & Behavioral Interventions, a study that targets persons with alcholism

08 March 2001 - Boston University The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism today announces the start of Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions, a nationwide study that targets persons with the diagnosis alcohol dependence, commonly known as alcoholism. COMBINE is the first national study to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral treatments alone and in combination with medications. It begins at a time when advances in genetics, neuroscience and treatment research are forging new directions for alcoholism treatment and building expectations among patients, clinical practitioners and the public for improved treatment outcomes.

Pyramids and Sphinx may be Gifts of the Desert

26 February 2001 - Boston University 'Egypt is the gift of the Nile,' wrote Herodotus in 450 B.C. But according to research by Boston University Professor Farouk El-Baz, the Greek historian got it only half right: without the desert, too, the great civilization of ancient Egypt might never have flourished as it did.

Researchers today launched the first-of-its-kind drug prevention study for Alzheimer's disease

29 January 2001 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine today launched the first-of-its-kind drug prevention study for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Disease Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial is a National Institutes of Health funded clinical trial that will test the use of anti-inflammatory medication for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

Majority of HIV-infected patients seek medical care years after infection

29 January 2001 - Boston University In the second decade of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, patients sought HIV testing and medical care long after acquiring the virus. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and Brown University School of Medicine gauged the time it took for patients to present to their physician after acquiring HIV and assessed patients' awareness of their HIV risk before they tested positive.

To alleviate critical shortage of live kidney donors, urologists offer new procedure

17 January 2001 - Boston University In an attempt to alleviate the critical shortage of live kidney donors, urologists at Boston Medical Center now offer a new procedure which makes kidney donation less painful, has a quicker recovery time and has less chance for complications.

Women with high bone mass may be at a decreased risk of developing colon cancer

10 January 2001 - Boston University Women with high bone mass may be at a decreased risk of developing colon cancer as compared with women with low bone mass, according to researchers at Boston University School of Medicine. The study, which recently appeared in the American Journal of Epidemiology, suggests that this association may be the result of greater estrogen exposure in women with increased bone mass. This is the first study to examine the effect of cumulative estrogen exposure on colon cancer risk.

Adverse effect of cigarette smoking on infant birth weight may be influenced by maternal metabolic genotypes

07 January 2001 - Boston University Low birth weight, defined as babies who weigh less than 2,500 grams or approximately five pounds, eight ounces at birth, is a significant clinical and public health challenge. Each year in the United States, over 300,000 babies are born with LBW. LBW is the single most important determinant of postnatal infant mortality, as well as morbidity during infancy and childhood. Sixty-five percent of all infant deaths occur among LBW infants.

A toxin which may be responsible for many of symptoms associated with Lyme Disease has been identified

16 November 2000 - Boston University A toxin which may be largely responsible for many of the symptoms associated with Lyme Disease has been identified by Boston University Medical Center researchers.

Researchers have recently finished a study on health & organizational effects of workplace

26 October 2000 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University School of Public Health have recently finished the largest study of its kind on the health and organizational effects of workplace restructuring and downsizing. The results show that employees experiencing downsizing in their workplace are more likely to suffer from medical symptoms, overall mental health issues and a decreased sense of job security.

Scientists refutes myth that big business opposes social policy

21 October 2000 - Boston University Cathie Jo Martin, professor of political science at Boston University, refutes the myth that big business opposes all social policy. In her new book, Stuck in Neutral: Business and the Politics of Human Capital Investment (Princeton Paperbacks), she argues that most large firms actually support many government social initiatives, yet they lack the political organization to develop collective positions in favor of these bills.

NSF funded study at Boston University will unravel complexities of modern manufacturing

09 October 2000 - Boston University Researchers at Boston University's College of Engineering received funding to develop innovative techniques for managing such complex systems as modern manufacturing facilities, global communication networks, and world-wide economic systems. The new tools, which will draw on advanced computational techniques and today's unprecedented computing power, will also help scientists solve complex problems in computational physics.

The launch of Beacon Telco, a new venture capital development company, was announced today

25 September 2000 - Boston University The launch of Beacon Telco, a new venture capital development company, was announced today. Beacon Telco is the first operating company to be created by Beacon Photonics, a privately held holding company with the primary goal of creating venture capital development companies in photonics related market spaces. Beacon Photonics was founded in April 2000 through a joint venture between the Photonics Center at Boston University and Globalvest Management Company.

Parental eating habits may play role in development of obesity in children

25 September 2000 - Boston University According to researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, children whose parents display certain eating behaviors are at a greater risk for developing obesity than children whose parents do not display these behaviors. The study appears in the September issue of International Journal of Obesity.

Boston University Researchers base noise-shaping technology on neuronal networks

01 September 2000 - Boston University The human brain is the most elegant of receivers. It can discern the notes of a piccolo from amongst the multitude of tones in a symphony orchestra and identify the familiar outlines of a friend in the midst of a crowd of strangers. Realizing this extraordinary ability of the neuronal networks of the brain to separate signal from noise led a group of researchers at Boston University's Center for BioDynamics and Department of Biomedical Engineering to develop a biologically inspired model that would improve the fidelity of electronic devices.

Exercise may reduce the risk of impotence

25 August 2000 - Boston University Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the New England Research Institutes report that physical activity at a level of at least 200 calories a day, the equivalent of as walking briskly for two miles, may reduce a man's risk of developing erectile dysfunction/ED (impotence).

New drug may be useful for patients hospitalized with acute congestive heart failure

26 July 2000 - Boston University There is new hope for the more than one million patients hospitalized in the United States each year with acute congestive heart failure according to an article published in this week's issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Scientists uncover the secret to movement in super-cooled water

12 July 2000 - Boston University H. Eugene Stanley and colleagues at the Center for Polymer Studies at Boston University and at the Universitá di Roma La Sapienza have created a computer model that is useful in understanding how molecules move through super-cooled water. Papers in the current issue of the journal Nature and in May 15th issue of Physical Review Letters describe the results of their work, which was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation.

BU student-built rocket, spectre, launched successfully

16 June 2000 - Boston University Four years ago, five undergraduate students at Boston University were faced with a choice: take a final exam in an introductory astronomy class or develop a NASA grant proposal for a rocket experiment. On Tuesday, June 13, a large team of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty watched that proposal take flight.

Study finds youth drinkers more likely to drink and drive, get in alcohol-related crashes as adults

09 June 2000 - Boston University The BU study, published this week in the Journal of Accident Analysis and Prevention, shows that adults who began drinking before age 14 are seven times more likely to report ever being in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash than those who began drinking after age 21. In addition, adults who began drinking before age 14 are three times more likely to report driving after drinking too much than those who began after age 21. The magnitude of differences in both categories becomes smaller as the age of drinking onset approaches 21.

A promising new weapon against cancer has begun clinical trials at Oxford BioMedica

05 June 2000 - Boston University A promising new weapon against cancer, developed by scientists at Boston University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has begun clinical trials at Oxford BioMedica, a British company specializing in the application of gene-based therapeutics. A recent licensing agreement extended a 1997 agreement giving Oxford BioMedica broad access to the use of the family