Latest Boston College Stories

Boston College researchers provide new view of myelin structure and stabilityNew findings from an international team of researchers probing the nerve-insulating myelin sheath were bolstered by the work of Boston College biologists, who used x-rays to uncover how mutations affect the structure of myelin, a focal point of research in multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorders.The findings were central to the group's broader conclusion that a set of protein processes required in the...

As children head back to school and attention turns to strategies for boosting reading and math achievement for low-income youth, a new study says the quality of early child care may play a role.The study, by researchers at Boston College, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Samford University, is published in the September/October 2009 issue of Child Development.The researchers looked at reading and math achievement of more than 1,300 children in middle childhood from economic...

 Using a composite metamaterial to deliver a complex set of instructions to a beam of light, Boston College physicists have created a device to guide electromagnetic waves around objects such as the corner of a building or the profile of the eastern seaboard.As directed by the researchers' novel device, these beams continue to behave as if traveling in a straight line. In one computer simulation, Assistant Professor of Physics Willie J. Padilla and researcher Nathan Landy revealed the...

Novel linear solution doubles accuracy and is 10 times faster than prior techniquesInspired by the behavior of the human eye, Boston College computer scientists have developed a technique that lets computers see objects as fleeting as a butterfly or tropical fish with nearly double the accuracy and 10 times the speed of earlier methods.The linear solution to one of the most vexing challenges to advancing computer vision has direct applications in the fields of action and object recognition,...

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- PIBH recognized 23 outstanding Pennsylvania workers and the exceptional character they demonstrate in living and coping with disabilities, particularly in the workplace. The Nettie Mann Achievement Award Dinner, held by PIBH at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg last night, celebrated the winner and runners-up from across the state. Every day, however, PIBH honors the spirit and skills of Pennsylvanians with disabilities by facilitating employment...

A new study shows that teenagers whose fathers are more involved in their lives are less likely to engage in risky sexual activities such as unprotected intercourse.According to an MSNBC report, the researchers found that the more attentive the dad "” and the more he knows about his teenage child's friends "” the bigger the impact on the teen's sexual behavior. The study even suggests that while an involved mother can also help stave off a teen's sexual activity, dads have twice the...

Two-thirds of American teenagers have sex by the time they're 18. A new longitudinal study finds that when adolescents engage in risky sexual activity, fathers respond by increasing their efforts to supervise and monitor their children.Researchers at Boston College, the University of Pittsburgh, and Harvard University conducted the study, which appears in the May/June 2009 issue of the journal Child Development.The study followed more than 3,200 teenagers ages 13 to 18 over a period of four...

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., May 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Filmmaker Ken Burns, whose distinctive and acclaimed documentaries have brought to life the Civil War, baseball, jazz and other facets of American history, will address the Class of 2009 at the 133rd Boston College Commencement Exercises on May 18. Some 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students will receive Boston College diplomas at ceremonies that day. Boston College President William P. Leahy, SJ, will present Burns with an...

A new theory about early human adaptation suggests that our ancestors capitalized on their capacities for play to enable the development of a highly cooperative way of life.Writing in the current edition of the interdisciplinary American Journal of Play, Boston College developmental psychologist Peter Gray suggests that use of play helped early humans to overcome the innate tendencies toward aggression and dominance which would have made a cooperative society impossible."Play and humor...

Boston College Director of Athletics Gene DeFilippo has been given a contract extension through May 2014, the college announced Monday. DeFilippo has been with the Boston College athletic department since Sept. 16, 1997, and is credited with strengthening the college's academic support, facilities and fundraising, Boston College said in a release. During his time with Boston College, the Eagles' student-athletes have posted the highest graduation rates among NCAA Division I programs. Boston...