The Latest Breaking News from Brandeis University

Why Parrots Can Mimic Human Speech So Perfectly but Cannot Understand Language Like We Do

The organ that makes it possibleParrots are the only birds whose vocal anatomy allows them to approximate human consonants and vowels with any real precision. The key is the syrinx, the avian equivalent of a larynx, located at the base of the trachea where it forks into the two bronchi.…

Times Life · Jul 1

More US states push to ban kratom drink deemed ‘gas-station heroin’

At least eight states have banned the plant-derived product as more people use it and some claim it’s addictive

The Guardian - US · Jun 16

"Full Circle Moment": 50-Year Chemistry Professor Leaves $18 Million Legacy to Brandeis

Retired Brandeis University chemistry professor Peter Jordan and wife Barbara Palmer give $18 million to honor his parents who fled Nazi Germany. The gift supports theoretical and physical chemistry research, establishing senior and junior professorships plus three graduate fellowships. Jordan taught at Brandeis for 50 years, calling his career a…

International Business Times · Jan 20

What a bereaved father, a historian of Israel, believes after 100 days of war

A scholar of Israeli history reflects on the killing of his daughter and 100 days of war in Israel and Gaza. NPR's Daniel Estrin met him Oct. 7 when the war began, and again now.

WEKU · Jan 14, 2024

Tensions running high at New England campuses over protests around Israel-Hamas war

One New England university banned a pro-Palestinian student group

The Independent UK · Nov 10, 2023

These high-tech buzzers may help astronauts avoid getting lost in space (video)

Researchers at Brandeis University in Massachusetts are developing wearable devices which vibrate to help astronauts fight against getting lost in space.

Space · Nov 3, 2023

‘From the river to the sea’: What does the Palestinian slogan really mean?

Critics have called its use anti-Semitic amid Israel’s war on Gaza. But the slogan has more complex roots.

Al Jazeera · Nov 2, 2023

Mother who died saving son, pro-peace academic and man missing at rave: Americans killed or missing in Israel

The State Department confirmed at least 22 US citizens have died since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, while an unknown number have been take hostage. Here are some of their stories. Rachel Sharp reports

The Independent UK · Oct 17, 2023

Israeli-American teen tells how mother threw herself in front of bullet for him

Teen hid for 12 hours after parents were hunted down and killed by Hamas terrorists

The Independent UK · Oct 13, 2023

Mother who died saving son, pro-peace academic and man missing at rave: Americans killed or missing in Israel

The State Department confirmed at least 22 US citizens have died since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, while an unknown number have been take hostage. Here are some of their stories. Rachel Sharp reports

The Independent UK · Oct 11, 2023