Eight new individuals with ties to Harvard Dental School have been labeled "probable" cases of swine flu, according to a Friday announcement by the Boston Public Health Commission, The Harvard Crimson reported on Monday. There are a total of nine suspected cases in the Boston area, all of which are linked to Harvard Dental School. The school is currently awaiting test results to verify the diagnoses of swine flu, David Rosenthal, director of Harvard University Health Services told The Crimson. The dental school cases are of particular concern because the infected students had interacted with patients during their medical rounds. The dental school and Harvard Dental Center, where students practice, have both been closed until May 6. Harvard Medical School has suspended its clinical rotations until that date, which marks the end of the transmissibility period for the current probable cases.
An international research team including Dartmouth Medical School professor Jason Moore, who teaches genetics and community and family medicine, has concluded that Africans are descended from a large genetic pool of 14 distinct ancestral populations, according to a DMS press release. The study, published April 30 online by Science Express, is one of the largest population-based studies of African genetics, according to the release. The study found Africa to be the most genetically diverse continent on Earth, and concluded that Southern Africa is the probable point of origin of modern human life.
The Yale Corporation, Yale University's highest governing body, planned for possible further endowment reductions in light of the recession during its second to last meeting of the academic year, the Yale Daily News reported on Thursday. The university's endowment is expected to drop an additional 10 to 15 percent, the Daily News reported. The Yale Corporation discussed possible responses to future endowment reductions at the meeting, University President Richard Levin told the Daily News. The group also discussed expected delays of building projects, including construction of two new residential colleges, according to the Daily News.
