COS News

  • Research
    AI and physics
    “The basic premise is that AI can help us do better physics, and something that is less expected is that physics can also help us understand AI better,” said Northeastern professor James Halverson.

    AI and physics have more in common than you might think.

  • News
    Mark Williams, Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics, will assume the role of Dean of the College of Science, effective July 1, 2026.

    Mark C. Williams named Dean of the College of Science

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    Showing 120 results in Physics , News

  • Want to know how processed your food is?

    Want to know how processed your food is?

    Northeastern researchers have been busy trying to better understand the links between “ultra-processed foods” and human health through the university-sponsored Foodome project. 
  • COVID-19 prison releases exposed inequities

    COVID-19 prison releases exposed inequities

    In the decade leading up to 2020, racial inequity in U.S. incarceration was trending down––until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. 
  • Is the US ready for another pandemic?

    Is the US ready for another pandemic?

    Is the U.S. ready for another pandemic?  It’s a question members of Congress convened last week to tackle. And one of Northeastern’s own machine learning experts, Mauricio Santillana, a professor of physics and network science, was on Capitol Hill to help shed light on U.S. preparedness from the standpoint of how to levy big data to create better predictive models. 
  • Northeastern professors Kevin Fu, Alessandro Vespignani and Yun Raymond Fu honored by American Association for the Advancement of Science

    Northeastern professors Kevin Fu, Alessandro Vespignani and Yun Raymond Fu honored by American Association for the Advancement of Science

    Alessandro Vespignani, director of the Network Science Institute and Sternberg Family Distinguished Professor at Northeastern, has been elected as a Fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
  • Can ‘digital traces’ from internet searches and social media predict outbreaks of COVID-19?

    Can ‘digital traces’ from internet searches and social media predict outbreaks of COVID-19?

    Your Google searches and Twitter accounts alert marketers about what items you might like to  purchase—could they also serve as an early warning system when COVID-19 levels are about to take off?  A team of scientists including Northeastern University machine learning expert Mauricio Santillana says internet users’ “digital traces” can be adopted to alert public health officials to sharp increases in COVID-19 at the county level one to six weeks ahead of a major outbreak.
  • Republicans had higher COVID-19 death rates in the first year of the pandemic, new research says

    Republicans had higher COVID-19 death rates in the first year of the pandemic, new research says

    Northeastern researchers uncovered statistics that suggests that politics played a significant role in who was dying early in the pandemic.
  • Has your food been chemically altered? New database of 50,000 products provides answers.

    Has your food been chemically altered? New database of 50,000 products provides answers.

    Northeastern researchers have discovered a way to outline the components of any given food, cluing us in to what our food is really made of—and what it took to get to your plate.
  • Your Google searches and tweets might help forecast the next disease outbreak

    Your Google searches and tweets might help forecast the next disease outbreak

    People leave a trail of breadcrumbs when they navigate the digital world, offering clues about what is happening in their lives—including their health. Northeastern’s Mauricio Santillana is using machine learning algorithms to turn those clues into an early warning system for disease outbreaks.
  • Omicron moves fast. Here’s what that means for the next few weeks.

    Omicron moves fast. Here’s what that means for the next few weeks.

    A virus that moves as quickly around the globe as the omicron variant could spell disaster just as people are traveling and gathering for holiday and New Year celebrations. But the devil’s in the details when it comes to COVID-19—and that could be a good thing.
  • When will we know more about the omicron variant?

    When will we know more about the omicron variant?

    A new Covid-19 variant, Omicron has been detected in South Africa.
  • Covid-19 isn’t a ghost just yet. But it may be getting there.

    Covid-19 isn’t a ghost just yet. But it may be getting there.

    The specter of the coronavirus loomed large at this time last year. Cases were beginning to rise heading into the winter, and a massive surge was still ahead. With no vaccines yet available to provide immunity to the virus, Halloween was a subdued affair, making COVID-19 the only ghoul in town. But this year, Halloween...
  • When can we say that the COVID-19 pandemic is over?

    When can we say that the COVID-19 pandemic is over?

    The rapid decline in coronavirus infection rates in the U.S. might make it feel like the end of the pandemic is upon us. It’s not yet. But the point at which we do consider it over may be confusing—and personal. AP Photo/Kathy Willens