Campus News

My Brilliant Friend, by the pseudonymous Italian author Elena Ferrante, is the New York Times’ No. 1 book of the century. This recognition, and the recent adaptation of Ferrante’s four-novel Neopolitan Quartet into an HBO series, underscores this writer’s profound influence.

Ferrante’s popular novels, translated into English by Ann Goldstein, are an intimate exploration...

A new analysis of DNA from ancient modern humans (Homo sapiens) in Europe and Asia has determined, more precisely than ever, the time period during which Neanderthals interbred with modern humans, starting about 50,500 years ago and lasting about 7,000 years — until Neanderthals began to disappear.

That interbreeding left Eurasians with many genes inherited from our Neanderthal ancestors, which in total make up between 1% and 2% of our genomes today.

A more precise timeline for modern human interactions with Neanderthals can help scientists understand when humans...

Thanksgiving is a holiday all about food — and gratitude, of course — that creates sensory memories: rosemary-scented stuffing, a well of warm gravy threatening to spill out of its mashed potato seat, tart goops of cranberry sauce, triangles of pie and a massive bird at the center of it all.

But while we often know the short-term backstory of what’s on the table (“This cornbread is my aunt’s recipe” or “We started making this side when so-and-so became vegetarian”), the larger historical context behind what many consider the traditional Thanksgiving spread may be less top-of-mind...

UC Berkeley’s Council on Advising and Student Services and awards planning committee recently announced the recipients of the 2024 Excellence in Advising & Student Services Awards, which recognize the recipients' positive and innovative impacts on student learning,...