Author Archives: Zachary Herz-Roiphe

According to a recent study by Yale researchers, flowering plants — the dominant type of plant on Earth — may have originated tens of millions of years earlier than previously thought. Fossil evidence has suggested that flowering plants first appeared around 140 million years ago, and then began to rapidly spread across the globe around »

When what some jokingly — or perhaps not so jokingly — call “officially the nerdiest club on campus” sat down for its weekly dinner on Tuesday night, the conversation ranged from serious discussions of scientific experiments to jokes about the titles given to the group’s leaders, such as “experiment-meister.” After the Yale Chemistry Club was »

Around New Haven, lots once full of weeds are blossoming into gardens full of delicious greens. A project conceived by Justin Freiberg FES ’10 is turning vacant lots around New Haven into sustainable community gardens. Freiberg founded the Urban Foodshed Collaborative this past summer with the goals of introducing New Haven teenagers to environmentalism and »

The United States needs comprehensive immigration reform or the country will become increasingly fragmented, said Ruben Beltran Guerrero, Consul General of Mexico in New York, at a Master’s Tea on Thursday. Speaking to an audience of 25 people at the Ezra Stiles Master’s House, Guerrero said immigrants make up an important piece of what he »

A week after Gov. M. Jodi Rell proposed to cut $84 million from total aid to cities and town across Connecticut, her 2006 gubernatorial challenger, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., was appointed to the state panel charged with determining how to implement her plan. Rell, facing a $466.5 million state budget deficit for the »

After weeks of delayed shipments and rationed vaccinations, Yale will inoculate students for swine flu at two clinics Wednesday and Thursday, University Health Services announced Monday. The University received 1,500 doses of swine flu vaccine from the Connecticut Department of Public Health Monday, YUHS Director Paul Genecin said Monday. While 300 doses were reserved for »

At a time when many faculty searches have been delayed because of the recession, Yale is hiring more faculty members in the sciences than in the social sciences or the humanities, University administrators said. Yale proceeds with faculty searches within the Faculty of Arts & Sciences on a department-by-department basis, Provost Peter Salovey said in »

A group of Yale alumni traveled to Brazil last week to plant trees in the Atlantic Rainforest and ask the government to provide better health care for Brazil’s minority communities. The group of 16 worked with Instituto Terra, an environmental non-governmental organization that works to preserve the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The »

While hormone therapy is associated with increased breast cancer risk, a new approach could bring women relief from hot flashes and mood swings without added risk. A combination of estrogen and a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) — which blocks estrogen from affecting certain types of tissue — could alleviate the symptoms of menopause without »

Looking to save money on snacks? Take a hike — to Shaw’s. The News’ informal study has revealed that prices at Shaw’s can be almost 50 percent lower than prices at Durfee’s or Gourmet Heaven. Even bigger savings await those who buy in bulk. Consider the items needed for a standard late-night cram session: 8-oz. »

Four Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies alumni spoke Friday about how corporations can expand their environmental initiatives in the recession through small, cost-saving measures. Andrew Winston FES ’03, Kristin Morico FES ’98, Eliza Eubank SOM ’07 FES ’07 and Paulette Frank FES ’96 told an audience of about 90 students and professionals on »

At a Board of Aldermen community workshop Tuesday night, the Economic Development Administration proposed a business zoning plan designed to maintain the “village feel” of New Haven streets. While several aldermen vocally supported the idea, a handful expressed reservations about some of the plan’s details. The proposed zone is intended to prevent big-box stores and »