Research & Discovery

This page highlights the astonishing amount of scientific discovery happening at Columbia, one of the world’s leading research universities. 

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Clockwise from top left: An iceberg stranded on a submerged rock in northwest Greenland (Karl Zinglersen); homo erectus crania from the Turkana Rift (John Rowan); a mosquito feeding (Alex Wild); a shell of thick gas and dust (red) expelled from the outer layers of a star as its core collapses into a black hole. The inner regions show a heated ball of gas (white) continuing to fall into the central black hole. (Keith Miller, Caltech/IPAC - SELab)
Columbia University Discoveries in 2025-26 to Know About

Here are some of the top scientific research findings of the past academic year.


 

RECENT STORIES

A study of an investigational gene therapy for sickle cell disease has found that a single dose restored blood cells to their normal shape and eliminated the most serious complication of the disease for at least three years in some patients.

A laboratory experiment found that as CO2 solidified, it caused the rock around it to crack. In real reservoirs, this process could open up space to pump in more CO2.

New insights into the genetic architecture of schizophrenia could pave the way for predicting who is at risk of developing the disease.

A ban on heating oil #6 has been effective in reducing air pollution, says a new study that’s the first to provide a framework for evaluating the impact of NYC’s Clean Heat Program.

A study sheds light on how the brain remembers key information which might one day help treat memory disorders.

Hearing aids are getting better, and Americans will soon be able to buy them without a prescription. For those with hearing loss, the benefits may go beyond just being able to follow conversations.

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have found a way, using 2D materials, to build superconducting qubits that are a fraction of the size of previous qubits.

Researchers at the Zuckerman Institute find unexpected connections among brain cells that record memories of places in mice.

A new technique developed at Columbia Engineering combines quantum mechanics and machine learning to efficiently simulate temperature-dependent processes in materials. The method could lead to new and less carbon-intensive ways of making steel and recycling scarce metals.

What will it take to defeat AIDS in the United States by 2030? Drs. Wafaa El-Sadr and David Ho of Columbia University Irving Medical Center weigh in.

The rate of cervical cancer among women in low-income, mostly minority neighborhoods in New York City is nearly two times higher than the rate among New Yorkers in wealthier, largely white neighborhoods, says new Columbia research.

Columbia Engineering professor Henning Schulzrinne unpacks President Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill and its promise to expand broadband access for people in rural and low-income areas.