Health

She Worked in a Harvard Lab to Reverse Aging, Until ICE Jailed Her

Published

1 year ago

April 12, 2025

She Worked in a Harvard Lab to Reverse Aging, Until ICE Jailed Her

A shift in the atmosphere

Ms. Petrova’s return flight from Paris landed in Boston on the evening of Feb. 16. As the plane sat on the tarmac, she texted back and forth with Dr. Peshkin, trying to confirm how she should handle the package in customs. But by then, the passengers were already filing off the plane, he said, and Ms. Petrova cut short the conversation.

At first, Ms. Petrova said, her re-entry felt normal. At passport control, an officer examined the J-1 visa that Harvard had sponsored, identifying her as a biomedical researcher. The officer stamped her passport, admitting her to the country.

Then, as she headed toward the baggage claim, a Border Patrol officer approached her and asked to search her suitcase. All she could think was that the embryo samples inside would be ruined; RNA degrades easily. She explained that she didn’t know the rules. The officer was polite, she recalled, and told her she would be allowed to leave.

Then a different officer came into the room, and the tone of the conversation changed, Ms. Petrova said. This officer asked detailed questions about the samples, Ms. Petrova’s work history and her travel in Europe. The official then informed Ms. Petrova that she was canceling her visa and asked her whether she was afraid to be deported to Russia.

“Yes, I am scared to go back to Russia,” she said, according to a Department of Homeland Security transcript provided by her lawyer. “I am afraid the Russian Federation will kill me for protesting against them.”

Ms. Petrova’s attorney, Greg Romanovsky, said that Customs and Border Protection had overreached its authority by canceling her visa. He acknowledged that she had violated customs regulations but said it was a minor offense, punishable by forfeiture and a fine.

To cancel her visa, Mr. Romanovsky said, the agents needed to identify grounds for excluding her. “There are many, many grounds of inadmissibility, but violating a customs rule is certainly not one of them,” he said.

Lucas Guttentag, a professor at Stanford Law School, reviewed documents in the case and agreed. He said that Ms. Petrova had been legally admitted to the United States, and then “the government itself created the alleged improper immigration status that is now the basis for her detention.”

“Subjecting anyone to this process is wrong, and this case is both shocking and revealing,” said Mr. Guttentag, who served as a senior Justice Department advisor under President Biden and senior advisor to the D.H.S. during the Obama administration.

In February, customs officials detained Ms. Petrova at Logan International Airport in Boston for failing to declare samples of frog embryos.Credit…M. Scott Brauer for The New York Times

A spokesperson for the D.H.S., asked why Ms. Petrova’s visa had been canceled, said that a canine inspection found petri dishes and vials of embryonic stem cells in her luggage without proper permits.

“The individual was lawfully detained after lying to federal officers about carrying biological substances into the country,” the spokesperson said. “Messages on her phone revealed she planned to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them. She knowingly broke the law and took deliberate steps to evade it.”

When the border patrol agent canceled Ms. Petrova’s visa, she became an undocumented immigrant, among the thousands detained since Mr. Trump took office. She was sent to the Richwood Detention Center to await a hearing in which she will present her case for asylum to an immigration judge.

“If she wins, she will not be deported,” Mr. Romanovsky said. “If she loses, she will be deported to Russia.”

He has also filed a petition for her release in federal court, and pressed ICE to release her on parole. “I am basically pleading for mercy,” he said. “In a different environment, I think she would have been out a long time ago.”

Ms. Petrova has spent the last month in a dormitory lined with rows of bunk beds. It is cold, and at night, the women sometimes shiver under thin blankets. Once a day, they are allowed an hour outside. Breakfast comes at different times, sometimes as early as 3:30 a.m. The hardest thing, she said, is the constant noise. The facility’s psychiatrist gave her earplugs to help her sleep.

Unable to work, she observes the women around her. Around half are Latin Americans in their 30s and 40s who crossed the border for economic reasons, she said. A second group is made up of Asians and citizens of former Soviet states, who crossed the border legally, seeking political asylum.

None of them deserve to be held under these conditions, she said. “I thought this was impossible, to be in this situation,” she said. “Even immigrants here, they have to have some rights. But it seems that nobody really cares about our rights here.”

It has challenged the view of America that she formed in Russia. “This is not the kind of America I used to know,” she said.

An empty bench

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Health

This 1-Minute Senobi Breathing Trick Curbs Cravings and Boosts Weight Loss

Published

5 hours ago

April 17, 2026

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This 1-Minute Senobi Breathing Trick Curbs Cravings and Boosts Weight Loss

Senobi Breathing for Weight Loss Helps Burn Fat Fast

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Health

RFK Jr. backs easier peptide access for wellness as doctors raise red flags

Published

5 hours ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

RFK Jr. backs easier peptide access for wellness as doctors raise red flags

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Interview of the week

→ Dr. Wendy Troxel shares relationship tips for chronic snorers and their tired partners

Unexpected threats

→ Doctor warns wearable fitness trackers could backfire

→ Where you live could shape your risk of cancer mortality

→ Lead contamination exposed in public parks across major city

The city previously applied for a lead prevention grant prior to the recent investigation of local parks. (iStock)

Conversation starters

→ Dementia risk could be tied to your mindset and outlook on life

→ Americans wait overnight for access to free healthcare as costs soar

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This article was written by Fox News staff.

Health

Doctors warn of ‘looksmaxxing’ dangers after influencer’s livestream emergency

Published

18 hours ago

April 17, 2026

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Doctors warn of ‘looksmaxxing’ dangers after influencer’s livestream emergency

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

“Clavicular,” the controversial “looksmaxxing” influencer, was reportedly hospitalized due to a suspected overdose Tuesday night during a livestream.

The Miami content creator, 20, posted a photo of his bloody face and commented on X Wednesday.

“Just got home, that was brutal. All of the substances are just [to] cope, trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously, that isn’t a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask.”

WHAT IS BUTT MICRONEEDLING? BEHIND THE ‘DESPERATE’ PROCEDURE KELLY RIPA TRIED

The influencer, whose real name is Braden Peters, was hospitalized after his livestream was cut short when he began slurring his words and repeating phrases, according to reports.

What is ‘looksmaxxing’ and why is it trending?

Looksmaxxing is a social media trend focused on enhancing appearance, ranging from basic skin care to extreme practices like hitting cheekbones with hammers to alter facial structure.

Looksmaxxing is a social media trend focused on enhancing appearance, ranging from basic skin care to extreme practices like hitting cheekbones with hammers to alter facial structure. (iStock)

The potentially dangerous trend has been popular with young males, plastic surgeons told Fox News Digital.

“In my practice, we’ve seen it primarily in young men in their 20s,” Dr. Josef Hadeed, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, told Fox News Digital. “We have had a few women, but I’d say by and large, it’s been mostly men who have come into our office wanting these various looksmaxxing procedures.”

THE REAL REASON FOR SAGGING JOWLS, AND WHAT WILL AND WON’T HELP, ACCORDING TO AN EXPERT

“Patients are increasingly seeking to align how they look with how they feel,” he said. “The difference today is that the tools and technologies available to achieve that have never been more advanced or more accessible.”

Looksmaxxing can be divided into two categories: “softmaxxing” and “hardmaxxing,” according to Hadeed. Softmaxxing is a more simple, non-invasive approach to improving one’s looks.

The potentially dangerous trend has been popular with young males, plastic surgeons told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

“It’s really like self-care or grooming – things like going to the gym on a regular basis to try to improve your body composition, or using various skincare products to try to improve your skin texture,” the surgeon said.

Softmaxxing techniques – which can also include teeth whitening, beard grooming, or upgrading a wardrobe or hairstyle – are not usually a problem, according to Hadeed. Hardmaxxing, which involves more extreme measures, can have riskier consequences.

“Even minimally invasive treatments carry real risks if performed incorrectly or by an untrained provider.”

Some individuals in the looksmaxxing online community do things like “bone smashing,” Hadeed said.

“[It’s] literally what it sounds like, where you smash the bones to change the facial structure, and that is obviously not recommended because it can lead to potential complications,” he warned.

“Once you cross that line and start getting into more extreme things, I feel like that’s where most plastic surgeons should draw the line.”

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Dr. C. Bob Basu, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said the biggest safety risks with the looksmaxxing trend come from pursuing treatments without proper medical guidance.

Looksmaxxing can be divided into two categories: “softmaxxing” and “hardmaxxing.” Softmaxxing is a more simple, non-invasive simple approach to improving one’s looks. (iStock)

“Social media can make procedures seem easy or risk-free, but even minimally invasive treatments carry real risks if performed incorrectly or by an untrained provider,” the Houston-based plastic surgeon told Fox News Digital.

To achieve quality results, it is critical to be treated by a board-certified plastic surgeon who understands both safety and anatomy, Basu advised.

What’s driving the trend?

The convergence of social media, constant digital visibility and “unprecedented access to aesthetic treatments” – along with a cultural shift toward optimizing wellness and longevity – are fueling the looksmaxxing trend, according to Basu.

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Hadeed agreed, noting that social media puts pressure on individuals to look perfect.

“People are constantly comparing themselves to other people online,” he told Fox News Digital. “It can quickly develop into body dysmorphia for a lot of people, and that’s when they start pursuing more and more procedures that they don’t need by any stretch – it’s kind of like keeping up with the Joneses.”

Both plastic surgeons emphasized the importance of taking a responsible approach when considering the looksmaxxing trend. (iStock)

Dr. Nancy Frye, a professor in the psychology department at Long Island University in Brookville, New York, also weighed in on what’s driving the looksmaxxing craze.

“We figure out how attractive we might be by comparing what we see in ourselves to what we see in others,” she told Fox News Digital. “This social comparison is especially problematic with social media and filters, as people compare themselves to filtered versions of others.”

Healthier approach

While experts warn of the risks of looksmaxxing, they say a thoughtful approach can have some benefits, including pride in one’s appearance and health.

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The most tangible benefits are associated with the softmaxxing approach, which includes following a fitness routine, eating a clean diet and following regular skin care routines, according to Hadeed.

“The goal should always be thoughtful self-improvement, not perfection.”

With healthy guidance, aesthetic care can “enhance confidence and self-esteem, helping patients feel more aligned with their sense of self,” Basu added.

Both plastic surgeons emphasized the importance of taking a responsible approach when considering the looksmaxxing trend.

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“The goal should always be thoughtful self-improvement, not perfection,” Basu said. “It should never be about looking like someone else or a filtered version of yourself, but rather about becoming a confident, natural and authentic version of you.”

Anyone considering this trend should consult a licensed healthcare professional rather than relying on advice from social media influencers, the doctors advised.

Amy McGorry is a contributing health writer for Fox News Digital. Follow her on Twitter @amymcgorry.