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In the News - The Scientist - Kronauer

Methylation’s Role in Eusocial Insect Behavior Questioned   "'Discovering that there is no evidence to support methylation as a reason why two ants can behave so differently was, on the one hand, a little sobering,' said study coauthor Daniel Kronauer of Rockefeller University in a press rele...

New findings challenge popular explanation for why a social insect becomes a worker or queen

The exquisite social hierarchy of insect colonies has long fascinated scientists. Take two eggs—both contain identical genetic material, but while one becomes a sterile worker, the other may develop into a queen that can reproduce. Workers perform brood care and other crucial tasks that keep the ...

Study identifies signals that make early stem cells

Stem cells work throughout our lives as a sort of handyman, repairing damaged tissues and renewing some normal ones, like the skin we shed. Scientists have come to understand much about how stem cells function when we are adults, but less is known about where these stem cells come from to begin w...

In the News - The Atlantic - Vosshall

The Quest to Make a Better Mosquito Repellent   "It’s not easy for a human to find a mosquito that doesn’t want to be found, but a mosquito can locate us quite easily. It’s a human-seeking machine, sculpted by evolution to track the warmth of our bodies, the carbon dioxide in our breath, ...

In the News - The Atlantic - Vosshall

The Quest to Make a Better Mosquito Repellent   "It’s not easy for a human to find a mosquito that doesn’t want to be found, but a mosquito can locate us quite easily. It’s a human-seeking machine, sculpted by evolution to track the warmth of our bodies, the carbon dioxide in our breath, ...

Awards, arrivals, and promotions

Congratulations to our latest award winners: Luciano Marraffini has been recognized with the Hans Sigrist Prize for his work developing a new approach to fight antibiotic resistance. The Hans Sigrist Prize recognizes work in a different academic field each year based on a decision by a faculty co...

Researchers develop gene-filtering tool to identify disease-causing mutations

Despite their bad reputations, the vast majority of mutations are not harmful. Even in very rare genetic disorders, only one or two genetic variations ­— out of tens of thousands — is actually the cause of disease. Distinguishing between harmful and harmless mutations has long been a challenge....

Experiments explain the events behind molecular ‘bomb’ seen in cancer cells

Since scientists have begun sequencing the genome of cancer cells, they have noticed a curious pattern. In many different types of cancers, there are cells in which a part of a chromosome looks like it has been pulverized, then put back together incorrectly, leading to multiple mutations. For yea...

Luciano Marraffini receives the Hans Sigrist Prize for work on antibiotic resistance

Luciano Marraffini, assistant professor and head of the Laboratory of Bacteriology, has been recognized with the Hans Sigrist Prize for his work developing a new approach to combat antibiotic resistance. This Swiss award, bestowed by the University of Bern, specifically honors Marraffini for mani...

Mosquitoes are tuned to seek out temperatures that match warm-blooded hosts

Many animals gravitate towards heat, most often to regulate their own body temperatures. In rare cases, certain species—ticks, bedbugs, and some species of mosquitoes—seek out heat for food. For female mosquitoes, finding heat is essential for survival, as they need to feast on warm-blooded prey...