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For insect cells, like mouse cells, one protein decides between life and death

Cells are given life by mitochondria, an organelle that provides them with all the energy they need. But while mitochondria giveth, they also taketh away — when a cell’s time is up, they release molecules that start a cascade ending in death. At least that’s how it works in humans, mice and ot...

'Hitchhiking' chromosomes yield new theory of cell division

From the moment the cell was discovered, scientists have been dissecting the methodical, multi-step process by which they duplicate themselves. This week, Rockefeller researchers studying one component of this process — how a cell’s chromosomes move in preparation for division — announce a dis...

Study shows a fundamental difference between how insects, mammals detect odors

When smelling their favorite foods, both humans and insects usually go with their instinct and try to find the source. However, according to new research by Leslie Vosshall and colleagues at Rockefeller University, when it comes to smell, that’s about the only thing that they have in common. Voss...

'U.S. biomedical research under seige,' says Rockefeller University president Paul Nurse

In an editorial published this week in one of the nation’s leading biomedical journals, Cell, Rockefeller University President Paul Nurse suggests that the scientific research enterprise in the United States is in danger of suffering major damage as a result of stagnated funding and the failure o...

New research shows how proteins make biological clock tick

Just as a pocket watch requires a complex system of gears and springs to keep it ticking precisely, individual cells have a network of proteins and genes that maintain their own internal clock—a daily rhythm that, in humans, regulates metabolism, cell division and hormone production, as well as t...

Three Rockefeller scientists receive 2005 Mayor's awards

Three of Rockefeller’s scientists were honored today with 2005 New York City’s Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in Science and Technology: Jan Breslow, Mitchell Feigenbaum and Leslie Vosshall. Jan Breslow is recognized with the Award in Biological and Medical Sciences for his pioneering work on ...

Scientists, linking gene with serotonin and depression, offer insights to new treatments

For the more than 18 million Americans who suffer from depressive illnesses, the best pharmacological treatments are those that increase levels of serotonin, the brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep and memory. New research by an international team of scientists, led by Rockefeller Universit...

New 'PhyloGibbs' software helps scientists make sense of DNA

For scientists studying the link between genes and disease, there’s no shortage of information. The genomes of humans and many other animals have been sequenced and published for several years. The challenge is making sense of the data. A new algorithm designed by Eric Siggia’s Rockefeller labo...

New genetic sequencing technique reveals possible genetic protection from heroin addiction

Sometimes, when it comes to genetics, the smallest changes can make the biggest differences. New research from the laboratory of Mary Jeanne Kreek at Rockefeller University uses a novel sequencing approach to show that even very tiny differences within genes may help protect someone from heroin a...

Protein structure suggests bacteria may be more sophisticated than we thought

When a bacterium or virus infects a plant, the plant fights back: It kills off its own cells in the area that’s infected. This immune response, known as programmed cell death, kills the invading organisms, limits its spread in the plant, and results in characteristic brown patches on the plant’s...