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Science News

Scientists identify a neural circuit that rotates a fly’s internal compass

Researchers have uncovered the neurons that spin a fly’s internal compass when the insect turns—the first such mechanism identified in any animal.
Rhesus monkeys grooming
Science News

Newly discovered brain network offers clues to social cognition

By studying rhesus monkeys, researchers have identified a brain network dedicated to processing social interactions—a discovery that offers tantalizing clues to the origins of our ability to understand what other people are thinking.
Awards and Honors

Rockefeller leads global ranking of scientific impact

Rockefeller has the highest percentage of frequently cited scientific publications among more than 900 universities worldwide, according to a ranking created by the Center for Science and Technology Studies of Leiden University in The Netherlands.  

Rockefeller team makes case for federal research funding to senior White House officials

The meeting, arranged by Rockefeller Trustee Bill Ford, provided an opportunity for leading voices in the academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical sectors to make a case for sustained, robust federal support for biomedical research.
swirls_homepage
Science News

Swirling swarms of bacteria offer insights on turbulence

When bacteria swim at just the right speed, swirling vortices emerge. As those patterns disintegrate into chaos, physicists detect a telling mathematical signature.
Hair follicle micro-niche
Science News

A cell’s destiny is set earlier than expected

Stem cells in the hair follicle are organized by the cell type they will eventually become in unique compartments, at the ready to regenerate tissue.
C. David Allis
Awards and Honors

C. David Allis wins 2017 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology

Allis has received the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology. The award, given to investigators whose research offers hope for the prevention and treatment of birth defects and other infant diseases, honors Allis for his groundbreaking work on gene regulation.
zika envelop protein domain structure
Science News

Discovery of a Zika antibody offers hope for a vaccine

Searching for a way to thwart Zika, scientists have discovered an antibody with a potent ability to neutralize the virus.

Mary E. Hatten is elected to the National Academy of Sciences

With Hatten’s election, the Rockefeller faculty now has 39 members or foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences.
squamous carcinoma cells
Science News

A mechanism shared by healing wounds and growing tumors

Scientists have long seen parallels between healing wounds and growing tumors. In studying the molecular changes that occur within both, a research team has discovered a new cancer-fuelling mechanism that potentially could inform drug development.
macrophage-animation-1
Science News

Scientists engineer human-germ hybrid molecules to attack drug-resistant bacteria

The centromere region of chromosomes retains the same DNA from one generation to the next. Scientists have gained new insights into how it avoids being scrambled in normal cells, and how it becomes unstable in cancer.
Campus News

Reem–Kayden Early-Career Innovation Award is established to support newly promoted associate professors at Rockefeller

The unique award, funded by a $7 million gift, is designed to encourage Rockefeller’s early-career faculty members to pursue the most imaginative science in the years leading to a tenure decision. All heads of laboratories are eligible upon their promotion to associate professor.
Tuschl_Nature

Shooting the messenger: how one protein allows germ cells to develop

Researchers have identified a molecule that guides the formation of eggs and sperm by preventing a host of factors related to cell death and inflammation from killing the precursors to these cells. Their findings reveal new knowledge about how a mutation in this molecule leads to male sterility.
Bieniasz_ancient-virus_nw
Science News

Viral fossils reveal how our ancestors eliminated an ancient infection

Some viruses can insert their genetic material into the genome of their host, creating a genetic fossil record. Researchers have uncovered how our ancestors may have wiped out one such virus around 11 million years ago.
School of Striped Bass

Researchers track fish migration by testing DNA in seawater

A bucket of seawater contains more than meets the eye—it’s chock-full of fish DNA. Scientists are now putting that DNA to good use to track fish migration with a new technique that involves a fraction of the effort and cost of previous methods. DNA strained from samples drawn weekly from New ...
Campus News

Pablo G. Legorreta, founder and chief executive officer of Royalty Pharma, is elected to the Board

Rockefeller’s Board of Trustees elected new member Pablo G. Legorreta, the founder and CEO of Royalty Pharma, at their February 15 meeting. With his election, the university has 49 voting members.
Funabiki_scrambled-centromeres_nw
Science News

Scientists discover how crucial DNA sequences endure

The centromere region of chromosomes retains the same DNA from one generation to the next. Scientists have gained new insights into how it avoids being scrambled in normal cells, and how it becomes unstable in cancer.
U-Multirank survey
Science News

Rockefeller tops ranking of 1,300 universities in measures of scientific impact and productivity

Released by the European Commission–funded U-Multirank, the survey placed Rockefeller first in categories related to scientific impact and research productivity. The results incorporate data on more than 1,300 institutions in over 90 countries.
People who self-describe as night owls often have a sleep disorder encoded in their genes. (Illustration by Jasu Hu)
Science News

Study identifies “night owl” gene variant

Scientists have discovered a common mutation that might explain why some people have trouble going to sleep at night and getting up early. The gene alteration slows the internal biological clock that regulates our sleeping patterns.
Campus News

Rockefeller president Richard P. Lifton releases statement on proposed federal budget cuts to science

Rockefeller University President Richard P. Lifton today released the following statement on proposed cuts to federal funding for science: Given the remarkable track record of American science, one can only read with alarm the White House budget proposal recommending an 18 percent reduction in NI...
Enterobacteria phage T2
Science News

For microbes fighting viruses, a fast response means a better defense

Researchers have found that the bacterial immune system targets an invading virus as soon as it enters the cell. This discovery answers a long-standing question about how microbes defend themselves.
human-cftr-home
Science News

New study resolves the structure of the human protein that causes cystic fibrosis

In order to better understand how genetic mutations give rise to cystic fibrosis, researchers need to map the protein responsible for the disorder. The new structure has led to new insights on how this molecular channel functions.
inflammation2-home
Science News

Changes in the vascular system may trigger Alzheimer’s disease

In some people whose cognitive functions are weakened due to Alzheimer’s, the disease can be traced back to changes in the brain’s blood vasculature. Scientists have found that a protein involved in blood clotting and inflammation might offer a potential path to new drugs.

David Rockefeller, university benefactor for 76 years, dies at 101

"David's integrity, strength, wisdom, and judgment—and especially his unequivocal commitment to excellence—shaped the University and made it the powerhouse of biomedical discovery it is today," said Russell L. Carson, chair of the Board, and Richard P. Lifton, president, in a statement.
Immobilized worm
Science News

For biologists studying tiny worms, new technologies make big improvements

Two new technologies are helping scientists understand new aspects of organ and nervous system development in C. elegans. One allows them to image worms developing in a natural environment, while the other makes it possible to track single neurons as the worms grow.
Science News

Early intervention with new treatment provides durable control of HIV-like virus in monkeys

There are more than 25 drugs to control HIV, yet the virus remains one of the world’s biggest health problems. One of the many challenges with existing therapies is that a dormant version of the virus is always lurking in the background, ready to attack the immune system as soon as treatment is i...
Science News

Study tests the “three-hit” theory of autism

Since the first case was documented in the United States in 1938, the causes of autism have remained elusive. Hundreds of genes, as well as environmental exposures, have been implicated in these brain disorders. Sex also seems to have something to do with it: About 80 percent of children diagnose...
Science News

A new way to reset gene expression in cancer cells shows promise for leukemia treatment

New findings from Rockefeller University researchers could guide the development of potent combination therapies that deliver more effective and durable treatment of leukemia. In recent work published in Nature, they show it’s possible to deactivate cellular programs involved in tumor growth by d...
Awards and Honors, Science News

Raphael Cohn wins 2017 Weintraub Graduate Student Award

Raphael Cohn, a graduate fellow in Vanessa Ruta’s Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Behavior, is a recipient of this year’s Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, one of the country’s most prestigious graduate student prizes in the biosciences. The award, given by the Fred Hutchinson Canc...
Awards and Honors

Paul Greengard Professorship established with $5 million gift from the Fisher Center Foundation

Late last year, guests at the President’s House raised a glass in celebration of one of Rockefeller’s most beloved colleagues. In his nearly 35 years at Rockefeller, Paul Greengard has led pioneering studies that have transformed our understanding of how the nervous system works, and have paved ...
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