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News & Highlights > News

July 28, 2022

Campus News

New faculty member unlocks vast chemical spaces for drug discovery

Jiankun Lyu will join Rockefeller as an assistant professor on January 1, 2023.

July 28, 2022

Campus News

New faculty member plumbs the depths of fast-track evolution

Lamia Wahba will join Rockefeller as an assistant professor on January 1, 2023.

July 20, 2022

Science News

Ant colonies behave like neural networks when making decisions

Colonies decide to flee rising temperatures in much the same way that neural computations give rise to decisions.

July 18, 2022

Science News

How the intestine replaces and repairs itself

A new study suggests that stem cells are able to integrate cues from their surroundings and coordinate their behavior across tissue through networks of vasculature in their close vicinity.

July 18, 2022

Seek Magazine

Stem cells are growing up

The controversy and hype have died down. The science is very much alive, creating new directions for discovery.

July 14, 2022

Science News

Colorectal cancer tumors both helped and hindered by T cells

Researchers have long disagreed over whether 𝛄𝛅T cells in the gut promote or discourage tumor growth, but new evidence suggests they have the capacity to do both.

July 13, 2022

Science News

New study reveals where memory fragments are stored

The research demonstrates the distributed nature of memory processing in the brain, and reveals a dedicated pathway for memory recall, which is less understood than memory formation.

July 5, 2022

Campus News

A venerable tree ends its tenure

After gracing the university’s north-south pathway for decades, a London plane tree was cut down due to interior decay and the resulting safety risk. Removal of the deciduous giant required a team of highly-experienced arborists.

July 3, 2022

Seek Magazine

Beak speak

How did songbirds start singing? Neuroscientists are reshaping our understanding of speech—pinpointing the cells and molecules that built it and what happens in the brain when we learn a new word, chirp, or squeal.

July 1, 2022

Campus News

New portrait of five trailblazing women scientists from Rockefeller’s past is unveiled

With a new portrait by artist Brenda Zlamany, installed over the fireplace in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Reception Hall, the likenesses of scientists Marie Daly, Rebecca Lancefield, Louise Pearce, Gertrude Perlmann, and Florence Sabin have joined the university’s art collection.

June 26, 2022

Seek Magazine

Philanthropy 2.0

Private investments are making it possible to reimagine 21st-century bioscience. Cori Bargmann envisions a future with opportunity for researchers everywhere.

June 24, 2022

Campus News

Rockefeller leads an international ranking of research impact

According to this year’s CWTS Leiden Ranking of over 1300 universities from 69 countries, Rockefeller has the highest percentage of most frequently cited scientific publications.

June 23, 2022

Science News

A third vaccine dose may increase protection from Omicron

The booster appears to galvanize memory B cells into producing potent and versatile antibodies that neutralize both the original virus and its many variants.

June 22, 2022

Campus News

Rockefeller tops international university ranking in measure of top cited publications

In the U-Multirank rating system for higher education institutions, Rockefeller placed first in a measure of impact based on citations.

June 10, 2022

Campus News

40 young scientists receive Ph.D.s at Rockefeller’s 64th convocation

With this week’s ceremony, the first in-person convocation since the start of the pandemic, Rockefeller has granted doctor of philosophy degrees in bioscience to 1,395 students. In addition, Anthony S. Fauci, Katalin Karikó, and Lulu C. Wang received honorary doctor of science degrees.

May 31, 2022

Science News

How intricate patterns arise in developing tissues

In developing bird skin, immature cells move around and form intricate patterns. Scientists are zeroing in on the mechanical forces guiding the process.

May 31, 2022

Science News

In Brief

Building a human ‘pangenome’ to capture global genomic diversity

The human reference genome, the most widely used resource in human genetics, is getting a major update.

May 30, 2022

Science News

Hundreds of new drug targets to combat tuberculosis

The study highlights genes that, when silenced, render Mycobacterium tuberculosis vulnerable to antibiotics, and identifies existing drugs that may be effective against one prominent strain.

May 27, 2022

Science News

One protein's surprising partnership with single-stranded DNA

Linker histone H1 appears capable of distinguishing between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA, suggesting that its role in maintaining our genomes extends far beyond that of keeping chromosomes compact.

May 26, 2022

Science News

A synthetic antibiotic may help turn the tide against drug-resistant bacteria

The compound attacks MRSA, C. diff, and several other deadly pathogens. Its discovery demonstrates the power of combining computational biology, genetic sequencing, and synthetic chemistry to study bacterial evolution.

May 19, 2022

Science News

The genetic underpinnings of severe staph infections

A mutated gene may explain why some Staphylococcus aureus infections turn lethal, a finding with significant implications for people living with 5p- syndrome.

May 11, 2022

Awards and Honors

Titia de Lange elected to the Royal Society

She receives the honor for elucidating mechanisms of telomere protection and genome maintenance.

April 19, 2022

Science News

In Brief

Antibody therapy controls HIV for months in new clinical trial

Unlike conventional antiretroviral drugs, treatment with broadly neutralizing antibodies does not rely on vigilant daily dosing and could potentially reduce the body’s reservoir of latent viruses.

April 14, 2022

Campus News

Shixin Liu, expert in single-molecule studies of biological machines, is promoted to associate professor

Liu’s pioneering research on nano-scale molecular events is furthering our knowledge of how DNA replication and gene expression are regulated.

April 14, 2022

Campus News

Kivanç Birsoy, expert on cancer cell metabolism, is promoted to associate professor

Birsoy's groundbreaking research has highlighted key nutrients that cancer cells need to survive, while shedding light on debilitating mitochondrial diseases and rare genetic disorders.

April 11, 2022

Campus News

Richard P. Lifton to be honored with 2023 Kober Medal

Lifton, who pioneered the use of genomics to identify the basis for diseases, is recognized for a lifetime of contributions in science and mentorship.

April 6, 2022

Science News

How a narrow-spectrum antibiotic takes aim at C. diff

A new study reveals how the drug fidaxomicin selectively targets a dangerous pathogen without causing harm to beneficial bacteria. The findings could inform the development of new narrow-spectrum antibiotics for treating other types of infection.

March 31, 2022

Science News

The human genome is, at long last, complete

Even after 20 years of upgrades, eight percent of the human genome was still left unsequenced and unstudied. Until now.

Collage of new Rockefeller board members

March 30, 2022

Campus News

The Board of Trustees has eight new members

With a breadth and depth of experience across academia, the pharmaceutical industry, technology, healthcare, and the financial sector, this latest cohort of trustees brings new skill sets and perspectives to the community.

March 24, 2022

Science News

How bacteria "self-vaccinate" against viral invaders

In studying how bacteria respond to viral infection, scientists are learning that their defense strategies cooperate in ways reminiscent of the elaborate immune systems of animals.

March 17, 2022

Campus News

Social psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt to be awarded the 2022 Lewis Thomas Prize

The author of Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do will be presented with Rockefeller’s prestigious science writing award on April 7.

March 8, 2022

Campus News

Rockefeller president Richard P. Lifton releases statement on Russian invasion of Ukraine

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Rockefeller University President Richard P. Lifton today released the following statement: The Rockefeller University is a vibrant, international community. Our scientists, students, and staff come from all over the world, inclu...

March 3, 2022

Campus News

Rockefeller Nobelists co-sign open letter condemning Ukraine invasion

Read the letter signed by 168 Nobel Prize winners, including five Rockefeller scientists.

February 17, 2022

Campus News

Stavros Niarchos Foundation–David Rockefeller River Campus receives LEED gold certification

One of only a handful of laboratory settings in New York City to receive the designation, the new river campus is recognized for its numerous energy efficient features.

February 8, 2022

Science News

Scientists discover new mechanism involved in learning and memory

FMRP, a protein whose loss causes intellectual disability, may regulate a neuron's synaptic response by establishing a feedback loop between the cell's nucleus and its faraway dendrites.

January 24, 2022

Science News

Insights into a cystic fibrosis treatment may herald a novel class of drugs

Protein folding diseases, from Alzheimer's to Gaucher's, may one day be treated by a unique class of protein corrector molecules that are already helping manage cystic fibrosis.

January 20, 2022

Campus News

IT upgrades bolster university’s defenses against cybercriminals

Rockefeller’s Information Security team has implemented one of the most substantial upgrades in its history. As backend protections are strengthened, community members also have a critical role to play.

January 6, 2022

Science News

In Brief

New comprehensive map of the portal to the cell’s nucleus

The findings, which may have implications for a wide range of human diseases, suggest that nuclear pore complexes vary in structure and function even within a single nucleus.

January 5, 2022

Science News

A novel compound might defeat multidrug-resistant bacteria common in hospitals

Increasingly, hospitalized patients contract infections that evade current antibiotics including colistin, long used as a last treatment option. The discovery of a new colistin variant might make it possible to outmaneuver these pathogens.

January 4, 2022

Campus News

Ashton Murray is named chief diversity officer

Murray will become Rockefeller’s inaugural chief diversity officer and vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion on January 10.

Coronavirus-intenstines-immunofluorescence

December 23, 2021

Science News

Waddling water bears, grandmother neurons, and other memorable science stories of 2021

This year's scientific endeavors included multiple attacks on SARS-CoV-2—and a lot more. Here are the most memorable science stories to come out of Rockefeller labs in 2021, from the benefits of brown fat to the pitfalls of modern IVF screening techniques.

December 20, 2021

Campus News

Sid Strickland will step down from role of dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies

After 21 years, Sidney Strickland will exit his administrative role, returning full time to his laboratory research at Rockefeller.

Theodora Hatziioannou and Bieniasz lab members

December 16, 2021

Science News

New evidence that boosters may be crucial in protecting against Omicron

Researchers found that the antibodies present in people who have had COVID or taken two doses of mRNA vaccine are inadequate against Omicron. But their protective ability increases significantly after a booster dose.

December 15, 2021

Science News

How a fly's brain calculates its position in space

New research reveals how neurons in a fly's brain signal the direction in which the body is traveling. The cells appear to literally perform vector math in order to act as a biological compass.

December 7, 2021

Science News

Llama antibodies could help fight SARS-CoV-2 variants

Scientists have identified hundreds of llama-derived antibodies that potentially could be developed into a COVID treatment. They hope such a drug would be potent against different variants of the coronavirus, including Omicron.

November 30, 2021

Seek Magazine

How cells feel their way

A single cell has no nerves, yet it can feel and respond to mechanical forces such as pressure. Armed with new technologies, scientists are making headway in understanding how this sensory system operates.

November 29, 2021

Science News

Stem cell memories may drive wound repair—and chronic disease

Epidermal stem cells that hail from the hair follicle retain memories of their journey to the skin's surface. Those memories are a boon for wound repair, but may also contribute to chronic diseases and cancer.

November 18, 2021

Science News

New design may boost potency of monoclonal antibodies against COVID

In animal experiments, the structurally altered antibodies activated the immune system more effectively than those currently used in the clinic. They also proved to be more protective against the virus.

Vanessa Ruta working with a graduate student in her lab.

November 15, 2021

Campus News

A new interdisciplinary center, devoted to the neuroscience of social behavior, has been launched with a $25 million gift

A major gift from Michael and Vikki Price marks the launch of an integrated effort to map and analyze the biological underpinnings of sociality and in turn better understand related disorders such as autism, depression, and schizophrenia.

November 9, 2021

Science News

Radiotherapy may explain why childhood cancer survivors often develop metabolic disease

Radiation therapy to treat childhood cancer may damage adipose tissue, causing diabetes and coronary heart disease decades later.

November 4, 2021

Science News

Scientists discover how mitochondria import antioxidants

The finding offers researchers a direct way to investigate oxidative stress and its damaging effects in aging, cancer and other diseases.

November 2, 2021

Seek Magazine

How mice miss the exit

Thanks to the existence of forgetful mice, scientists have gained clues into the process by which the brain forms short-term memories. They were even able to restore a mouse’s memory by genetic manipulation.

October 29, 2021

Science News

How foodborne diseases protect the gut's nervous system

Prior infections appear to shield enteric neurons, preventing these key components of the body's "second brain" from dying off when future pathogens strike.

October 26, 2021

Science News

Dopamine’s many roles, explained

Studying fruit flies, researchers ask how a single brain chemical can orchestrate diverse functions such as learning, motivation and movement.

October 19, 2021

Campus News

Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ida tests flood control measures installed in 2012

The September storm brought record rainfall which quickly overwhelmed drainage systems on campus and throughout the city. But the event did not cause widespread damage on campus thanks to improvements made nine years ago.

October 19, 2021

Seek Magazine

This fly likes its fruit fresh

Farmers have a new enemy, a species of fruit fly that lays eggs in ripe produce. To help curtail the problem, scientists are getting to the bottom of how this trait arose in the course of evolution.