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Rockefeller leads global university ranking in measure of top cited publications

An international ranking of research institutions by U-Multirank placed Rockefeller first in a measure of its impact based on citations.

Rockefeller postdoc, Luka Mesin, named a Blavatnik Regional Award Finalist

Mesin, a member of the Victora Lab, receives the honor for developing novel techniques to better understand how B cells in the immune system mature and evolve to create antibodies to fight off pathogens.

Could future coronavirus variants fully dodge our immune system?

Studying dozens of naturally occurring and laboratory-selected mutations in SARS-CoV-2, researchers found that the virus will need to pull off a genetic feat to become fully resistant to antibodies.

Rockefeller faculty member, Leslie B. Vosshall, named vice president and chief scientific officer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Vosshall will join the leadership team at HHMI, a major philanthropy that supports basic biomedical scientists and educators.

Pamela Björkman wins the 2021 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

Pamela J. Björkman, who discovered key aspects of the immune system that are helping to direct better treatment for infection from viruses and other diseases, will receive the prize in a virtual ceremony hosted by Rockefeller on September 30.

Frames of Mind 

We think of brains as computers—stimulus in, action out. But they’re far more finicky than any iMac. Easily swayed by underlying internal states such as hunger, aggression, or arousal, our neurons are capable of incredible flexibility. For neuroscientists, it’s yet another wrinkle in understandin...

Rockefeller saliva test for COVID-19 outperforms commercial swab tests

The DRUL saliva assay is safer, more comfortable, and less expensive than comparable COVID screening tools. Now a new study demonstrates that it is at least as sensitive as swab tests, too.

Study reveals how ribosomes are assembled in human cells

Three-dimensional images of human small ribosomal subunits offer the most detailed explanation for how the cell's protein-making machines are assembled.

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Missing immune molecule may explain why some HPV patients sprout giant horn-like growths

Scientists identified a mutation that affects one’s reaction to HPV by decreasing the production of CD28, a vital molecule within the immune system.

Guido Guidotti, a biochemist and one of Rockefeller’s early graduates, has died

Guido Guidotti, who made contributions to biochemistry and performed pioneering work during his study in the lab of Lyman Craig, has died at the age of 87.

New microscopy technique reveals activity of one million neurons across the mouse brain

Using light beads microscopy, researchers can now capture images of a vast number of cells across different depths in the brain at high speed, with unprecedented clarity.

The physics behind a water bear's lumbering gait

Animals as small and soft as tardigrades seldom have legs and almost never bother walking. But a new study finds that water bears propel themselves through sediment and soil on eight stubby legs, in a manner resembling that of insects 500,000 times their size.

Natural infection versus vaccination: Differences in COVID antibody responses emerge

People who recover from COVID-19 may have better protection than those who received a vaccine, but the benefits of natural immunity do not outweigh the very real risk of disability and death from contracting the disease.

Emeritus Professor Te Piao King, expert on allergens, has died

Te Piao King, a Rockefeller biochemist whose pioneering research greatly advanced the science and treatment of allergic reactions, died August 18 at the age of 90.  

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The common thread in severe COVID-19 

New studies point to a single molecular explanation for 20 percent of critical COVID-19 cases: insufficient or defective type I interferons.

Lonely flies, like many humans, eat more and sleep less

If COVID-19 lockdowns scrambled your sleep schedule and stretched your waistline, you're not alone. Fruit flies quarantined in test tubes sleep too little and eat too much after only one week of social isolation.

Study reveals how smell receptors work

The first-ever molecular images of an olfactory receptor at work answer decades-old questions about odor recognition.

When ant colonies get bigger, new foraging behavior emerges

By increasing the size of ant colonies bit by bit, scientists identified the mechanism responsible for the evolution of mass raiding behavior.

How cells draw on memories of past inflammation to respond to new threats

A new study uncovers a near-universal mechanism behind this phenomenon, known as inflammatory memory.

New Pearl Meister Greengard Prize exhibit celebrates the accomplishments of women scientists

The installation located in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Lounge features the 22 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize awardees.

Hunting for TB's most vulnerable genes

Not every gene that's essential in tuberculosis is also vulnerable to attack. A new study ranks essential genes by vulnerability, allowing researchers to better prioritize future drug targets.

Putting the brakes on immune reactions

Helper T cells may play a dual role in the immune system, both encouraging and suppressing the process by which B cells mature.

Identifying the spark of desire in fruit flies

In Drosophila’s neural circuitry for courtship, researchers discover a configuration that enables a male fruit fly to be persistent, yet flexible in his pursuit of a female.

Purnell Choppin, pioneering virologist, has died

Purnell Choppin, a physician, virologist, and scientific administrator who performed pioneering research on viruses at The Rockefeller University and later exerted a powerful influence on biomedical research as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has died at the age of 91.

Scientists discover a new class of neurons for remembering faces

Our brains have sensory cells, which process the faces that we see, and memory cells dedicated to storing data from person encounters. But until now, a hybrid neuron capable of linking vision to memory—and explaining how we recall familiar faces—remained elusive.

Robert G. Roeder named the 2021 Kyoto Prize laureate in basic sciences

Roeder, a pioneer in the field of gene regulation and expression, is being honored for revealing the molecular mechanisms of transcriptional regulation.

Convocation 2021 caps a year like no other

For Rockefeller’s class of 2021, it has been a year with both challenges and accomplishments.

Toward the first drug to treat a rare, lethal liver cancer

After scouring more than 5,000 compounds, scientists have identified several new classes of therapeutics that may help treat fibrolamellar carcinoma.

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A missing antibody molecule may indicate when dengue will become deadly

The antibody's altered structure helps explain an enduring mystery of dengue—why only a fraction of those infected will develop severe disease.

How CRISPR promotes antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Whenever a cell uses CRISPR to defend itself, there's a chance of mutations creeping into its genetic code. Some of these mutations are harmless; others kill the cell. But fortuitous mutations can occasionally render major human pathogens, such as Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotic resistant.