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Mini-brain organoids
Time Traveling Mini-Brains on a Mission to Conquer Space
Alysson Muotri launched brain organoids into outer space and found that microgravity enriches our understanding of brain development and disease.
Time Traveling Mini-Brains on a Mission to Conquer Space
Time Traveling Mini-Brains on a Mission to Conquer Space

Alysson Muotri launched brain organoids into outer space and found that microgravity enriches our understanding of brain development and disease.

Alysson Muotri launched brain organoids into outer space and found that microgravity enriches our understanding of brain development and disease.

Scientist to Watch

Woman with her back to camera, with arms stretched out, soaking up the sunshine
A Genetic Predisposition to Vitamin D Deficiency Contributes to Severe COVID-19
Iris Kulbatski, PhD | Jun 1, 2023 | 3 min read
Ana Teresa Freitas discussed how individual variation in vitamin D synthesis and metabolism influences susceptibility to upper respiratory viruses.
mosquito on leaf
Combating Mosquito-Borne Diseases with CRISPR
Niki Spahich, PhD | Jun 1, 2023 | 4 min read
As alternatives to insecticides, Omar Akbari uses sophisticated genetic engineering methods to solve the world’s mosquito problems.
Portrait of Alex Muir
Alex Muir Explores Cancer Cells’ Menu
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Mar 1, 2023 | 3 min read
The University of Chicago cell biologist is studying how the nutrients available to cancers influence their growth. 
Photo of Claudia Gerri
Claudia Gerri Studies the Mysteries of the Placenta
Katherine Irving | Feb 1, 2023 | 3 min read
At the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, the developmental biologist is probing the maternal-fetal interface across mammalian species.
Photo of Monir Moniruzzaman
Monir Moniruzzaman Studies the Secrets of Giant Viruses
James M. Gaines | Jan 2, 2023 | 4 min read
The University of Miami researcher studies how a mysterious group of supersized viruses infects and influences the evolution of their hosts.
Photo of Chantell Evans
Chantell Evans Tracks Mitochondrial Cleanup in Neurons
Holly Barker, PhD | Dec 1, 2022 | 3 min read
The Duke University cell biologist uses live-cell microscopy to reveal how brain cells rid themselves of damaged mitochondria and what goes wrong in neurodegenerative disease.
Photo of Steve Ramirez
Steve Ramirez Reshapes Memories in the Brains of Mice
Dan Robitzski | Nov 1, 2022 | 3 min read
The Boston University neuroscientist wants to take the edge off traumatic memories by manipulating how they’re processed in the brain.
Photo of Ankara Jain in his lab
Ankur Jain Explores RNA Aggregations in Neurodegenerative Disease
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Oct 3, 2022 | 3 min read
The MIT biologist studies how RNA molecules self-assemble and the role these accumulations may play in diseases such as ALS and Huntington’s.
LAKSAMEE CAVE
Clinton Cave Investigates How Brain Cells Communicate
Andy Carstens | Sep 1, 2022 | 3 min read
The Middlebury College neuroscientist explores enzymes that affect brain cell development and neurodegeneration.
Photograph of Humsa Venkatesh
Humsa Venkatesh Probes Cancer’s Grip on the Brain
Maddie Bender | Aug 15, 2022 | 3 min read
At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the cancer biologist is combining research into the tumor microenvironment with the principles of neuroscience to tease apart how cancers grow—and how to stop them.
Photo of Colin Carlson
Colin Carlson Works to Predict and Prevent Viral Spillover
Catherine Offord | Jul 18, 2022 | 3 min read
The Georgetown University biologist studies how climate change contributes to the emergence of new zoonotic threats.
Ribonucleic acid strands consisting of nucleotides important for protein bio-synthesis
Katharina Höfer Probes the Machinery of Bacterial Gene Expression
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Jun 13, 2022 | 3 min read
The molecular biologist studies how chemical modifications to RNA building blocks change the way RNA regulates complex cellular processes.
Giannina Descalzi
Giannina Descalzi Studies the Factors Underlying Chronic Pain
Natalia Mesa, PhD | May 16, 2022 | 3 min read
The University of Guelph neuroscientist is scoping out the brain regions and genes that change as a consequence of pain that lasts for months or even years.
Photo of Ana Marija Jakšic
Ana Marija Jakšić Shapes Fruit Fly Brains
Chloe Tenn | Apr 18, 2022 | 3 min read
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne evolutionary neurobiologist is using Drosophila to investigate how organisms adapt to novel environments.
Photo of Junyue Cao
Junyue Cao Applies Novel Approaches to Aging and Disease
Lisa Winter | Mar 14, 2022 | 3 min read
The Rockefeller University geneticist is tracing the full lifespan of individual cells to better understand how and why humans age.
Thomas Lozito poses with Donald, one of his mourning geckos.
Thomas Lozito Is Figuring Out How Lizards Rebuild
Connor Lynch | Feb 14, 2022 | 4 min read
The University of Southern California bioengineer studies how lizards regrow their tails, with the goal of one day inducing regeneration in humans.
Photo of Roxanne Beltran
Roxanne Beltran Dives into Seal Research
Lisa Winter | Jan 17, 2022 | 3 min read
This University of California, Santa Cruz, biologist is dedicated to her marine mammal research, as well as to making the field more diverse and equitable.
Photo of Brooke Gardner
Brooke Gardner Probes the Cell’s Peroxisomes
Chloe Tenn | Dec 1, 2021 | 3 min read
The University of California, Santa Barbara, cell biologist is investigating the formation and functions of the peroxisome, an organelle which exists in many copies in each cell and can be created, lost, or altered to meet the cell’s metabolic needs.
Microscopic photograph of brain tissue demonstrating the characteristics of Alzheimer's disease
David Gate Probes Links Between Alzheimer’s and the Immune System
James M. Gaines | Nov 1, 2021 | 4 min read
The Northwestern University researcher studies how adaptive immune cells influence neurodegenerative disease.
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