Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

“We’ve shown that bacteria have this profound importance on earth,” said HHMI Investigator Bonnie Bassler of Princeton University. “They communicate with chemical words, they count their numbers, they act in groups, and they carry out tasks as collectives that they could never accomplish as individuals because, individually, each bacterium is too small to make a difference.” Bassler leads research into a new branch of science centered on quorum sensing, the process by which bacteria communicate with one another to carry out collective tasks. One day, she said, this work could lead to an alternative to antibiotics – a pressing need in the war against antimicrobial resistance. Learn more about her lab: https://hhmi.news/4eF5Wba

? Apply to Shape the Future of Biology! ? Are you passionate about using math, AI, and computational methods to solve biological questions? The Janelia Theory Fellow Program offers early-career researchers in computer science, physics, mathematics, machine learning, and engineering the chance to collaborate with top scientists and access cutting-edge resources to tackle biology’s biggest mysteries. What You’ll Get: ? 3-year appointment with generous computer and travel budget ? Opportunities to collaborate with experimental teams ? Competitive salary & benefits ??? Applications due by January 7! ?? Learn more and apply at https://lnkd.in/ezd-36rS?

? The radiating, kaleidoscopic pattern you see here was once the living glass skeleton – the hardened cell walls – of a single-celled organism called a diatom. Diatoms are microscopic single-celled algae that live in fresh water, salt water, and/or damp soil all over the world. There are so many diatoms living in the oceans of the world that make up nearly half of the organic material in the oceans. ?? This is a depth-coded image, meaning the colors you see correspond to how close each portion of the image is to the viewer. Warm colors such as yellow and red are closer to the viewer, while cool colors such as blue and green are farther from the viewer. This glimpse of microscopic beauty was created to highlight the importance the basic science that studies our natural world. This image was brought to you by HHMI’s Beautiful Biology. Credit: Igor Siwanowicz, HHMI's Janelia Research Campus Download this image and discover more from HHMI’s Beautiful Biology: https://lnkd.in/dQNY5iYt

?? Congratulations to Vivek Jayaraman and Gaby Maimon, co-recipients of the 2024 W. Alden Spencer Award from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons for their pioneering contributions in elucidating the neural circuits underlying navigation in fruit flies.

Dr. Noah Green jumps into the fascinating world of plant hopper nymphs, revealing their extraordinary interlocking gears! These tiny mechanisms synchronize their legs for powerful leaps to escape predators, showcasing one of nature’s rare engineering marvels. This glimpse of nature at its finest is one of many hidden wonders uncovered through basic science and brought to life by HHMI’s Beautiful Biology.” Download this image and discover more from HHMI’s Beautiful Biology: https://lnkd.in/eU-yBUfp Credit: Igor Siwanowicz, HHMI's Janelia Research Campus

This curious looking image highlights the neurons in a fruit fly’s brain that form its internal compass, enabling the fly to navigate its environment. Scientists study these cells to uncover how the brain processes spatial information, providing insights into navigation and brain function across species. What you’re seeing is part of HHMI’s Beautiful Biology initiative, revealing the stunning, unseen beauty of life through captivating images and videos of the microscopic world. Download, and learn more about this image here: https://hhmi.news/3ZcZun0 Credit: Philip Hubbard, Brad Hulse, the Janelia FlyEM Project Team, Google Connectomics, HHMI's Janelia Research Campus

“There’s a lot of resources to ask our own questions to try to figure out answers to things that have been unexplored.” – King Hung, a recent Stanford University alum, on what it’s like working in HHMI Investigator Howard Chang’s lab. At Stanford University, Chang studies how RNA molecules regulate gene expression and cellular behavior, with a focus on noncoding RNAs and epigenomics. Among their many discoveries, Chang and his team found that long noncoding RNAs are key contributors to some human diseases such as cancer.

“Maybe we won’t save the world, but we want to be part of the effort.” – Joanne Chory Today, we remember the incredible life and legacy of HHMI Investigator Joanne Chory of the Salk Institute. Joanne was a pioneering plant biologist whose groundbreaking research on how plants respond to light and other environmental factors has helped shape new strategies to combat the effects of climate change. Over the course of her career, Joanne’s work was recognized by many honors and awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science earlier this year. In addition to remembering her profound impact on science, we will deeply miss our devoted friend and colleague. Read more about Joanne’s legacy: https://lnkd.in/eERzwwve

“The Battle to Beat Malaria” received the In-Depth Gold Award for video from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)! “This is an important story about a scientific breakthrough that’s going to save millions of lives,” said Jared Lipworth, executive producer and head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. “To be able to showcase the process of scientific discovery as it happens — and to be recognized by AAAS for that feat — is a true honor.” The AAAS recognized the documentary for closely following sustained efforts by Oxford University scientists to better understand the deadly malaria parasite and develop an effective vaccine against the disease. Wingspan Productions in the United Kingdom and HHMI Tangled Bank Studios collaborated on the winning program, which was produced under the NOVA/GBH banner. Explore the awards: https://lnkd.in/e3C7P8a3 View the documentary: https://lnkd.in/eY23CsVi

This week, Dr. Noah Green shows us the smallest game of patty cake you’ll ever see—between two cells! ?? These two cells are able to contact each other via specialized structures called filopodia. The filopodia are full of a structural protein called actin that builds and rebuilds a cell’s scaffolding, allowing these cellular “hands” to continue to shake. These cross-linking proteins vary in size but are all extremely small. Most are around 3.5 nanometers across, or roughly 22,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. What you’re seeing is part of HHMI’s Beautiful Biology initiative, revealing the stunning, unseen beauty of life through captivating images and videos of the microscopic world. Download this image and discover more from HHMI’s Beautiful Biology: https://lnkd.in/eAfNctbA Credit: Matt Tyska, Vanderbilt University