Uncovering the riches of traditional global medicine
Researchers solve how the kava plant produces its pain-relieving and anti-anxiety molecules, demonstrate an extensible method to scale and optimize production.
Whitehead Institute
Genetic study takes research on sex differences to new heights
Differences in male and female gene expression, including those contributing to height differences, found throughout the body in humans and other mammals.
Meet the 2019 tenured professors in the School of Science
Eight faculty members are granted tenure in five science departments.
Department of Biology hosts second annual Science Slam
Eight biology contestants get one slide and three minutes to explain their research and impress their listeners.
The evolving definition of a gene
Professor Gerald Fink, a pioneer in the field of genetics, delivers the annual Killian Lecture.
Revising the textbook on introns
Whitehead Institute researchers uncover a group of introns in yeast that possess surprising stability and function.
Cracking a tough case
Whitehead Institute and MIT researchers uncover the detailed molecular structure of the sporopollenin polymer, an inert material key for the emergence of land plants.
Activating a new understanding of gene regulation
Study reveals the role of the activation domain, a part of transcription factors previously shrouded in mystery.
In pursuit of the elusive stem cell
New MIT initiative delves into the biology of stem cells and cancer stem cells, seeks ways to identify, purify, and propagate them.
Tissue architecture affects chromosome segregation
Biologists discover that the environment surrounding a cell plays an integral role in its ability to accurately segregate its chromosomes.
Scientists sharpen the edges of cancer chemotherapy
Whitehead team deploys CRISPR tools to better understand and uncover ways of improving methotrexate, a popular chemotherapy drug.
Fighting implicit bias in STEM with increased cognitive control
In a visit with the Department of Biology, Lydia Villa-Komaroff PhD '75 explains how “thinking fast makes changing slow.”
Ankur Jain joins Whitehead Institute and the Department of Biology
Biophysicist will investigate the biology of RNA aggregation.
Decoding RNA-protein interactions
Scientists leverage one step, unbiased method to characterize the binding preferences of more than 70 human RNA-binding proteins.