Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

Congratulations to HHMI Investigator David Baker who has won The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on computational protein design! He shares the prize with Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for protein structure prediction. https://lnkd.in/eCbYhffB

🕷Kick off #Halloween week with a glimpse of biology’s spooky side. Today’s Beautiful Biology image looks eerily like something from a haunted cavern! 🕸 The shining eyes staring out at you from this image belong to a wolf spider snuggled into her burrow. These spiders are nocturnal, meaning they are active and hunt at night, and the “eyeshine” you see in this image helps the retina detect more light, allowing them to see better in the dark. 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. Credit: Mark Sturtevant, Oakland University

Postdoctoral Researcher Helen Farrants at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus developed a new way for Eric Schreiter’s engineered protein biosensors and Luke Lavis’ bright, fluorescent Janelia Fluor dyes to work together, creating a new biosensor for measuring physiological signals in live animals. Being able to see these signals could give biologists insight into how cells, tissues, and organs work together to carry out important functions. Read more: https://hhmi.news/48jV9kR Caption: Volumetric imaging in the near-infrared of neuronal activity of zebrafish larvae with WHaloCaMP. Credit: Farrants et al.

Researchers at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus have developed a new, easy-to-use tool to help scientists uncover activity patterns in large-scale neural recordings. Rastermap sorts the activity of thousands of neurons into clusters based on how similar their activity is and then maps these clusters onto a graphical representation of the spikes over time, allowing researchers to visualize and identify patterns in the data that can then be further tested in the lab. Learn More: https://hhmi.news/48smMbF

Like its namesake, the fabled Greek god Atlas who held the world on his shoulders, this Atlas beetle is strong enough to lift over 850 times its body weight. You can see its three large horns – the cephalic horn on its head and two more on its thorax, as well as its mouth, eyes, and short antennae. 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. Follow along as we explore and share these hidden wonders. Credit: Igor Siwanowicz, HHMI's Janelia Research Campus

“Dr. Zoghbi is a phenomenal mentor. The most important thing about her is that she cares about you as a person, beyond your contribution to the lab, to the science. She really listens and she remembers things that are important to you personally, as well as professionally.” – Harini Tirumala, PhD student in HHMI Investigator Huda Zoghbi’s lab In our ongoing Scientist Spotlights series, we bring you closer to the HHMI scientists shaping the future. This week, we shine a light on Huda Zoghbi whose lab at Baylor College of Medicine is working to find a treatment pathway for rare neurodevelopment disorders that affect children from a very early age. Read more about Huda’s thoughts on mentorship and the importance of basic science research here: https://hhmi.news/3YzAnuj

✨ We’re hiring multiple #AI scientists for AI@HHMI, our new $500 million initiative to embed AI systems throughout every stage of the scientific process. These independent scientists, based at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, will develop, implement, and execute innovative AI-based research projects in the pursuit of biological discoveries or the generation of new research tools. Learn more and apply today: https://hhmi.news/3YuI1pQ 👈

Holy flying spaghetti monster, Batman! This week Dr. Noah Green takes us on a journey into the world of Ebola viruses. Examining Ebola: The green wormlike structures covering the blue cell in this image are individual Ebola virus particles. This is the virus that causes Ebola virus disease (EVD), also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever; without treatment, it can be fatal to more than half of those infected. 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. Follow along as we explore and share these hidden wonders. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH

Fixing BMP levels in the brain could someday help patients with Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia, according to new research from HHMI Investigator Tobias Walther, Robert Farese Jr, and members of their joint lab. Learn more here: https://hhmi.news/4eJeVZA

“Ask yourself, ‘Who do I inspire?’” Freeman A. Hrabowski III challenged attendees at the first annual symposium for HHMI’s Freeman Hrabowski Scholars. "You have brilliance and you have compassion. You’re doing noble work to help humankind. Be proud of that humanity." The symposium, held on Tuesday, October 15, marked the inaugural gathering of the program’s first cohort and featured a welcome dinner and keynote address by Dr. Hrabowski, president emeritus of University of Maryland Baltimore County, followed by an audience Q&A moderated by HHMI’s Chief Scientific Officer, Leslie Vosshall. Credit: Lexey Swall