Tag Archives: Cori Bargmann
Cori Bargmann, Titia de Lange win inaugural Breakthrough Prizes worth $3 million
Two Rockefeller University scientists are among 11 winners of the first annual Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, an award established by six tech entrepreneurs dedicated to advancing breakthrough research. At $3 million each, the prizes are worth more than twice the amount of the Nobel. They were created to recognize excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extended human life.
Administered by a new non-profit organization, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, the prize is founded by Art Levinson, chairman of the board of Apple and former CEO of Genentech; Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google Inc.; Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of 23andMe; Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, and his wife Pricilla Chan; and Yuri Milner, founder of the Russian internet company Mail.ru. More »
Tags: Cori Bargmann, Titia de Lange
Nicholson Lecture brings vascular biologist to speak at Rockefeller as part of exchange program with Karolinska Institute
Christer Betsholtz will visit the Rockefeller University campus as part of a recently renewed program that supports research exchanges between the university and the Karolinska Institute. Betsholtz studies vascular biology, with a focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms for angiogenesis and vascular permeability. More »
Neurotransmitters linked to mating behavior are shared by mammals and worms
New research from Rockefeller University has shown that chemicals in the brain — neuropeptides known as vasopressin and oxytocin — play a role in coordinating mating and reproductive behavior in animals ranging from humans to fish to invertebrates. More »
Cornelia Bargmann receives Kavli Prize in Neuroscience
Bargmann is among the first women scientists to receive the prize, which is awarded biennially for outstanding achievement in advancing our knowledge and understanding of the brain and nervous system.
Tags: Cori Bargmann
Genes help worms decide where to dine
A recent study by Rockefeller University researchers identifies natural variations in several genes that help determine when and where microscopic C. elegans worms feast. The impact of the gene variants on the worms’ foraging behavior was the most significant in borderline decisions, the researchers says, when the bacteria available to eat were neither scarce nor plentiful. More »
Research defines neurons that control sociability in worms
The earth is populated by social animals, including humans, the most sophisticated socialites of all. Relatively little is known about the neuronal underpinnings of our gregarious instincts, however. New research tackles the problem in the worm, identifying a neural circuit — perhaps the world’s simplest social brain — that drives pheromone attraction and social behavior. More »
Tags: Cori Bargmann, worms
By recognizing odors, a single neuron controls reactions
A neuron responsible for smelling can distinguish odors and also change the reaction to them based on an organism’s prior experiences. The findings buck a prevailing theory that each neuron is dedicated to one behavior and also suggests that the nervous system may be more adaptive, at a more basic level, than scientists thought before. More »
Tags: Cori Bargmann, olfactory
Biologists use microfluidics chips to watch worm behavior
For the first time, researchers have visualized neural impulses in C. elegans olfactory neurons at the moment they occur. Using specialized chips that can monitor the roundworms’ behavior, they’ve found that the worm neural system has similarities to our own. More »
Tags: Cori Bargmann, olfactory
Left-right wiring determined by neural communication in the embryonic worm
Although most animals appear symmetrical at first glance, they hide a glut of internal asymmetries. The roundworm C. elegans has nerves on its left and right sides that perform different functions, and which nerve runs down which side seems random from worm to worm. New research shows that the system responsible for establishing the arbitrary left-right configuration is an embryonic network of gap junctions that dissolve as the worm develops. More »
Tags: Cori Bargmann, olfactory
Developing neurons reverse direction in absence of Wnt protein
Despite years of study, scientists don’t fully understand how the body routes information among the brain’s 10 billion neurons. Now, Rockefeller University scientists have discovered that proteins in the ubiquitous Wnt family are vital for charting nerve growth and direction of information flow along a neuron. In fact, the absence of certain Wnt proteins in worms can alter a nerve so substantially that it grows in reverse. More »
Tags: Cori Bargmann, Wnt
Scientists teach worms to learn
Worms, like people, tend to avoid foods that have made them sick in the past. By coaxing worms to select only healthy choices from a menu of bacteria, Rockefeller scientists show that one brain chemical, serotonin, helps cement behavior. More »
Tags: Cori Bargmann
