From an accidental discovery of hidden biology to a new framework to understanding and diagnosing rare disease. Thrilled to share the most recent work from our lab and the amazing Jimmy Ly. wi.mit.edu/news/alterna...

Pawfessor Jake reporting for duty! #PetsofWhitehead Alumni, grab your own pet bandana by joining our alumni LinkedIn group: www.linkedin.com/groups/12483...

Next Tuesday our director Ruth Lehmann joins Gina McCarthy, former White House National Climate Advisor and EPA Administrator, for a conversation about science, policy and public trust. RSVP: www.eventzilla.net/e/science-tr... @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @mitclimateproject.bsky.social

Congratulations to @jimmy-ly.bsky.social on this well-deserved recognition! His research looking at variants of known proteins offers new insight into rare genetic disorders. tinyurl.com/5xfc3feh

New research from the Weinberg lab explores how inflammation can reawaken "sleeping" cancer cells. Read the full story: wi.mit.edu/news/inflamm...

The tumor microenvironment is made up of not only cancer cells, but also vascular cells, immune cells, and fibroblasts. By uncovering how these cells interact with each other, researchers at Whitehead Institute hope to discover new opportunities to treat cancer. tinyurl.com/2htkwj5a

Interesting piece by @gretafriar.bsky.social about the choice by five physician-scientists to pursue foundational science research.

"If you don’t know how something works, how are you going to fix it?" says Mickey Sloat, a student in the Harvard/MIT MD-PhD program. Whitehead Institute's physician-scientists work to improve patient outcomes at the clinic and in the lab: wi.mit.edu/news/whitehe...

AI is quickly becoming invaluable in biology research. In our newest Whitehead Explainer video, Whitehead Institute Member Richard Young breaks down ways that AI can accelerate discovery and highlights some exciting research at Whitehead that is using AI. youtu.be/TH2n5uixdPk?...

Thanks to everyone who joined yesterday's symposium, "AI: Advancing Foundational Biology," for fascinating insights into how AI is currently accelerating biology research. For those who missed the event, a recording of the webcast is available online: web.mit.edu/webcast/wi/s...

I sincerely think that universities should suspend their productivity standards for scientists and ask them instead to hold town halls in schools, public libraries, museums, shopping malls, and anywhere else and communicate what is being lost with the collapse of the research ecosystem.

This is so cool — John Darnielle talking about Whitehead Institute science!

If you're struggling financially due to government fuckery or for any reason really and you need infant formula talk to your pediatrician we can hook you up and don't like to ask questions.

Did your child lose their book collection in the Los Angeles fires? Are you a teacher at a school that lost its library or your classroom library? Whether you need one book or a whole library, we can replace your books. 📚 Everyone else, please boost this post so we can connect with those in need. 🙏

Many chronic diseases have a common denominator that could be driving their dysfunction: reduced protein mobility, which in turn reduces protein function. A new paper from the Young lab describes this pervasive mobility defect: wi.mit.edu/news/cellula...

"We have so many microbes within us that are constantly playing all kinds of roles," Valhalla Fellow Lindsey Backman says. Learn about the microbiome in this fun cartoon explainer: youtu.be/aSMUf28FwnU?... @lbackman.bsky.social

CURE ALL THE BALLOTS. I know it’s a faint hope, but one senator can make so much difference.

ARIZONA: www.mobilize.us/crooked/even... MICHIGAN: www.mobilize.us/crooked/even... NEVADA: www.mobilize.us/2024nvvictor...

Also, Field Team 6 has a page with a bunch of ballot curing opportunities. Check it out here! www.fieldteam6.org/ballot-curing

Interesting profile and part of a series about postdocs and their life and research. Thanks @gretafriar.bsky.social !

Super cool science to write about. Whitehead Institute Member Iain Cheeseman and colleagues found that cells not only make many variants of known proteins, but that they switch between making different variants to tailor protein function during cell division: wi.mit.edu/news/elegant...

🌺 Welcome to the world, Payal Mehta! When I quit publishing back in 2019 it was in service of this book, and I can’t quite believe it’s out. I hope you’ll laugh and feel seen by Payal’s awkward charm. This really is my love letter to the diaspora. ♥️ www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690564...

This was a fun project to work on! What exactly is the microbiome? And how could Whitehead Institute research help to develop better probiotics and antibiotics? www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSMU...

This was a fun project to work on! What exactly is the microbiome? And how could Whitehead Institute research help to develop better probiotics and antibiotics? www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSMU...

This was a fascinating study (and story) to cover: wi.mit.edu/news/charmed...

Favorite AI transcription error of the day: "SARS, Scooby Doo." (The researcher said "SARS-CoV-2.")

Axolotls are super cool salamanders that never grow up. They are common in homes and labs around the world but critically endangered in the wild. For Whitehead Institute's Unusual Labmates series, I wrote about what makes axolotls so interesting to researchers (adorable axolotl footage included).

I always enjoy covering Yukiko Yamashita and colleagues' work on germline immortality. We've got cells in our bodies that are part of an unbroken line of cells that have been dividing for 1.5 billion years. How have they kept themselves going for all that time? wi.mit.edu/news/maintai...

Science writers, come work with us at Whitehead Institute and cover super fascinating, innovative biomedical research: wibr.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WIBR-C... #SciComm #SciCommJobs

New work from home challenge unlocked: my kid has learned to say “mama,” and repeats it tragically from behind the closest gate to my office door as I try to write.