What if injectable “mini livers” could help sustain people w/liver failure? New research from #HHMIInvestigator Sangeeta Bhatia’s lab @mit.edu showed success in an animal model — pointing to potential new therapies for 1000s of people who may not receive or be eligible for transplants bit.ly/3NGwMIp

30 seconds of life as a #GilliamFellow, thanks to the 19 cohort members who attended our March Science Meeting alongside ~70 additional HHMI scientists. Potential applicant? Imagine yourself here, and mark Sept. 1 on your calendar to apply!

Mapping how neurons connect across the brain is one of neuroscience’s biggest challenges. MouseLight (a Janelia Research Campus project) is building a dataset of fully traced neurons — available to researchers everywhere, & helping to reveal how brain circuits work & what goes wrong in disease.

A long-standing mystery, resolved — & it could help fight drought & food scarcity. #HHMIInvestigator Zachary Lippman & colleagues uncovered ancient plant DNA (some ~400M+ yrs old) & ID'd 2.3M “genetic switches” across 284 species, offering a stunning new lens on the evolution of life: bit.ly/47QjgZq

Celebrating five (yes, 5!) #HHMIInvestigators named to the '25 class of @aaas.org Fellows — a distinction recognizing those work advances science & its impact on society. Please join us in congratulating David Baker, Michael Laub, Christopher Lima, David Pagliarini, & Gabriel Victora: bit.ly/4sAt81M

Rare opportunity to lead AI adoption at HHMI! The Claude Enablement Lead will work across our organization to support teams, scientists, and labs while building standards, training, and real-world use cases: bit.ly/4dejsWf. 🧪

Get lost in the unexpected beauty of a developing zebrafish eye. These incredible 3D images are possible thanks to #HHMIInvestigator & Janelia Sr. Fellow Eric Betzig, who developed a microscopy technique combining two imaging approaches — including one used by astronomers.

"Patience, curiosity, strategy, & help from a very cute friend." By investigating a heart rhythm disorder in mouse lemurs — Earth’s tiniest primate — #HHMIInvestigator Mark Krasnow uncovered the unexpected role magnesium plays in human heart health and disease: hhmi.news/3P9d9sP.

New work from #HHMIInvestigator Huda Zoghbi & colleagues points to a promising new treatment strategy for Rett syndrome, a rare disorder that affects brain development in infants & children, primarily girls: bit.ly/3Np4Ng9. @bcmhouston.bsky.social | Texas Children’s Hospital

Beautiful, & built for discovery. These next-gen fluorescent dyes (developed by the Lavis Lab at our Janelia Research Campus) are brighter, more photostable, & more versatile — advancing how scientists visualize biology inside cells.

No-cost workshop opportunities for grad students, postdocs, & trainees! Our Janelia Research Campus is accepting applications for 3 specialized, intensive workshops with presentation & networking opportunities. Accommodations, meals, & travel expenses covered: bit.ly/4roghP6. 🧪

Millions live w/ chronic pain & little relief. #HannaGray Fellow @shanmeltzer.bsky.social#HannaGray& team's new map of the spinal cord — built cell-by-cell — provides insights into how pain-signals travel, & will be openly available to the science community to help speed new pain treatments hhmi.news/4u1eIsJ

Celebrating #HHMIInvestigator Huda Zoghbi, recognized by the Lurie Autism Institute for her ground-breaking discovery that mutations in the MECP2 gene cause Rett syndrome (an autism-related neurodevelopmental disorder) — work that continues to transform autism research today: bit.ly/4sFhNx6.

Congrats to #FreemanHrabowski Scholar Corina Amor Vegas & #HannaGray Fellow Marissa Scavuzzo, both among this year's MIND Prize winners! Recognizing early-to-mid-career scientists, the award honors those with innovative ideas that advance neurodegeneration research: bit.ly/46VrlMh.

Second- or third-year PhD student in biological or biomedical sciences? Get ready — applications for our #GilliamFellows Program open Sept. 1! Robust research support, incredible scientific community, & tailored professional development that can transform a PhD journey. 🧪 bit.ly/4bjdTmr

A new electronic implant system created by #FreemanHrabowski Scholar @juanalvarezdom.bsky.social & colleagues helps lab-grown pancreatic cells mature & function properly, providing a potential new pathway to replace pancreatic tissue damaged by diabetes: bit.ly/4b16OHn.

Thrilled to see #HHMIInvestigator — & now 2026 @brainprize.org winner — David Ginty recognized by The Lundbeck Foundation for his pioneering work on the cellular architecture of touch & pain, which paved the way for a new generation of targeted pain therapies: bit.ly/4sbowiN.

No rabbits, no top hats — just #GilliamFellow Axel Vera leveling up on the standard poster session with a little sleight of hand. We guarantee you've never heard an anti-CRISPR (used to help control & improve precision gene editing) explainer like this before, & it's ... magic 🪄.

These colorful muscle fibers tell a beautiful story of repair, & point to a potential approach to treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy — a rare, debilitating, & fatal disease. In DMD, a protein that helps muscle cells stay strong is missing.

Face of a fruit fly that helped #HHMIInvestigator Amita Sehgal and team uncover how sleep acts as a critical "cellular housekeeper," keeping our neurons healthy (and so much more) — findings that could drive a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s: bit.ly/3ZKNFnK.

Calling all #GilliamFellows! 👋 Stay connected with the latest Gilliam program updates, stories, & community news — and contribute your highlights. Sign up by March 2 to get the first issue! hhmi.news/4u4W7MH

By uncovering the origins of a group of rare immune cells called Thetis cells, #GilliamFellow Yoselin Paucar Iza & #FreemanHrabowski Scholar @chrysothemisbrown.bsky.social are unlocking these cells' potential to help treat — or even prevent — food allergies & autoimmune diseases: bit.ly/4cnQpii.

🕸️Spider web or cell’s internal structure? This network of actin filaments — captured by #HHMIInvestigator Xiaowei Zhuang —was imaged using super-resolution STORM microscopy, showing details far beyond a standard microscope. Colors indicate depth: blues/purples closer, greens/yellows farther.

Celebrating HHMI giant Gerry Rubin today, winner of the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences! Along w/ colleagues, Rubin — founding Exec. Dir. of our Janelia Research Campus — is recognized for mapping connectomes, the wiring diagrams of neurons that underlie how the brain functions: bit.ly/4aXkrs4

A sophisticated poem for our Valentine's crushes, zebrafish & fruit flies — two small-but-mighty model organisms critical to basic science. Fast to reproduce, genetically similar to humans, & key to potential breakthroughs in understanding development & disease. What's not to love?! 💘

After 50 years in science, former #HHMIInvestigator David Clapham’s advice is simple: “You have to see problem-solving as fun.” From training with Nobel laureates to deepening our understanding of ion channels & leading at HHMI, he retires with a lasting legacy: hhmi.news/3O3kYji.

What if the answers to Alzheimer’s & schizophrenia lie in glia, not neurons? Join “SciShow Field Trips” & our own Tangled Bank Studios inside #HHMIInvestigator Beth Stevens' lab to see how these long-ignored brain cells may help us better understand neurological diseases: bit.ly/4kjqU3R.

Kids who grow up in biodiverse environments tend to have fewer allergies—& now we know why. #HHMIInvestigator Ruslan Medzhitov & co have found early exposure to diverse microbes creates broad immune memory, & an antibody that helps block allergic reactions later in life: bit.ly/4rGC59h.

🎶 Sound on! How does a young zebra finch's song connect to treating Parkinson's? #FreemanHrabowski Scholar Vikram Gadagkar & co have ID'd a dopamine-based neural signal in finches that could offer insights into motor learning in humans — esp. those w/conditions like Parkinson’s hhmi.news/4tndfNg

We're proud to join the Vilcek Foundation in recognizing HHMI Investigator Karolin Luger, whose dedication & groundbreaking nucleosome research has led to the development of innovative new drug treatments, including cancer medicines. hhmi.news/49VciEd @vilcekfoundation.bsky.social

CLOSING SOON: Applications for Group Leader roles at our Janelia Research Campus close Feb. 3! Have original, transformative ideas for experimental approaches in imaging, molecular engineering, protein chemistry, mass spectrometry, & beyond? Learn more: janelia.org/groupleader 🧪

"SciShow Field Trips" & our own Tangled Bank Studios take you inside the lab of HHMI Investigator Feng Zhang. Known for engineering CRISPR-Cas9 for use in human cells, his next breakthrough could reach hard-to-access cells associated with conditions like ALS & Huntington's: bit.ly/49JomIt

Biosensors help scientists understand the brain & body like never before, but building one can take years. Researchers Alison Tebo & Srinivas Turaga at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus are using AI to build a tool that will vastly speed biosensor development for all scientists: hhmi.news/4rdhvNt

1/2: It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Joel Habener and Richard Hynes, members of the HHMI Investigator community for more than 3 decades. Habener's discoveries helped transform the treatment of diabetes, obesity, and related conditions.

Science teacher & HHMI BioInteractive Ambassador Samuel Washington Jr. draws students in with more than textbooks. “At first, kids love science—bugs, their bodies, the outdoors—but if you don’t tap into that natural curiosity, they lose it." Via @neatoday.bsky.social bit.ly/4pD1w9W 📸Shea Kastriner

Created using fluorescence microscopy, this stunning image of an animal cell showcases thin, web-like fibers called vimentin — a protein that provides mechanical stability to cells and tissues, despite a single vimentin being ~7000x smaller than the width of a human hair. 📸 @aaandmoore.bsky.social

Driven by an experience familiar to many — watching parents age — HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow Melanie McReynolds wants to answer a fundamental question: How can we age healthier? The key may lie in better understanding NAD+ & how its levels decline as we grow older. Via @asbmb.bsky.social: bit.ly/45tDuHB

12 years after unlocking the famously "undruggable" K-Ras protein — a discovery still driving treatments for cancers with notoriously poor survival rates — HHMI Investigator Kevan Shokat & team are charting new therapies to outmaneuver drug resistance: hhmi.news/3LwWaz5 @ucsanfrancisco.bsky.social

Want to learn state-of-the-art deep learning techniques for microscopy image analysis? Apply by Jan. 15 to join us for a bootcamp at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus. Gain hands-on experience with tools & frameworks you can use in your own research: bit.ly/4sqejiG 🧪

NYE fireworks < neurons expressing iGluSnFR3! Developed at our Janelia Research Campus, iGluSnFR3 is a fluorescent sensor designed to rapidly detect & image glutamate — our brains' main chemical messenger — allowing researchers to observe (dazzling) neural communication as it happens. 🎆

When gene expression goes wrong, it can cause abnormal cellular growth, cancer, & more. HHMI Investigator Michelle Wang (Cornell University) & collaborators have discovered that nucleosomes—long thought to be obstacles to gene expression—actually help the process work more smoothly. bit.ly/4q9xA6e

Our kind of annual tradition: Glucose + Tollens’ reagent + festive swirling = a chemical reaction that creates a thin layer of silver, loads of seasonal cheer, & ornaments worthy of being passed down for ... well, a few weeks at least. Happy holidays to all those who celebrate! ✨

Rising undergrad junior or senior? Last chance to apply! Applications close TOMORROW, Dec. 22, 11:59pm EST. 🧪 Our 9-week summer research experience includes hands-on lab work, a generous stipend, & mentorship from some of the nation’s top scientists. Learn more & apply at bit.ly/CechFellows.

"Watching my students who didn’t really know if they wanted to do research turn around & fall in love with research … that’s been the most meaningful." — HHMI Postdoc Scientist Brea Manuel, '25 program mentor. 🧪 Rising junior or senior? *Applications close 11:59pm EST Dec. 22* ⏰❗bit.ly/CechFellows

(1/2): HHMI Investigator Alexander Rudensky & collaborators at @mskcancercenter.bsky.social have solved a 20-year mystery: Why are high levels of regulatory #Tcells linked to better survival in colorectal cancer, when they’re usually indicative of poor outcomes in most other cancers? bit.ly/3MGn9IY

“I feel being part of their life, being part of their career, is just priceless.” — HHMI Investigator Xin Chen, '25 Summer Undergraduate Research Program mentor 🧪 Rising junior or senior? Applications close 11:59pm Dec. 22! Explore a career in biological or biomedical research: bit.ly/CechFellows

(1/2): What if the bacteria living in our digestive tracts could produce compounds that help us live longer? The Wang (Meng) Lab at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus has found a way to get gut microbes to produce metabolites that promote longevity in animals: hhmi.news/48QyPAm.

Apply by Feb. 3 to join HHMI's Janelia Research Campus as a Group Leader! Group Leaders drive breakthroughs & experimental approaches in imaging, molecular engineering, protein chemistry, mass spectrometry, & methods that don't yet exist. Learn more: janelia.org/groupleader 🧪

"Having this experience … allowed me to explore my interests, goals, & work towards what I want to do in the future.” — Ariana Rodriguez, Summer Undergraduate Research Program alum 🧪 Rising junior or senior? Apply by Dec. 22 — no lab experience required! bit.ly/CechFellows

What happens when HHMI scientists come together? Inspiring conversations, new perspectives, and a shared excitement for discovery. No matter what program they’re part of, our Investigators, Scholars, Fellows, and more join a vibrant scientific community driven by bold ideas.