Rob Martienssen Archives | ��ϳԹ��Դ

Meet the School of Biological Sciences Class of 2026

Communications Department — Thu, 07 May 2026 11:30:54 +0000

The ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) School of Biological Sciences (SBS) takes an innovative approach to advanced science education. Graduates of the doctoral program go on to pursue a wide range of careers across academia and industry. On May 3, the SBS awarded six graduates Ph.D. degrees. Here, the class of 2026 reflects on their...

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Uplands Farm: Grounds for discovery

Jennifer Michalowski — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:30:53 +0000

At first glance, Uplands Farm—12 carefully tended acres about a mile east of the ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) campus—resembles farms you might have seen before. Orderly rows of corn dominate the fields, sharing space with sorghum, eggplants, and other crops. Three greenhouses shelter young plants, extending the growing season so they can flourish in...

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Dicer: Life’s ancient repair tool

Nick Wurm — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:00:47 +0000

Could yeast and humans be any more different? Going by looks alone, probably not. But peering into our genomes reveals surprising similarities. That’s because we share a common ancestor called LECA (last eukaryotic common ancestor). Before this single-celled organism died off around 2 billion years ago, it passed down Dicer, a key protein humans and...

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The food and fuel that farms itself

Nick Wurm — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:00:41 +0000

AI generated voice with Rob Martienssen’s and Evan Ernst’s actual voices Under the right conditions, duckweed essentially farms itself. Wastewater, ponds, puddles, swamps—you name it. If there’s enough sunlight and carbon dioxide, the aquatic plant can grow freely. But that’s not all that makes it intriguing. Packed inside duckweed’s tiny fronds is enormous potential as...

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Corn’s ancient ancestors are calling

Jen A. Miller — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:30:17 +0000

AI generated voice with Rob Martienssen’s and Thomas Gingeras’s actual voices The domestication of maize is one of the greatest examples of humankind’s impact on evolution. Early farmers’ pre-industrial plant breeding choices turned corn from a nearly inedible crop into the major global food source it is today. Now, ��ϳԹ��Դ Professors Rob...

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Big clues emerge in small RNA mystery

Jen A. Miller — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 12:30:00 +0000

Arabidopsis plant (as seen above) is loaded with a molecule called pseudouridine." data-description="" />AI generated voice with Rob Martienssen’s actual voice Not everything inside us is, strictly speaking, us. The closer we look at the genome, the more we appreciate the role of small RNAs in what we call epigenetic inheritance. That’s when traits get passed down without altering our basic DNA sequence. We now know that small...

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Frog Pond

Nick Wurm — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 12:30:02 +0000

bout halfway down ��ϳԹ��Դ’s (CSHL’s) Bungtown Road, right next to the volleyball court, you’ll find a living snapshot of the area’s diverse ecosystem. It’s called Frog Pond. And while its namesake is often easy to find there, frogs aren’t the pond’s only inhabitants. On any given day, passersby may encounter dragonflies, geese,...

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At the Lab Season 1 Research Rewind: Genetics

Communications Department — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 11:30:28 +0000

Much of what makes humans human is also found across all animal and plant life. In other words, genetics is everywhere you look. That’s especially true here At the Lab. This week’s Research Rewind features scientists from all across CSHL, including Christopher Hammell, Ivan Iossifov, Tobias Janowitz, Zachary Lippman, and Rob Martienssen. We also check...

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Plants have a backup plan

Nick Wurm — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 11:30:08 +0000

Arabidopsis, seen here, have two options to ensure accurate chromosome division—a molecule called DDM1 and a process known as RNAi. If Arabidopsis loses one of these, it’s fine. But if it loses both, it’s in trouble." data-description="" />Tending a garden is hard work. Imagine it from the plants’ perspective. Each relies on fine-tuned genetic processes to pass down accurate copies of chromosomes to future generations. These processes sometimes involve billions of moving parts. Even the tiniest disruption can have a cascading effect. So, for plants like Arabidopsis thaliana, it’s good to have...

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At the Lab Episode 25: How maize became corn

Communications Department — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:30:36 +0000

The journey from maize to corn isn’t just about going from farm to table. It starts with an evolutionary event that has puzzled plant biologists for decades. This week At the Lab, CSHL Professor, HHMI Investigator, and Genetics Society Medal recipient Rob Martienssen unravels a 4,000-year-old mystery in just over three minutes.

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Corn’s ‘missing link’

Margaret Osborne — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 15:00:25 +0000

Teosinte Pollen Drive (TPD) is a selfish genetic system in maize-teosinte hybrids, which allows only pollen with both toxin and antidote to survive. Here, we see the pollen-producing part of the maize-teosinte hybrid. Image: Jon Cahn/Martienssen lab" data-description="" />��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) has begun to unravel a mystery millennia in the making. Our story begins 9,000 years ago. It was then that maize was first domesticated in the Mexican lowlands. Some 5,000 years later, the crop crossed with a species from the Mexican highlands called teosinte mexicana. This resulted in cold adaptability....

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Barbara McClintock’s corn

Nick Wurm — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 11:30:14 +0000

ou may have heard the story behind Barbara McClintock’s 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In case you haven’t, here it is in a corn husk. McClintock earned the prestigious award for her discovery of transposons, or jumping genes. These molecules “jump” around plant and animal genomes, turning genes on and off. They’re part...

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The CSHL School of Biological Sciences’ class of 2024

Communications Department — Sun, 05 May 2024 22:00:34 +0000

The ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) School of Biological Sciences (SBS) takes an innovative approach to advanced science education. Graduates of the doctoral program go on to pursue diverse careers. This year, the SBS awarded 11 Ph.D. degrees. Here, members of the class of 2024 reflect on their time and experiences at CSHL. Salomé Carcy...

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CSHL’s Thomas Gingeras awarded $2 million NSF grant

Nick Wurm — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 11:30:15 +0000

Climate change threatens crops across the globe. But the problem goes far beyond rising temperatures. One major cause for concern is more acidic soil, a product of increasing rainfall. This can result in aluminum toxicity, putting further stress on global agriculture. A new project at ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) seeks to find solutions at...

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From plant genomics to a bioscience revolution

Jen A. Miller — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:30:22 +0000

Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, and corn. But these breakthroughs aren’t just about plants. They’ve changed the way scientists think about all life on Earth. AI-generated image: © LadyAI - stock.adobe.com" data-description="" />Farmers have been playing with plant genomics since before the world knew what genes were. Does one strawberry plant produce sweeter fruits? Encourage its growth over less tasty crops. Voilà! Your strawberry crop is now yummier than ever. Since the turn of the 21st century, ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) breakthroughs have helped revolutionize the...

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Rob Martienssen awarded 2024 Genetics Society Medal

Nick Wurm — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 18:30:29 +0000

On November 8, the Genetics Society awarded ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) Professor Rob Martienssen the 2024 Genetics Society Medal. Martienssen earned the award for his outstanding research in the field of genetics. Martienssen is a leading figure in the world of epigenetics. He played a key role in global efforts to produce the first...

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The dance of epigenetic inheritance

Communications Department — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 11:30:43 +0000

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How plants pass down genetic memories

Jennifer Michalowski — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 15:00:16 +0000

Arabidopsis thaliana is a plant species widely used to make fundamental biological discoveries. With the help of this versatile test subject, CSHL scientists have now dug up the secrets of a process that helps control inheritance." data-description="" />When organisms pass their genes on to future generations, they include more than the code spelled out in DNA. Some also pass along chemical markers that instruct cells how to use that code. The passage of these markers to future generations is known as epigenetic inheritance. It’s particularly common in plants. So, significant findings here...

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The CSHL School of Biological Sciences’ class of 2023

Communications Department — Sun, 07 May 2023 22:01:03 +0000

The ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) School of Biological Sciences (SBS) takes an innovative approach to advanced science education. Graduates of the doctoral program go on to pursue diverse careers. This year, the SBS awarded 11 Ph.D. degrees. Here, members of the class of 2023 share memories and experiences from their time at CSHL. Lyndsey...

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The tiny plant tackling climate change

Nick Wurm — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 12:30:42 +0000

Fossil fuels are killing the planet. Oil-producing plants like oil palm and soybeans could make for sustainable replacements. And yet, each of them also has a significant environmental impact. But now, thanks to plant biologists in New York, the humble aquatic duckweed plant may offer a more sustainable source of oil for biofuels and other...

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Rob Martienssen Archives | ���ϳԹ���Դ