2014

Shedding light on rare diseases: open data and model organisms

Why open data from model organisms is essential for rare disease research.

Molecules to Ecosystems: Jo McEntyre on data services

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Jo McEntyre talks about data services, open data and a new era for research assessment.

Priorities for ocean microbiome research

Science & Technology Microbial communities play essential roles in ocean ecology and planetary health. A recent publication highlights priorities for understanding and protecting ocean microbiomes.

Uncharted territories in the human genome

Science & Technology Scientists identify previously unexplored gene segments to be added to human genome databases.

“If you want science to move forward, you have to share it”

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives EMBO Director Fiona Watt discusses preprints, data sharing, and evaluation in light of EMBL’s new Open Science policy

EMBL, its alumni and Greece

Showcasing EMBL at the Congress of the Hellenic Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Bacteria’s barrel-building challenge

How do E.coli and similar bacteria grow safely? By using barrel-plugs as sensors.

Alumni awards

Announcing winners of the John Kendrew Young Scientist Award, and inaugural Lennart Philipson Award.

How to fix a cellular powerhouse

Compound that can restore the function of poorly working mitochondria, with therapeutic potential.

Luxembourg collaboration

Lab Matters Third round of calls for joint research projects between EMBL and Luxembourg in 2015

Lighting the way

EMBL Hamburg celebrates four decades of vision, pioneering research and beamline services.

Dinner with a Nobel Laureate

Lab Matters The day EMBL Hamburg predocs and postdocs invited Nobel Prize Winner Ada Yonath to dinner.

Delighting in detail

Unprecedented detail in images of mouse neurons thanks to new SNAP-tagging microscopy technique.

Four decades at EMBL

Employee number 47 retires, leaving behind a legacy that intricately linked her life with EMBL.

What makes a mosquito deadly?

Genome-based insights into evolution of malaria-carrying Anopheles mosquitoes.

MASSIF step forward

In two months, 2.3 million diffraction images collected on new, fully automated ESRF/EMBL beamline.

Record parasitic worm dataset

Largest collection of helminth genomic data ever assembled, in new open-access WormBase ParaSite.

Argentina: EMBL in action

Lab Matters Workshops, seminars and honorary lectures – strong start for EMBL’s newest associate member state.

What can your synchrotron do for you?

Life Science Nord event reveals how pharmaceutical companies use synchrotrons for their research.

Big biology, big success

EMBL-EBI supports Big Biology Day, inspiring 500 youngsters with jelly-baby DNA and golf-tee viruses.

For food – back to EMBL

Get a flavour of the 15th EMBL|EMBO Science and Society Conference from alumnus Freddy Frischknecht.

20 years in the making

First complete picture of flu virus polymerase. A story of two decades of blood, sweat and sneezes.

The complex life of a young PI

Alumnus Jan Medenbach harnesses the shared experience of peers (and pioneers) at EMBL event.

Events preview and review

Which courses and conferences will you attend in 2015? EMBL’s annual event calendar: out now!

Foods are us!

Appetite to ZzZzZzZ… bite-sized highlights from this year’s Science and Society conference.

Welcome: Kyung-Min Noh

The important thing is forming good biological questions, says new group leader in Genome Biology.

On a SAXS quest

Course attendees go hunting (protein) aliens in a quest for optimal SAXS data.

Welcome: Judith Zaugg

Whether it’s information or people, the art of connecting is key to new group leader Judith Zaugg

Next generation training

First series of training courses jointly organised by EMBL and Illumina is a resounding success.

Polish connections

Alumna Anna Bartosik shares insights and hopes for EMBL's newest prospect member state, Poland.

Big (Protein) Data to Knowledge

Lab Matters 'Big Data to Knowledge' project by UCLA, Scripps and EMBL-EBI to transform protein data to knowledge.

Building an EMPIAR

EMPIAR lets researchers take a closer look at the images used to build 3D molecular structures.

Zombies and crystals

Open Day in Grenoble celebrates crystallography for the Fête de la Science.

Witamy! EMBL welcomes Poland as prospect member state

In a Statement of Intent signed this month, Poland becomes a prospect member state of EMBL, and the new partners agree to explore possibilities for long-term cooperation, with a view to the country becoming a full member state within three years. “Poland has a strong and active life science…

Same pieces, different picture

Unprecedented detail on HIV structure continues virus’ string of surprises.

PEPC recipe for success

How to make good quality samples for good quality structural biology experiments.

Computational modelling resource

New, open repository helps researchers share computational models of disease.

Kidney cancer in Central Europe

Kidney cancer linked to exposure to aristolochic acid, an ingredient in some herbal remedies.

Looking for the beauty in science

Lab Matters How the author of a prize-winning project on bee travel ended up at a stem cells and cancer conference

Chamber of secrets

Like sports teams, cells can huddle to communicate in secret and organise group behaviour

Protecting us from our cells

Growth factor IGF-1 boosts natural defence against type-1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis

European Variation Archive launches

European Variation Archive makes it easier to explore detailed information about genetic variation.

Job dispatched

Lab Matters How does EMBL-EBI run millions of jobs for its users while moving its two large data centres?

Breaking boundaries

How Nobel-winning work by alumnus Stefan Hell shapes and inspires current EMBL scientists' research.

Music of the spheres

Lab Matters Music, bubbles and DNA: a collaborative project brings artist and scientist together

Superstars of science

From anemones to starfish, sea creatures are helping understand development, evolution and more.

Go with the flow

Flow cytometry: finding needles in haystacks

Awards & Honours

Lab Matters EMBL scientists regularly receive prestigious awards - meet the latest honourees

100 different stories

Lab Matters Drumming, drama, dancing and discovery in a diary of art and science event, Roche Continents.

Successes, challenges and the future

It’s question time for Director General Iain Mattaj in this extract from the alumni reunion magazine.

Reviews: Inspiring stories

Lab Matters Bibliophiles from the Lab pick out the stories that have inspired them at work and elsewhere.

Branches: The perfect meal

Charles Spence invites you to taste the difference.

A toast to EMBL

German Science Minister and other honoured guests celebrate 40 years of ‘Learning from life’.

Pathways: Science meets arts

Alumnus Giovanni Frazzetto on what happens when art, literature, theatre, and science come together.

Source of inspiration

Lab Matters PhD student Charles breeze found inspiration at this year's Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting.

Nominate board members!

Alumni Association elections: board member nominations wanted!

Witness to history

EMBL Alumna Frieda Glöckner looks back more than four decades to where it all began.

11th EMBL Transcription and Chromatin conference

Experts from multiple fields come together to understand how the instructions in genes are read

10 notable Hungarian scientists

From vitamin C to safe matches, a sample of notable scientists from our newest prospect member state.

Blog roundup: September

Lab Matters Pathfinding – poetic and practical – was a common theme in blogs from the EMBL network.

EU Codefest

Pooling programming and problem-solving expertise in bioinformatics at EMBL-EBI.

Hungary joins EMBL as prospect member state

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) welcomes Hungary as its newest prospect member state. In a Statement of Intent signed this month, Hungary and EMBL agree to explore possibilities for long-term cooperation, with a view to the country becoming a full member state within three years.…

How plankton gets jet lagged

How plankton gets jet lagged: the same hormone governs our sleep patterns and a daily marine migration.

Hamburg anniversary symposium: Preview

An interview with keynote speaker Michael Rossmann.

Obituary: Stephen Fuller

Stephen Fuller, from 1981–2000 an EMBL postdoc, group leader then Head of Unit, died on 25 August.

Genotype to phenotype mapping course

EMBL-EBI hosts successful first EMBO Practical Course in Genotype to Phenotype Mapping.

From worm muscle to spinal discs

Evolutionary surprise: notochord likely evolved from muscle, earlier than assumed.

Major advance in stem cell technology

Researchers produce pristine stem cells, which can be precisely changed into clinically relevant cell types.

40 years learning from life

Gibbon genome joins Ensembl

Gibbon genome gives insights into evolution of this singing, swinging, tree-dwelling ape.

RNAcentral Station

RNAcentral is the first unified resource for all types of non-coding RNA data.

Obituary: Andrew D. Robertson

Lab Matters Andrew D Robertson, scientific coordinator of EICAT between 2011–12, died on 14 August 2014.

Scientists for a day

Lab Matters Tschira-Jugendakademie pupils get hands-on during day of DNA barcoding

CSSB foundation stone ceremony

Research building for interdisciplinary Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB) takes shape.

How do animals become domesticated?

Bronwen Aken discusses what research into the rabbit genome reveals about animal domestication.

Nordic networks

Lab Matters Nordic partners focus on "enhancing research enterprise", says Kjetil Taskén

Drawing on nature

PhD Symposium poster reveals how a cell’s inner workings serve as both inspiration and toolkit.

Binding bracelet

Vasa protein preserves pieces of 'enemy' DNA to help protect the genes of future generations.

Art inspired by data science

Lab Matters Artist Stephen Wright gifts artwork inspired by DNA storage research to EMBL-EBI.

From students to mentors

PhD students reap rewards and rave reviews as Summer School of Science organisers

Bioinformatics services: Summer 2014

Lab Matters A quick round-up of the latest EMBL-EBI service releases

New EMBL-EBI data centre contract

Lab Matters Gyron Ltd awarded contract to supply EMBL-EBI's data centres over the next five years

International connections

How a single molecule can attract and repel growing brain connections

New, improved human genome

Ensembl has incorporated a vast amount of knowledge into a fully annotated reference human genome

Unpacking iron overload

A rare form of an iron overload disorder kills pancreatic function, Heidelberg scientists find

Clarity in the cold

How fruit flies beat the cold, plus the value of precisely controlled experiments and detailed analysis

On editing the genetic code

Edward Lemke edits special issue of ChemBioChem on boom of technology for genetic code expansion

PhDs, proteomes and pints

EMBL students successfully take science to the pub

Celebrating 40 years of leading life science

"Thank you, EMBL, for changing my life" – reunion celebrates great science and great scientists

New genomics API

Lab Matters New genomics API allows researchers to share anonymised genetic data seamlessly across platforms.

EMBanniversary AUSTRIA

Celebrating 50 years of EMBO, 40 years of EMBL and the success of molecular biology in Austria

Fighting bacteria – with viruses

Molecular switch enables viruses to destroy C.diff bacteria – potential alternative to antibiotics

Shedding light on chimeral twins

Marmoset genome provides insights into chimerism: data available in Ensembl genome explorer

Embracing cellular complexity

Cell biologists "underestimate the complexity" of protein interactions, says Toby Gibson.

Ask EMBL… anything!

Lab Matters Have a pressing question? EMBL experts are standing by to answer! Submit yours today.

Czech-ing out EMBL Council

Lab Matters Czech delegate Jana Bystřická represents EMBL's 21st member state at her first Council Meeting.

Bringing chemistry to life (science)

Embed chemists in biology departments, asking their own biological questions, says Carsten Schultz

Science meets politics

Anniversary reflections on connections between scientific and political interests.

Celebrating 20 years of bioinformatics

EMBL-EBI’s anniversary celebration: blue skies thinking, Robin Ince and a biology-themed cake

Buon Compleanno!

EMBL Monterotondo celebrates double anniversary with fun, fireworks, festa and familiar faces

Surprisingly stable long-distance relationships

Surprising finding: enhancers find their targets long before activation in Drosophila embryos

Forty things that make EMBL – Part 1

Lab Matters As the Lab turns 40, staff and alumni share 40 things that make EMBL, EMBL

Back to school

Lab Matters School ambassadors show next generation that scientists are more ‘role model’ than ‘mad professor’

Awards & Honours

Lab Matters EMBL scientists regularly receive prestigious awards - meet the latest honourees

Pathways: Science writing

Scientist-turned-writer Lucas Brouwers follows his instincts to find interesting stories

The future’s bright

Surprising protein from a flu-like virus is 10 000th ESRF structure

In our DNA

Lab Matters To photographer Horst Hamann, it's the people, not the science, that make EMBL unique

Reviews: Science on screen

Lab Matters Film enthusiasts from the Lab review their favourite science movies, one for each EMBL decade

Nothing but blue skies

Focusing on basic research is crucial for the development of more advanced genetics techniques

Obituary: Christian Boulin

Lab Matters Christian Boulin, EMBL’s Director of Core Facilities and Services, died on 27 April 2014

Branches: The search for our neighbours

Lab Matters What might life alien life look like? Lewis Dartnell studies extreme bacteria to find out

Forty things that make EMBL – Part 2

Lab Matters As the Lab turns 40, staff and alumni share 40 things that make EMBL, EMBL

Resourceful alumni

Two EMBL alumni, each developing community-led tools to support life science research

The shape of things to come

New ways of handling and distributing data at PDBe to tackle ever larger and more complex proteins

Still growing at 40

Lab Matters Busy times for EMBL keep Director of International Relations Silke Schumacher on the move

For the record

New EMBL Archive will serve as a record of accomplishments, past, present and future

Five for the future

Lab Matters Scientists from EMBL's five sites reflect on the opportunities and challenges that might lie ahead

Q&A

Lab Matters Which scientific breakthroughs would EMBL scientists most like to see in the next 40 years?

Getting shirty

Staff and alumni around the world get active in EMBL running shirts to celebrate our anniversary

On target

ConnectionsLab Matters A new EMBL-EBI biomedical initiative works to determine the best target proteins for new drugs.

Chain reactions

Science & Technology Scientists determine the structure of auxin response factors: daisy-chains that regulate gene expression

Taken out of context

Science & Technology Enabling neighbours: intact genes can cause cancer when placed near "enhancing" regions of DNA

Capturing marine biodiversity

Science & Technology Data from first ever worldwide Ocean Sampling Day will be shared via EMBL-EBI resources this autumn.

Cross-Channel collaboration

Connections Teaming up in Ireland to address big challenges in biology

Czech Republic becomes EMBL’s 21st member state

Connections Forty years after its foundation, EMBL announces its 21st member state: the Czech Republic. Building on a successful bilateral relationship, the Czech Republic’s membership grants Czech scientists access to EMBL’s state-of-the-art instruments, facilities and world-class training…

Sheep genome provides rich resource for agricultural research

Science & Technology Reference sheep genome, published by International Sheep Genomics Consortium, available in Ensembl

Picky eaters: how microglia capture their prey

Science & Technology A kaleidoscope of molecules is needed to clean up dead brain cells, and failure can have disastrous consequences

Insights into genetics of cleft lip

Science & Technology How a DNA stretch influences face formation and contributes to common congenital malformations

HIV: hacking, immaturity and viruses

Science & Technology High-resolution structure reveals crucial interactions for HIV maturation

First, catch your DNA

Science & Technology DNA-coralling protein complex in an unexpected bind

How immune cells use steroids

Science & Technology Genome Campus researchers discover that some immune cells turn themselves off by producing a steroid.

Remodelling the cell

Science & Technology The balance behind membrane changes that turn one cell into 6000 as a fruit fly embryo develops

Tsetse fly genome sequenced

Science & Technology Tsetse fly genome sequenced; scientists hope to find new ways to control sleeping sickness.

Argentina joins EMBL as associate member state

Connections At a signing ceremony today, Argentina joins the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) as an associate member state. The move strengthens the ties between the European and Latin American life science communities. It grants Argentinian scientists access to EMBL’s world-class facilities and…

Where do you start when developing a new medicine?

ConnectionsLab Matters A pioneering public-private research initiative between GSK, the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is to harness the power of ‘big data’ and genome sequencing to improve the success rate for discovering new medicines. The new Centre for…

Slovak Republic becomes EMBL Prospect Member State

Connections The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) welcomes the Slovak Republic as the first country to join its new Prospect Member scheme. In a Statement of Intent signed last month, the Slovak Republic and EMBL agree to explore the possibilities for long-term cooperation, with a view to the…

Pan-European imaging infrastructure gains momentum

ConnectionsLab Matters Europe is uniting to make state-of-the-art imaging technologies accessible to biomedical researchers throughout the continent in a concerted manner. The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and seven countries (Belgium, Finland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom)…

Making your brain social

Science & Technology In many people with autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, different parts of the brain don’t talk to each other very well. Scientists have now identified, for the first time, a way in which this decreased functional connectivity can come about. In a study published online today…