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heidelberg

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24 September 2024 Illustration showing several drugs being broken down when reaching a community of gut bacteria. This community has different types of bacteria.

Better together: gut microbiome communities’ resilience to drugs

Science & Technology EMBL Heidelberg researchers compared the effect of drugs on isolated bacteria versus those growing in communities. This is the first study showing that bacteria are more resilient when in community due to cross-protection strategies. This could help researchers design more efficient therapies.

2024

science-technology

10 September 2024 A brain section is seen in the background, from which a 'highway'emerges, with lit up neurons spaced like cars on the highway.

Follow the cellular road

Science & Technology An AI-enhanced advanced microscopy approach offers promise in better understanding glioblastomas, one of the deadliest brain cancers.

2024

science-technology

5 September 2024 Male scientist standing in front of a set of stairs.

Promoting impact-driven science

People & Perspectives PROMETHEUS is an EMBL-born grassroots initiative to promote and optimise impact-driven science.

2024

people-perspectives

30 August 2024 A multi-coloured donut representing the structure of an NPC.

“Structurally” sound

Science & Technology The function of biological molecules is intimately linked to their structure. In the 50 years since EMBL was established, its researchers and engineers have constantly provided leadership in structural biology research and services, resulting in many scientific breakthroughs and novel insights.

2024

science-technology

27 August 2024 In the foreground is a photoacoustic dye from the red end of the visible spectrum that is ‘turned on’. It produces an ultrasound emission that can be detected and measured. A dye that is ‘turned off’ is shown in the left background.

Seeing into the depths

Science & Technology EMBL scientists applied molecular engineering to build photoacoustic probes to label and visualise neurons deep within brain tissue.

2024

science-technology

21 August 2024 Three images of the cell at different stages of mitosis. In the left: round navy shape and irregular thick magenta line within it. In the middle: the same round shape with two irregular magenta shapes. On the right: Two round navy shapes connected with each other. Each of them holds shiny magenta-yellow clusters.

The forces behind chromosome repulsion and attraction during cell division

Science & Technology EMBL Heidelberg researchers discovered how a protein switches between repelling and gluing chromosomes during cell division. This helps the mother cell to divide the genome equally into two daughter cells and cluster chromosomes inside the daughter nuclei, ensuring a successful cell division.

2024

science-technology

14 August 2024

Merging passion, collaboration, and serendipity

People & Perspectives EMBL alumnus Thibaut Brunet, recipient of the 2024 John Kendrew Young Scientist Award, shares his scientific journey – from a childhood passion for nature to the discovery of a new species of choanoflagellate.

2024

people-perspectives

22 May 2024 A sphere with two separated halves; the left half is blue and depicts chromosomes separating along spindles inside multiple nuclei, while the right half is orange, depicting a single set of chromosomes and a spindle with no nuclear envelope visible.

Exploring diversity in cell division

Science & Technology New research by EMBL scientists shows how different modes of cell division used by animals and fungi might have evolved to support diverse life cycles.

2024

science-technology

22 April 2024 A woman is looking through a book and checking a microscopy image on the screen of a laptop in front of her. On her left, there is the Curiosity microscope, which consists of grey, blue and yellow blocks connected with a red stripe.

Sparking curiosity: the Curiosity microscope

Lab Matters BIOcean5D is an EMBL-coordinated project co-funded by the European Union that unites 31 institutes to address pressing global challenges on marine biodiversity.

2024

lab-matters

11 March 2024 Casting new light on gene regulation in development

Casting new light on gene regulation in development

Science & Technology New research from EMBL Heidelberg shows how cells in developing embryos undergo a major shift in the way they regulate gene expression as they mature and differentiate.

2024

sciencescience-technology

1 February 2024

We are EMBL: Renato Alves on Bio-IT and stargazing

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Renato Alves talks about his time at EMBL, the Bio-IT project, his wishes for EMBL in its anniversary year, and how a passion for night hikes and stargazing led to the creation of EMBL’s astronomy club.

2024

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

25 January 2024 An oval light blue shape. In the central part, there is a smaller a red object, from which stem many highly branched smaller canals that cover a significant part of the blue surface. The whole sponge image is in placed in a circle. The background around the circle is blue-green.

Ancient ‘relaxant-inflammatory’ response gets sponges moving

Science & Technology Sponges lack muscles and neurons. Yet, they make coordinated movements. Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg have discovered that sponge movement is controlled by an ancient ‘relaxant-inflammatory’ response that is also present in vertebrate blood vessels. The findings shed light on sponge physiology…

2024

sciencescience-technology

23 November 2023 Photographs of two scientists on a decorative background

ERC Consolidator Grants awarded to two EMBL researchers

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters Alba Diz-Muñoz and Arnaud Krebs from EMBL Heidelberg have received grants to work on projects that aim, respectively, to understand the cellular mechanics that control cell division and investigate the regulatory networks that govern transcription factor function.

2023

embl-announcementslab-matters

22 November 2023 Oliver Stegle passionately drawing work-related content with a green pen on a whiteboard. On the whiteboard, there are coordinates and equations, such as “n=2”.

How AI shapes the life sciences: an interview with Oliver Stegle

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives EMBL scientist Oliver Stegle explains how AI-based tools have the potential to transform our ability to better understand the complexity of life and how these tools will shape the future of life science exploration.

2023

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

15 November 2023

Why time is of the essence in development

EMBLetc EMBL developmental biologists – with help from other disciplines – pursue the significance of time, timing, and transitions in organisms during their development

2023

31 October 2023

EMBL’s southern hemisphere connection

ConnectionsLab Matters Ian Smith, Chair of EMBL Australia´s Council, chats about the synergies between the organisations, opportunities for collaboration, and ideas for exciting new programmes arising out of a recent visit to EMBL Heidelberg.

2023

connectionslab-matters

27 October 2023 The image shows a uerine environment made of a jelly-like and transparent material, with a cylindrical 3D structure.

Spotlight: Creating an artificial uterus

Science & Technology EMBL researchers have created an engineered uterus that allows a closer look at a mouse embryo’s development and its interactions with the uterine environment.

2023

picture-of-the-weeksciencescience-technology

26 October 2023 Photographs of three scientists on a decorative blue background

EMBL scientists receive prestigious ERC Synergy Grants

EMBL Announcements Jan Kosinski, Julia Mahamid, and Georg Zeller have received grants to enable ambitious projects aimed at mapping the cellular protein synthesis machinery in context and understanding complex host-microbiome interactions, respectively.

2023

embl-announcementsscience

6 October 2023

We are EMBL: Zuzana Koskova on her experience as a PhD student at EMBL Heidelberg

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Zuzana Koskova is a PhD student from Slovakia who, at the age of 19, left her country to pursue her career in biological sciences in Germany. In this interview, she talks about her interests, career aspirations, and recent participation at the Info Day held in Bratislava, where she had the…

2023

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

13 September 2023 Magenta and green sombrero-shaped object with grey lines beyond it sits against a black background

Understanding how cells avoid obstacles

Science & Technology EMBL researchers have identified a novel mechanism that allows cells to sense obstacles in their path and avoid them while navigating complex environments.

2023

sciencescience-technology

5 September 2023 Faces of Jordi van Gestel and Maria Zimmermann-Kogadeeva.

ERC starting grants for two EMBL Heidelberg researchers

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters Jordi van Gestel and Maria Zimmermann-Kogadeeva each receive 1.5 million EUR funding for research projects on microbial predators and the gut microbiome respectively

2023

embl-announcementslab-matters

31 August 2023 Part of a fruit fly embryo imaged against a dark background, with nuclei stained with DAPI (white), and a cluster of pole cells, marked by Vasa protein (yellow)

Spotlight: Off to the pole

Science & Technology For a fruit fly embryo to develop correctly, key factors need to get to the right place at the right time – a journey that starts in the developing egg, as seen in this image from the Ephrussi Group at EMBL Heidelberg

2023

picture-of-the-weeksciencescience-technology

21 July 2023 Three-dimensional cartoon of the hexasome with a chromatin remodeler on DNA.

A glimpse into the hexasome: 40 years on

Science & Technology Research from the Eustermann group at EMBL Heidelberg reveals how the packaging of DNA into hexasomes impacts the function of enzymes involved in gene regulation.

2023

sciencescience-technology

4 July 2023 Photos of the three scientists elected as EMBO members on green background.

EMBL scientists elected to EMBO Membership

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Three EMBL group leaders and six EMBL alumni were recognised for their contributions to the life sciences.

2023

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

3 July 2023 In the foreground: an intrinsically disordered protein, which has a form of a tangled, unstructured string. In the background: a set of parallel curved lines.

Bringing research on disordered proteins to order

Science & Technology A third of all known proteins are either completely or partially unstructured. EMBL scientists contributed to a new set of guidelines – Minimum Information About a Disorder Experiment (MIADE) – that will help researchers share data on unstructured proteins in a more useful way and will enable…

2023

sciencescience-technology

26 May 2023 Female scientist in white lab coat is showing material in a petri dish to EC official in lab coat

Sharing knowledge, widening access across Europe

ConnectionsLab Matters European Commission and EMBL renew commitment, agree on new areas of cooperation, in new EC DG’s first infrastructure visit since appointment.

2023

connectionslab-matters

15 May 2023 A section of electron microscopy volume of a Platynereis larvae. Different colours mark different cell groups.

Visualising biology: new tools of the trade

EMBLetc EMBL researchers are pushing the frontiers of big data analysis in biological imaging, allowing scientists to gain a many-layered and multidimensional view of organisms, tissues, and cells in action.

2023

11 May 2023 An colourful image taken from the World of Molecular Biology exhibition.

The World of Molecular Biology is open 

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EMBL´s new permanent exhibition ‘The World of Molecular Biology’ in Heidelberg is now open for registration. The exhibition takes the visitor on a journey of scales, from genomes to ecosystems, and introduces key imaging technologies.

2023

embl-announcementslab-matters

4 April 2023 Title slide for the conference, The organism and its environment

Life in context

Science & Technology Upcoming EMBO/EMBL symposium provides a forum to explore how organisms function together, and how they react or adapt to changes at different molecular levels.

2023

eventsscience-technology

3 April 2023 Two male scientists with safety glasses at EMBL Imaging Centre

Dispensing microscopy expertise

Lab MattersScience & Technology Home to some of Europe’s most cutting-edge tools in molecular biology, EMBL has long shared its expertise and access to these tools through an extensive repertoire of courses, conferences, seminars, and other training. And now included in this mix is a job shadowing programme at EMBL Imaging…

2023

lab-mattersscience-technology

30 March 2023 Science illustration representing two embryos imaged using the Brillouin microscopy technique. The embryo in the front is a mouse embryo at 20h and the one in the back a Phallusia mammillata embryo. A laser beam crosses the samples to analyse tissue stiffness (here represented by acoustic waves).

Shining light on the mechanics of embryo development

Lab MattersScience & Technology A new microscope built by EMBL researchers, based on Brillouin scattering principles, allows scientists to observe the dynamics of mechanical properties inside developing embryos in real time.

2023

lab-matterssciencescience-technology

29 March 2023 Photographs of two male scientists in circular insets against a decorative background

EMBL Alumni Awards Announced for 2023

Two former EMBL scientists have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to the fields of science communication and multiple sequence alignment research, respectively.

2023

alumni

21 March 2023 Male scientist in blue shirt standing in front of a building with glass doors.

Welcome: Thomas Quail

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives New group leader Thomas Quail studies the fundamental processes that determine how proteins organise the genome inside a cell.

2023

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

23 February 2023 Image showing the pulsed green laser exciting the photoacoustic signal of the sample in the cuvette.

Spotlight: Using light and sound to see into the brain

Lab MattersScience & Technology Researchers in the Prevedel Group use photoacoustic spectroscopy setup to test and optimise probes before their usage in mouse neuroscience.

2023

lab-matterspicture-of-the-weekscience-technology

2 February 2023 Science illustration showing from left to right the progression from cryo-EM software to an annotated image of sub-cellular organelles, using a deep learning software.

AI helps scientists decipher cellular structures

New artificial intelligence tool adds speed and detailed cellular information to analysis of cryo-electron tomography to aid researchers’ understanding of inner cell workings.

2023

science

25 January 2023 A group photo from the BiOcean5D launch meeting

BIOcean5D targets marine biodiversity

ConnectionsLab Matters EMBL hosts inaugural meeting for major interdisciplinary project designed to boost understanding of ocean life

2023

connectionslab-matters

8 December 2022 Image of Prof. Peter B. Becker in the laboratory

New chair of EMBL Council

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EMBL alumnus and eminent molecular biologist Peter B. Becker has been named the next chair of EMBL’s Council as of January 2023.

2022

embl-announcementslab-matters

22 November 2022 Image portraying the three scientists who received the ERC Starting grant

EMBL scientists receive prestigious ERC Starting Grant

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters Three EMBL scientists received this year’s ERC Starting Grants, and will be awarded €1.5 million over five years to carry out research projects.

2022

embl-announcementslab-matters

12 October 2022 A group photo taken at the EMBL Heidelberg site, showing members of EMBL and the Ruder Boskovic Institute

EMBL deepens ties with Croatia

Visit of delegation from the Ruđer Bošković Institute to EMBL Heidelberg marks a new chapter in scientific and institutional cooperation

2022

events

10 October 2022 Retinal cells can be seen in a cross section. A blue stain (DAPI) marks the cell nuclei, barcoded background cells are visible in green, while a single dopaminergic cell is visible in the centre, marked in orange (Th) and pink (a second barcode).

Light-Seq: from images to sequences in context

Researchers have combined advanced light microscopy with next-generation sequencing to create a method to study cells directly in the context of their native tissues

2022

science

7 October 2022 A group of people at EMBL's partnership conference

The EMBL Connection

EMBL's Partnership Conference highlights the value of its networks, bringing researchers together to build new scientific connections.

2022

events

15 September 2022 The foreground shows two yellow pipes representing the human gastrointestinal tract coming together, representing the confluence of donor and recipient gut ecosystems. Bacteria can be seen as green shapes inside the pipes and various kinds of interactions between them are shown symbolically as a mixing of colours.

When microbiomes collide

Science & Technology EMBL researchers used data from over 300 human faecal microbiota transplants to gain an ecological understanding of what happens when two gut microbiomes clash.

2022

sciencescience-technology

31 August 2022 A Physarum polycephalum with different colours, where each colour shows the expansion of the cell at various time points.

Spotlight: A giant in action

Science & Technology Physarum polycephalum, a single, giant cell containing tens of thousands of nuclei is large enough to be photographed with a phone.

2022

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

24 August 2022 A building with glass facades and courtyard in front.

Spotlight: EMBL Imaging Centre, Heidelberg

Lab Matters EMBL’s imaging centre makes advanced microscopy technologies accessible to the international scientific community.

2022

lab-matterspicture-of-the-week

4 August 2022 An illustration provides representation of fingers hovering over a cell phone

Zooming in to get the full picture

Science & Technology EMBL and UW researchers plus additional collaborators have constructed a complete map of fruit fly embryonic development using machine learning. This research is foundational to better understanding overall embryo development in other species, including humans.

2022

sciencescience-technology

5 July 2022 A view of the EMBL Imaging Centre with fields in the background

The EMBL Imaging Centre: making it happen

Connections Creating a cutting-edge facility for the global life science community doesn't happen overnight. We spoke to some of those who worked to turn this dream into a reality.

2022

connectionsevents

10 June 2022 A colourful structural model of the doughnut-shaped human nuclear pore complex seen from above.

Puzzling out the structure of a molecular giant

Science & Technology Scientists have solved several mysteries around the structure and function of a true molecular giant: the human nuclear pore complex. They created the most complete model of the complex thanks to combining the program AlphaFold2 with cryo-electron tomography, integrative modelling, molecular…

2022

sciencescience-technology

8 June 2022 Two female scientists shown against a green background

2022 EMBL Alumni Awards Winners announced

EMBL Announcements Two former EMBL staff members have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to research in the fields of brain evolution and cancer.

2022

alumniembl-announcements

10 May 2022

Royal Society honour for Eileen Furlong

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EMBL’s Head of Genome Biology announced as Fellow of the Royal Society for her exceptional contributions to science.

2022

embl-announcementslab-matters

6 May 2022 Drawing of two chromosomes in which a highlighted area is switched around.

Flip-flop genome

Science & Technology Researchers at EMBL Heidelberg found that inversions in the human genome are more common than previously thought, which impacts our understanding of certain genetic diseases.

2022

sciencescience-technology

5 May 2022 Colourful vertical panels each show different microscopic images possible with the high-tech tools in EMBL's Imaging Centre

Enabling imaging across scales

EMBL Announcements EMBL’s first Imaging Centre Symposium will occur onsite at EMBL and include tours of the new Imaging Centre on 31 May, introducing participants to the facility and its staff and featuring talks on the rapid developments in imaging technologies that have led to notable biological and medical…

2022

embl-announcementsevents

6 April 2022 Portrait photo of Matthias Hentze surrounded by a colourful background

Matthias Hentze receives Centenary Award

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EMBL Heidelberg’s Matthias Hentze receives the Biochemical Society’s Centenary Award for his discoveries in RNA biology.

2022

embl-announcementslab-matters

23 March 2022 Two Drosophila embryos stained with fluorescent dye on a purple background that indicates either solid or liquid state

From liquid to solid to drive development

Science & Technology Condensates are membraneless organelles that control specific functions within a cell. Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg have shown how the physical state of condensates can influence biological function.

2022

sciencescience-technology

20 March 2022 Portrait photo of EMBL Group Leader Judith Zaugg against a green background.

Judith Zaugg from EMBL Heidelberg receives ERC Consolidator Grant

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters Judith Zaugg, Group Leader at EMBL Heidelberg, has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant of €2 million funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. Over the next five years, the grant will enable her group to study cellular interactions in the human bone…

2022

embl-announcementslab-matters

4 March 2022 A gloved hand holds a slide with visible wells containing Matrigel immersed in culture medium. A magnified close-up shows a mouse embryo developing over the course of 48 hours

A 3D culture model to study embryo growth

Science & Technology A recent study by EMBL researchers proposes a new method to grow early embryos in the laboratory. With a 3D culture set-up, scientists can closely monitor the changes embryos undergo around the time of implantation.

2022

sciencescience-technology

2 March 2022 Image composition showing a building with sun reflecting off the glass and microscopy images of microorganisms in multiple colours.

‘The World of Molecular Biology’ exhibition

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters The new permanent ‘The World of Molecular Biology’ exhibition will open in mid-2023 at EMBL’s headquarters in Heidelberg. It will encourage people to actively engage with science and its relevance for everyday life.

2022

embl-announcementslab-matters

25 February 2022 Three colourful overlapping circles arranged in a row, a fruit-fly embryo being visible within each. Small circles within the embryos represent cell lineages.

Converging lenses on embryo development

Science & Technology Researchers from the Furlong group at EMBL have come up with a way to observe the development of fruit-fly embryos simultaneously at the genetic and cellular levels, generating a high-resolution and integrated view of how different cell lineages form.

2022

sciencescience-technology

23 February 2022 A male scientist in a white shirt stands at a walkway railing.

Welcome: Michael Dorrity

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Michael Dorrity, one of EMBL’s newest group leaders, is studying how the environment influences early life stages in zebrafish.

2022

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

24 January 2022 Three women are seen in front of a computer, with the electron micrograph of a woodlouse visible on the screens

EMBL Imaging Centre kickstarts training with workshop for undergraduates

Lab Matters The new EMBL Imaging Centre held its first on-site training workshop, introducing undergraduate students to the basics of volume electron microscopy. This marks the first of many opportunities to aid capacity-building in imaging techniques in Europe.

2022

lab-matters

21 January 2022 The cross-section of a cell expressing a green fluorescently tagged protein and illuminated by a blue laser is visible in the foreground, surrounded by a vortex of cells

Cell sorting enters a new dimension

Science & Technology EMBL researchers, in collaboration with BD Biosciences, have demonstrated a new technology that allows rapid image-based sorting of cells. The new technology represents a major upgrade to flow cytometry and has applications in diverse life science fields.

2022

sciencescience-technology

21 December 2021 A model of the doughnut-shaped nuclear pore complex. Individual molecules are marked in various colours.

Observing the secret life of molecules inside the cell

Science & Technology EMBL Hamburg’s Kosinski Group, the Beck Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, and colleagues at EMBL Heidelberg recorded the nuclear pore complex contracting in living cells. They visualised the movement with an unprecedented level of detail with help of new software called…

2021

sciencescience-technology

15 December 2021 An outline of Earth, covered with depictions of bacteria. The image of Earth is within a the frame of a computer window. There is an “Upload file” button on the bottom left, and a mouse cursor on the right.

Connecting the dots between bacterial genes around the world

Science & Technology Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg analysed a new global gene database to study how genes emerge and spread across various habitats on our planet. In the future, the group will expand the database and use it for studying microbial gene evolution and dispersal at a finer-grained scale.

2021

sciencescience-technology

9 December 2021 Colourful interwoven coils are displayed against a grid of small black and white photographic images.

A gallery of human RNA polymerases

Science & Technology New structural biology research provides fundamental information critical to understanding enzyme mutations connected to rare diseases and cancers.

2021

sciencescience-technology

9 December 2021 Portrait photo of Eileen Furlong against blue-green background.

Eileen Furlong honoured with Leibniz Prize

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EMBL Senior Scientist and Head of the Genome Biology Unit is among the researchers honoured for outstanding work by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG).

2021

embl-announcementslab-matters

8 December 2021 An illustration of the human gut, with coloured shapes representing bacteria. Three different drugs and drug combinations are shown affecting the bacteria, represented by changes in colour

The impact of drugs on gut microbes is greater than we thought

Science & Technology Researchers studying a massive cohort of European patients have found that commonly prescribed drugs for cardiometabolic disorders can have long-term effects on the gut microbiome. Such effects can complicate the understanding of how disease affects the microbiome and must be taken into…

2021

sciencescience-technology

5 November 2021 Three-dimensional rendering of sponge neuroid cells (coloured orange) and sponge digestive cells (coloured green).

More than a gut reaction

Science & Technology What can sponges tell us about the evolution of the brain? Sponges have the genes involved in neuronal function in higher animals. But if sponges don’t have brains, what is the role of these? EMBL scientists imaged the sponge digestive chamber to find out.

2021

sciencescience-technology

28 October 2021 female scientist sits in front of building

Welcome: Svetlana Dodonova

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Svetlana Dodonova is one of EMBL's newest group leaders, leading a team of researchers who will study how genetic material is organised inside cells using structural biology approaches.

2021

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

22 October 2021 Oblong shape with two holes and coloured dots inside, representing phytoplankton cells and nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Analysis and sorting with flow cytometry

Lab MattersScience & Technology A technology around since the ‘60s, flow cytometry has increasing applications. New leadership at EMBL’s flow cytometry facilities is looking to ease use, expand training, and encourage more collaboration.

2021

lab-mattersscience-technology

13 October 2021 Illustration of a community of bacteria. Pills represent an antibiotic that can be used to treat an infection, and a second drug that could protect many gut bacteria from antibiotics.

Tackling the collateral damage from antibiotics

Science & Technology Researchers from EMBL’s Typas group and collaborators have analysed the effects of 144 antibiotics on the wellbeing of gut microbes. The study improves our understanding of antibiotics’ side effects and suggests a new approach to mitigating the adverse effects of antibiotics therapy on gut…

2021

sciencescience-technology

12 October 2021 Man in white and blue t-shirt in outdoor setting

When ‘good’ cells go ‘bad’

Science & Technology If researchers can identify specifically when good cells go bad, they can potentially understand disease better.

2021

sciencescience-technology

5 October 2021 Illustration of a globe with colourful shapes and symbols superimposed.

A cellular atlas of an entire worm

Science & Technology EMBL scientists and colleagues have developed an interactive atlas of the entire marine worm Platynereis dumerilii in its larval stage. The PlatyBrowser resource combines high-resolution gene expression data with volume electron microscopy images.

2021

sciencescience-technology

29 September 2021 Female scientist working at a biosafety cabinet, wearing a yellow protective gown and black gloves.

Transferable skills

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives In the lab, Diënty Hazenbrink works with microbes that live in our guts. In her free time, she enjoys wildlife photography. A shared set of skills facilitates both activities.

2021

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

9 September 2021 Portrait of former EMBL Director General Iain Mattaj

German Cross of Merit for former EMBL Director General

EMBL Announcements Former EMBL Director General Professor Iain Mattaj was awarded the German Cross of Merit (‘Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland’) at a ceremony held at EMBL Heidelberg on 9 September 2021.

2021

alumniembl-announcements

8 September 2021 Illustration of two halves of a pill, which releases chemical molecules that are taken up by gut bacteria in the vicinity.

Common medications accumulate in gut bacteria

Science & Technology A new collaborative study led by EMBL group leaders Kiran Patil, Nassos Typas, and Peer Bork has found that common medications accumulate in human gut bacteria. This process reduces drug effectiveness and affects the metabolism of common gut microbes, thereby altering the gut microbiome.

2021

sciencescience-technology

20 July 2021 Dark grey bird sitting on a metal lamp post. Grass and rock in the background.

A black redstart visits

Lab Matters Mehdi Khadraoui, a former member of the EMBL Communications team, took this close-up of a black redstart.

2021

lab-matters

13 July 2021 From right to left, Ilaria Piazza and Ken Holmes’ portraits are side by side in circles on a greenish background

EMBL Alumni Awards 2021

People & Perspectives EMBL alumni Ilaria Piazza and Ken Holmes have been recognised for their outstanding contributions, and will receive their awards as part of the celebrations for EMBL World Alumni Day.

2021

alumnipeople-perspectives

12 July 2021 Close-up illustration of the Kinesin-1 protein, intertwined with the aTm1 protein in a helix, next to loopy mRNA molecules.

A model of cooperation for transporting mRNA

Science & Technology EMBL scientists generate a high-resolution crystal structure of the Kinesin-1/aTm1 transport complex in the fruit fly.

2021

sciencescience-technology

2 July 2021 Portrait photo of a man in front of trees on a balcony

New head for EMBL’s Developmental Biology Unit

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters Dr Alexander Aulehla has been appointed the new Head of EMBL’s Developmental Biology Unit, and will take up the role starting in July 2021.

2021

embl-announcementslab-matters

23 June 2021 Bright blue oblong shape with white hairs on surface on black background.

Starlet sea anemone

Science & Technology EMBL PhD student Anniek Stokkermans captured this side view of a Nematostella vectensis larva during this transition, using instrumentation in the Advanced Light Microscopy Facility at EMBL Heidelberg.

2021

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

22 June 2021 Woman stands at brown railing in front of trees

Welcome: Anna Erzberger

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Anna Erzberger, one of EMBL’s newest group leaders, will provide unique perspective as a theoretical biological physicist.

2021

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

16 June 2021 Microscopy images of bacteria against a backdrop of a crowd of humans.

How our gut microbiome changes over time

Science & Technology Researchers investigate how external factors can influence the persistence of microbe species in the human gut

2021

sciencescience-technology

15 June 2021 Small star-like objects are scattered throughout a black background

Twinkle, twinkle, little nuclear pore complex

Science & Technology As perfect as a summer night sky, these nuclear pores help calibrate a customised super-resolution microscope in EMBL’s Ries group.

2021

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

8 June 2021 Two scientists in lab coats working on an instrument in the lab.

EMBL external research community survey

Lab Matters EMBL is conducting an Impact Assessment of our experimental services to understand the value these services have for our external user community. If you have accessed EMBL experimental services at one or more of our facilities to support the conduct of your research, we would like to hear from you.

2021

lab-matters

4 June 2021 Man in white shirt and blue jeans standing on a terrace in front of trees, facing the camera.

The power of community

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives EMBL Director Matthias Hentze describes the Environmental Research Initiative: a community effort to solve global environmental challenges.

2021

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

1 June 2021 Two purple and white spheres against dark background.

Nuclear twins

Science & Technology Captured by EMBL postdoc Arina Rybina, these ‘nuclear twins’ are two daughter nuclei straight after division of a HeLa cell.

2021

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

27 April 2021 Microscope image of liver cells, highlighted in various colours.

Painting liver cells

Science & Technology A page from a biologist’s colouring book? EMBL’s new interior wall design? Not quite – a bunch of liver cells, grown in the lab so that scientists can learn about fatty liver disease, or steatosis.

2021

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

20 April 2021 Black-and-white sphere with coronavirus spike protein structures and a two-layered ring of virus membrane superimposed.

Variations on a spike

Science & Technology What does coronavirus’s spike protein look like in 3D? EMBL scientists and colleagues used cryo-electron tomography and molecular dynamics simulations to find out.

2021

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

13 April 2021 EMBL Heidelberg's main building, the top of the façade lit up by sunlight.

Morning sun

Lab Matters Throwback to June 2014: While EMBL Heidelberg’s main entrance is still in the dark, the well-known EMBL logo is already lit by the morning sun.

2021

lab-matterspicture-of-the-week

4 March 2021

Induced pluripotent stem cells reveal causes of disease

Science & Technology Scientists in the Stegle group and colleagues have studied induced pluripotent stem cells from around 1,000 donors to identify correlations between individual genetic variants and altered gene expression. They linked more than 4,000 of the genetic variants responsible for altered expression…

2021

sciencescience-technology

2 March 2021 Microscopy image of stem cells in bone marrow

New avenues for eradicating cancer

Science & Technology A new method has the potential to boost international research efforts to find drugs that eradicate cancer at its source.

2021

sciencescience-technology

16 February 2021 Microscopy images of coronavirus-infected cells in blue and red, arranged on a clockface. Illustrations of virus particles.

Finding coronavirus’s helper proteins

Science & Technology A team of EMBL scientists and colleagues have analysed how the novel coronavirus affects proteins in human cells. They identified several human proteins as potential drug targets to prevent viral replication.

2021

sciencescience-technology

9 February 2021 An artistic representation of how bioinformatics allows study of the SARS-CoV-2 infection process. On the left, coronaviruses are approaching a human face contour. On the right, protein structures and a network of connections represent bioinformatic analysis.

Protein sequences provide clues to how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells

Science & Technology Researchers at EMBL Heidelberg have identified sequences in human proteins that might be used by SARS-CoV-2 to infect cells. They have discovered that the virus might hijack certain cellular processes, and they discuss potentially relevant drugs for treating COVID-19.

2021

sciencescience-technology

18 January 2021 man wearing sweater and glasses stands in front of snow and glassy building

Welcome: Timo Zimmermann

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives The EMBL Imaging Centre is scheduled to open in 2021 with Timo Zimmermann as Team Leader for advanced light microscopy technology development and service provision.

2021

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

15 January 2021 young man with beard and mustache stands in front of window with blurry background

Welcome: Olivier Duss

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives One of EMBL’s newest group leaders, Olivier Duss, will explore how RNA folds into functional structures and how it works with proteins to control a diverse range of activities in the cell.

2021

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

12 January 2021 Three images showing close-ups of different EMBL facilitites.

EMBL becomes newest Instruct Centre

ConnectionsLab Matters EMBL’s sites in Grenoble, Hamburg, and Heidelberg form the newest Instruct Centre. The new centre offers users access to a broad range of state-of-the-art facilities.

2021

connectionslab-matters

18 December 2020

Stronger together

Science & Technology Gene activation requires the cooperative activity of multiple transcription factors. Until now, the mechanism used by these factors to coordinate their actions has been poorly understood. EMBL’s Krebs group presents a DNA footprinting method that makes it possible to determine whether…

2020

sciencescience-technology

9 December 2020 Illustration of a rod-shaped bacterial cell, superimposed on a red and blue background.

Heating proteins to understand how genes work

Science & Technology A new paper from EMBL’s Savitski team and Typas group describes their work on E. coli and how it brings a greater understanding of the way genes function and interact.

2020

sciencescience-technology

8 December 2020 Windowed façade reflecting leafless trees.

Clear views

Lab Matters With the external scaffolding removed, another step in the construction of the EMBL Imaging Centre is complete. Now we get a first glimpse of the final look of this stunning building.

2020

lab-matterspicture-of-the-week

2 December 2020 Dark purple image with flashes of orange, gold, pink and paler purple that look a bit like lightning with a small sun-like image in the upper right section of the image

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative recognises EMBL scientists

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has recognised four EMBL researchers with their most recent awards, showing how tech trailblazers are integral to advancing science and medicine.

2020

embl-announcementslab-matters

17 November 2020 Car parking rooftop with a solar power plant under construction on it.

Solar power

Lab Matters Despite the cold autumn weather, workers are busy on the rooftop of the parking garage at EMBL Heidelberg. The 2176 m² rooftop is getting transformed into a combination of a green roof and a photovoltaic plant. The planted green roof will retain rainwater, while the solar panels – installed in…

2020

lab-matterspicture-of-the-week

3 November 2020 Rainbow above the EMBL building in Heidelberg, surrounded by woods.

Under the rainbow

Science & Technology On autumn days without Heidelberg’s characteristic fog, the woods present themself in beautiful colours. You may even capture a rainbow.

2020

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

22 October 2020 An artistic image of colorful wires connected to a could database.

EOSC: shaping Europe’s digital future

ConnectionsLab Matters EMBL’s Rupert Lück is engaged in developing the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC): the infrastructure that will support the future of data sharing and analysis in Europe.

2020

connectionslab-matters

3 September 2020 Left: Slice of a cell in grey. Right: Two 3D reconstructions of parts of the slice, showing the internal structure.

Nuclear pores in their natural context

Science & Technology Scientists from the Beck group have studied the 3D structure of nuclear pores in budding yeast. They show how the architecture of the nuclear pore complex differs inside cells compared to its form observed in vitro studies.

2020

sciencescience-technology

2 September 2020 Four different evolutionary steps showing the formation and grow of tentacle arms.

Eat more to grow more arms…if you’re a sea anemone

Science & Technology An international group of researchers, led by scientists from EMBL Heidelberg, have discovered that the number of tentacle arms a sea anemone grows depends on the amount of food it eats.

2020

sciencescience-technology

24 August 2020 Simone Mattei, the new team leader in electron microscopy service and technology development

Welcome: Simone Mattei

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives The new team leader offering services in electron microscopy discusses his hopes and plans for the forthcoming EMBL Imaging Centre

2020

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

19 August 2020 An embryo of the fruit fly Drosophila.

Predicting how gene expression varies

Science & Technology Discoveries at EMBL will help researchers to interpret one of the most common types of experiments in genomics and medical studies.

2020

sciencescience-technology

21 July 2020 A row of ceiling windows

A bright view of the future

Science & Technology The image shows one of the four rows of roof lights above the atrium, which is the main public space of the Imaging Centre.

2020

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

8 July 2020 Alexander Aulehla on the left and Paul Flicek on the Right

Two EMBL scientists become EMBO Members

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters This year, EMBO elected 63 new members, including Alexander Aulehla, Group Leader and Senior Scientist at EMBL Heidelberg, and Paul Flicek, Associate Director of EMBL-EBI Services, Senior Scientist, Group and Team Leader at EMBL-EBI.

2020

embl-announcementslab-matters

3 July 2020 stem cells neurons differentiation

From stem cells to neurons

Science & Technology Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg have investigated stem cells and how they differentiate to become neurons. Their approach included an assessment of the complex interplay of molecules during the differentiation process and generated fundamental new insights into the role of a protein called Sox2 in…

2020

sciencescience-technology

30 June 2020

EMBL boosts national and international sharing of genomic data

ConnectionsLab Matters A national consortium including EMBL and the DKFZ is set to launch the German Human Genome–Phenome Archive, creating an invaluable bridge between fundamental biomedical research and applied healthcare.

2020

connectionslab-matters

30 June 2020 Beekeeper checking one of the hives near the Adacned Training Centre at EMBL Heidelberg.

Busy bees at the ATC

Lab Matters Local beekeeper Jörg Staffel has set up three bee colonies on the grass slope in front of the ATC building.

2020

lab-matterspicture-of-the-week

16 June 2020 Tissue culture plates in an incubator.

Understanding how SARS-CoV-2 behaves in the gut

Science & Technology Scientists at EMBL and Heidelberg University Hospital are studying how the novel coronavirus behaves in the gut to try to better understand its epidemiology and prevent its spread. To do this, they are combining advanced imaging and sequencing technologies to study coronavirus in human intestinal…

2020

sciencescience-technology

15 June 2020 Key visual for the virtual EMBL conference ‘SARS-CoV-2: Towards a New Era in Infection Research’. Credits: Aleksandra Krolik/EMBL

Improving our response to emerging pandemics

EMBL Announcements The emergence of previously unknown pathogens, such as the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, raises many questions. To explore these questions in an international scientific forum, EMBL will host the virtual conference ‘SARS-CoV-2: Towards a New Era in Infection Research’ on 3 July. Invited…

2020

embl-announcementsevents

8 June 2020 Microscopic image showing a macrophage that has been infected with Salmonella (green), causing cellular cathepsins (red) to locate to the nucels (blue).

Re-trafficking proteins to fight Salmonella infections

Science & Technology Scientists including members of EMBL’s Typas group have investigated how immune cells called macrophages respond to infection by the intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica. They discovered that Salmonella causes newly produced cathepsins to accumulate in the nuclei of infected cells to…

2020

sciencescience-technology

1 June 2020 An illustration of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq)

Enabling functional genomics studies in individual cells

Science & Technology Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg have developed a new method, called Targeted Perturb-seq (TAP-seq), which increases the scale and precision of functional genomics CRISPR–Cas9 screens by orders of magnitude. Their method overcomes limitations in previous applications of single-cell RNA sequencing,…

2020

sciencescience-technology

22 May 2020

EMBL scientists investigate rare lung disease

Science & Technology Researchers in EMBL’s Zaugg group have studied the causes of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare disease that causes high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. The study, carried out in collaboration with Stanford University School of Medicine, compared lung cells of patients…

2020

sciencescience-technology

19 May 2020 EMBL group leader Georgia Rapti

Welcome: Georgia Rapti

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives The nervous system has fascinated Georgia Rapti ever since her first introduction to biology. Her research group in the Developmental Biology unit will focus on understanding the early biological events involved in the nervous system’s formation.

2020

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

23 April 2020 Key visual for the EMBO | EMBL symposium ‘The Four-Dimensional Genome’

EMBL hosts its first virtual conference

Lab Matters The virtual EMBO | EMBL symposium ‘The Four-Dimensional Genome’ brought together 470 participants. Here, Jürgen Deka, Head of External Scientific Training, discusses how he and his team overcame the organisational challenges.

2020

eventslab-matters

9 April 2020 3D reconstruction of parental chromosomes in the mouse embryo

How chromosome structure influences development

Science & Technology EMBL researchers in the Heard group at EMBL Heidelberg explore the interaction between DNA organisation and gene expression in the early embryo

2020

sciencescience-technology

24 March 2020

Springtime in Heidelberg

Lab Matters The iconic ATC – celebrating its 10 year anniversary this year – reflects the blue sky, the clouds and the rays of the Sun.

2020

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20 February 2020 lucia-von-bredow

Welcome: Lucia von Bredow

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives EMBL’s new Science and Society Manager shares her plans for fostering multidisciplinary dialogue

2020

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19 February 2020 Claire Deo

Welcome: Claire Deo

People & Perspectives New group leader at EMBL Heidelberg employs synthetic chemistry to develop novel tools for biology

2020

people-perspectivesscience

5 February 2020

The Pan-Cancer project

Science & Technology EMBL co-leads most comprehensive study of genetic causes of cancer

2020

sciencescience-technology

5 February 2020

Analysis of human genomes in the cloud

Science & Technology Scientists from EMBL present a tool for large-scale analysis of genomic data with cloud computing. Main advantages of the new tool, called Butler, are continuous system monitoring and its ability to self-heal in case of failure, allowing for 43% more efficient data processing than previous…

2020

sciencescience-technology

5 February 2020

Finding genetic cancer risks

Science & Technology Using the data from the Pan-Cancer project EMBL scientists describe how our genetic background influences cancer development.

2020

sciencescience-technology

28 January 2020

Injured lung

Science & Technology Muzamil Majid Khan, a postdoc in the Pepperkok team at EMBL Heidelberg, studied the piece of tissue visible in this image.

2020

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

24 January 2020

Hungarian Minister visits EMBL

Connections László Palkovics, Hungarian Minister for Innovation and Technology, visited EMBL Heidelberg

2020

connectionsevents

19 December 2019 Before a biological sample reaches the beamline, a lot of work is put into its preparation. Scientists can use the wide range of services and resources at EMBL to prepare their biological samples for structural studies at the X-ray beamlines in Grenoble and Hamburg. Photo: Marietta Schupp/EMBL

Empowering European structural biology

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EU funding for iNEXT-Discovery consortium unlocks key technologies for structural biology

2019

embl-announcementslab-matters

10 December 2019

Birth of two HeLa stars

Science & Technology This picture of the week, taken by Arina Rybina in the Ellenberg group at EMBL Heidelberg, shows a high-resolution 3D microscopy image of living human cells: HeLa cells. In this fascinating fluorescing microspace, two newly formed daughter nuclei are captured to study the assembly of nuclear pore…

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

29 November 2019 Choanocyte chamber of sponge, with neuroid cell

Neural pathways

Science & Technology Exploring the diverse routes by which EMBL scientists are driving forward neurobiology

2019

sciencescience-technology

19 November 2019

Formation of a brain

Science & Technology The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Yet despite it being the organ that makes us conscious beings – and despite the fact that researchers have been studying it for generations – it’s still a constant source of surprise. To help lift the veil on some of its mystery, Lina…

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

14 November 2019

New perspectives on nuclear pores

Science & Technology EMBL researchers have published two new studies involving the nuclear pore complex

2019

sciencescience-technology

23 October 2019 Steffen Lemke and Jakob Keck Genomics Core Facility

Engineering bacteria to fight diabetes

Science & Technology EMBL’s Genomics Core Facility supports students participating in the annual iGEM competition.

2019

sciencescience-technology

9 October 2019

Science for everyone

Lab Matters During the Nacht der Forschung 2019, everyone was able to become a scientist for a day at EMBL

2019

eventslab-matters

10 September 2019

Tracking the beginning of life

Science & Technology All mammalian life starts with the fusion of egg and sperm, resulting in the creation of a single cell called a zygote. This develops into an embryo through a series of cell divisions, in which the number of cells doubles at each step. Todays’ Picture of the Week was taken by Manuel Eguren of the…

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

26 July 2019 Lab day 2019

EMBL Lab Day 2019

Lab Matters EMBL Lab Day 2019 filled the ATC with art and games

2019

eventslab-matters

23 July 2019 Manfred Lautenschläger

The donor’s code

People & Perspectives The main funder of the EMBL Lautenschläger Summer School reflects on codes of conduct around giving

2019

eventspeople-perspectives

22 July 2019 Michael Zimmermann in the ATC.

Welcome: Michael Zimmermann

People & Perspectives Michael Zimmermann's group will investigate how gut microbes affect the body’s response to drugs.

2019

people-perspectivesscience

12 July 2019 Suzanne Eaton, former EMBL staff scientist from 1993–2001. PHOTO: EMBL

In remembrance of Suzanne Eaton

EMBL Announcements The life science community is deeply saddened by the death of Suzanne Eaton

2019

alumniembl-announcements

11 July 2019 Structure of the Elongator complex

A tRNA modifier at work

Science & Technology Using cryo-EM, scientists have determined the structure of a large protein complex called Elongator.

2019

sciencescience-technology

10 July 2019 A word cloud displaying the most frequently used words in issue 93 of the EMBLetc. magazine

Programming: language

Science & Technology How computer processing of human language is harnessed by EMBL scientists

2019

sciencescience-technology

9 July 2019 A model of CRISPR/Cas9

Wielding the genetic scissors

Science & Technology What CRISPR may bring for the future of biology, and how it is used at EMBL

2019

sciencescience-technology

28 June 2019 EIPOD4 logo banner showing the 4 available tracks, research, industrial, clinical and academic.

EIPOD4: 2019 applications are open

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EIPOD4 will prepare researchers for the increasing interdisciplinarity of scientific career paths

2019

embl-announcementslab-matters

11 June 2019

Rainbow lab

Lab Matters Laboratories all over the world are often chaotic, a bit messy and look grey and unwelcoming. Not so in this lab, pictured by EMBL staff member Emily Savage. The differently coloured fluids, arranged in a row, bring vivid colours into the more subdued environment of the lab. The picture was taken…

2019

lab-matterspicture-of-the-week

6 June 2019 Photo of University of Cambridge professor Tim Lewens

Editing the ethical code

Lab Matters Professor Tim Lewens challenges the human genome’s unique place in bioethics

2019

eventslab-matters

31 May 2019 EMBL scientists in a bar for the event Pint of Science

A thirst for science

Lab Matters EMBL got together with the global science festival Pint of Science to explain and celebrate science.

2019

eventslab-matters

21 May 2019

From fruit flies to cancer treatment

Science & Technology This image – resembling a network of rivers and canals – actually shows the tracheal tip cell of a fruit fly. Fruit flies are heavily used in research and they are a common model organism in developmental biology. Researchers at EMBL use the larvae of fruit flies to study tracheal cell…

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

14 May 2019

Walking on DNA

Science & Technology EMBL is a world-leading organisation for life science research. Its scientists work in diverse research fields spanning the whole of molecular biology. While the molecules the researchers are working on are often microscopic and impossible to see with the naked eye, one research topic clearly…

2019

picture-of-the-weekscience-technology

29 April 2019 This illustration, based on real data shows the heart of a Japanese rice fish. The green and blue laser beams demonstrate how the newly developed 3D imaging microscope is scanning the heart.

New 3D microscope

Science & Technology A newly developed 3D microscope visualises fast biological processes better than ever.

2019

sciencescience-technology

25 April 2019 The proteotype of an individual is substantially affected by both its sex and its diet.

Sex and diet affect proteotype

Science & Technology EMBL scientists have discovered that the proteome is substantially affected by both sex and diet

2019

sciencescience-technology

8 April 2019 New head of Office of Resource Development at EMBL, Joana WItkowski, stands inside the ATC building at EMBL Heidelberg

Welcome: Joana Witkowski

Lab Matters New head of ORD will build and expand the partnerships that help EMBL achieve its ambitions

2019

lab-matters

14 March 2019 Guest looking at a panel at the REMIX exhibition produced for the European Researchers’ Night 2018

Advancing science and new perspectives

People & Perspectives On 20 February, over 250 local supporters and friends met Edith Heard to celebrate a successful year

2019

eventspeople-perspectives

11 March 2019 A visualisation of a membraneless organelle in the green-yellow style of the data presented in the Nature Communications paper

ATP affects proteome-wide solubility

Science & Technology Scientists develop technology to measure how ATP concentration affects protein solubility in cells

2019

sciencescience-technology

22 November 2018 Portrait of Nina Kathe

Ambition and talent

Lab Matters Nina Kathe, Winner of the EU Contest for Young Scientists visits EMBL

2018

eventslab-matters

15 November 2018 Top view picture of modified and natural invagination in a tissue

Controlling organ growth with light

Science & Technology The De Renzis group investigated invagination, the first step of organ development in embryos.

2018

sciencescience-technology

2 November 2018 RNA-binding protein

Catching up on protein dynamics

Science & Technology The Hentze Lab enhanced a RNA-interactome capture technique to pave the way towards medical progress

2018

sciencescience-technology

14 August 2018 EMBL lab day 2018 - Key visual for Iain Mattaj's staff farewell event

Celebrating science

Lab Matters The EMBL community, past and present, gather for special events around Lab Day 2018

2018

eventslab-matters

2 August 2018 Humans of EMBL: Outreach

Humans of EMBL: Outreach

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Discover how EMBLers across all sites share their passion for science

2018

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

26 July 2018

The proteins behind hungry cells

Science & Technology EMBL researchers visualise the proteins needed to capture molecules and bring them into a cell

2018

sciencescience-technology

8 June 2018 A stylised birds eye view of the EMBL Heidelberg Campus in green, black and white.

EMBL in six objects

Lab Matters A history of EMBL in six objects from the EMBL Archive

2018

lab-matters

4 June 2018 New EMBL group leader Simone Köhler.

Welcome: Simone Köhler

People & Perspectives Which of our genes will be passed on to our children? Simone Köhler wants to find out

2018

people-perspectivesscience

1 June 2018 EMBL researchers and collaborators enjoy their EMBL pints.

A pint of EMBL science

Lab Matters EMBL and Pint of Science join forces to entertain and educate

2018

eventslab-matters

23 May 2018 As a cell prepares to divide, the chromosomes (shown here in pink) condense, becoming more tightly coiled and easier to observe under the microscope. The faint structure in the centre is a cell nucleus in which the chromosomes are in their usual decondensed state.

Exploring genetic variation

Science & Technology EMBL group leader Jan Korbel reflects on his scientific origins and current research

2018

sciencescience-technology

9 May 2018 Benito-Gutiérrez searching for cephalochordates on board the dhoni boat

Ocean origins

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives EMBL alumna, Èlia Benito-Gutiérrez, on how her research and career evolved after searching the seas

2018

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

20 April 2018 Anna Kreshuk

Welcome: Anna Kreshuk

People & Perspectives New Heidelberg group leader creates tools to help biologists work faster and better

2018

people-perspectivesscience

15 March 2018 How drugs affect the life and death of proteins. IMAGE: Cell

How drugs affect the life and death of proteins

Science & Technology Scientists at EMBL and Cellzome develop technology to monitor the effects of drug treatments on protein degradation and synthesis

2018

sciencescience-technology

12 March 2018 Robert Prevedel talks about EMBL and microscopy at the Internationale Gesamtschule Heidelberg. PHOTO: EMBL/Hugo Neves

Science in a suitcase

Lab Matters School students build fluorescence microscopes designed by members of the Prevedel group and ELLS

2018

eventslab-matters

7 March 2018 EMBL spinoff Velabs Therapeutics to help antibody discovery. IMAGE: Velabs Therapeutics

EMBL spinoff to help antibody discovery

Lab MattersScience & Technology New EMBL spinoff company Velabs Therapeutics aims to speed up discovery of therapeutic antibodies

2018

lab-mattersscience-technology

5 March 2018 Maria Leptin, EMBO Director and EMBL group leader

A chance to make scientists’ voices heard

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Maria Leptin reflects on how to create a research environment that serves the needs of the community

2018

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

23 February 2018 Meet some of the Humans of EMBL

Humans of EMBL: Past lives

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Discover the past lives and journeys that brought people to EMBL

2018

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

16 February 2018 New EMBL group leader Sara Cuylen-Häring will explore biophysical properties of chromosomes and other cellular assemblies.

Welcome: Sara Cuylen-Häring

People & Perspectives New EMBL group leader explores biophysical properties of chromosomes and other cellular assemblies

2018

people-perspectivesscience

15 February 2018 Architecture dependent turnover of the nuclear pore subunits. Top row shows the nuclear pore subunits seen from top, bottom row shows subunits of the nuclear pore cut in half.

Life and death of proteins

Science & Technology EMBL scientists create a turnover catalogue of almost 10.000 proteins from primary cells

2018

sciencescience-technology

9 February 2018 Arnaud Krebs, EMBL’s new group leader studies how gene expression is controlled

Welcome: Arnaud Krebs

People & Perspectives EMBL’s new group leader studies how gene expression is controlled

2018

people-perspectivesscience

8 January 2018 A photo of new EMBL Heidelberg group leader Aissam Ikmi.

Welcome: Aissam Ikmi

People & Perspectives New group leader studies sea anemones to investigate why some animals regenerate better than others

2018

people-perspectivesscience

21 December 2017

Your favourite reads of 2017

Lab Matters A look back at some of the most read stories on EMBL’s news website this year

2017

lab-matters

14 December 2017 Illustration of complicated datasets

The future of training

Lab Matters EMBL experts outline the trends shaping scientific training in the coming years

2017

eventslab-matters

5 December 2017 Lab manager Anna Cyrklaff takes a tray of fly specimens to be transferred into new vials

Behind the scenes in the Fly Room

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Curious about what goes on in EMBL’s Fly Room? Prepare to be a fly on the wall

2017

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

29 November 2017 Collage of photos of some humans of EMBL discussed in this article

Humans of EMBL: Curiosity

Lab Matters EMBLers across all sites share how their curiosity about the world shapes their everyday life

2017

lab-matters

24 November 2017 Cryo-electron tomograms of intact cells reveal molecular landscapes.

Welcome: Julia Mahamid

People & Perspectives The Mahamid group studies meso-scale molecular assemblies in intact cells and model organisms at molecular resolution

2017

people-perspectivesscience

23 November 2017 Floating approximately 400 km above the Earth, the International Space Station provides a platform for scientific research in space.

Science in space

People & Perspectives EMBL alumna Sigrid Reinsch trained as a cell biologist – now she helps run experiments in space

2017

alumnipeople-perspectives

16 November 2017 Photo of Jacques Dubochet giving a talk

A curious case of serendipity

People & Perspectives Jacques Dubochet, Nobel laureate and former EMBL group leader, reflects on a key aha moment

2017

alumnipeople-perspectives

3 November 2017 An image of Tara which was sailed around the world for four years during the Tara Oceans expedition. PHOTO by S Bollet/Tara Expeditions

Science at sea

A talent for organisation has taken EMBL’s Steffi Kandels-Lewis across the globe

2017

science

25 October 2017

To laugh, and then think

Science & Technology Meet Ig Nobel emcee Marc Abrahams, an EMBL Science and Society speaker in December

2017

eventsscience-technology

25 October 2017 Midnight at Aurora Basin North in Antarctica. PHOTO: Simon Sheldon

Science from ice

People & Perspectives Working on scientific instruments has taken EMBL alumnus Simon Sheldon to the ends of the Earth

2017

alumnipeople-perspectives

19 October 2017 Margret Suckale kicking off the Women’s Night in the rooftop lounge at EMBL. credits: Marietta Schupp/EMBL

EMBL Women’s Night in Heidelberg

Lab Matters Women from academia, industry and politics met at EMBL to fuel career growth and opportunities

2017

eventslab-matters

21 September 2017

Fish on fire

Science & Technology New study by Paola Kuri and Maria Leptin shows how inflammation happens in zebrafish in real time

2017

sciencescience-technology

11 August 2017

Welcome: Justin Crocker

People & Perspectives Meet Justin Crocker, EMBL’s new group leader in gene regulation during evolution and development

2017

people-perspectivesscience

9 June 2017

Mapping gene expression, cell by cell

Science & Technology EMBL researchers complete a molecular atlas showing gene expression in all cells in an entire animal

2017

sciencescience-technology

25 May 2017

Sorting out HIV

Science & Technology An EMBL collaboration devises a new method that could speed up vaccine development for HIV

2017

sciencescience-technology

24 May 2017

Humans of EMBL: Senses

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives People across EMBL’s sites reflect on the ways they perceive their world

2017

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

8 May 2017

Obituary: Riccardo Cortese

People & Perspectives The life science community is deeply saddened by the loss of EMBL alumnus Riccardo Cortese

2017

alumnipeople-perspectives

3 May 2017

Futures: Phosphatases

Science & Technology ERC grantee Maja Köhn shares her vision for the next ten years

2017

sciencescience-technology

27 April 2017

Illuminating insulin release

Science & Technology EMBL researchers develop an optical method for measuring the release of insulin from single cells

2017

sciencescience-technology

12 April 2017

Obituary: Konrad Müller

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives EMBL alumnus Konrad Müller has sadly passed away

2017

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

29 March 2017

Obituary: Anna Tramontano

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Anna Tramontano, bioinformatics pioneer and EMBL alumna, has passed away

2017

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

24 March 2017

Futures: The dark proteome

Science & Technology ERC grantee Edward Lemke shares his vision for the next ten years

2017

sciencescience-technology

13 March 2017

Futures: Brain evolution

Science & Technology ERC grantee Detlev Arendt shares his vision for the next ten years

2017

sciencescience-technology

13 March 2017

Futures: Genome regulation

Science & Technology ERC grantee Eileen Furlong shares her vision for the next ten years

2017

sciencescience-technology

2 March 2017

Metabolism matters

Science & Technology Differentiated and undifferentiated cells get energy in different ways, sensor made at EMBL shows

2017

sciencescience-technology

16 February 2017

New EMBL and GSK collaboration

ConnectionsLab Matters GSK and EMBL have signed an agreement to enhance understanding of disease and drug mechanisms

2017

connectionslab-matters

14 February 2017

Lipids in real time

Science & Technology A new technique developed at EMBL reveals the way fats interact with other molecules in cells

2017

sciencescience-technology

13 February 2017

Genetic switches can change shape

Science & Technology EMBL scientists discovered that common mutations can change the shape of gene promoters

2017

sciencescience-technology

26 January 2017

Degrees of excellence

Lab Matters Helke Hillebrand on leaving EMBL after 9 years as Academic Coordinator and Dean of Graduate Studies

2017

lab-matters

21 December 2016 fluorescence image of receptor degredation

New insights into receptor balancing

Science & Technology Inducible mechanism found by EMBL scientists links receptor degradation and replenishment

2016

sciencescience-technology

1 December 2016

Design for life

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives EMBL’s Petra Riedinger retires after 40 years producing posters, graphics, artwork and more

2016

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

29 November 2016

Capturing life in perspective

Lab MattersScience & Technology How a team of scientists and artists at EMBL transformed microscopy data into stunning 3D images

2016

lab-mattersscience-technology

24 November 2016 SPIM image of Medaka juveniles. Photo: EMBL/Philipp Keller

Thinking in 3D

People & Perspectives Ernst Stelzer earns 2016 Lennart Philipson award for advances in light sheet microscopy

2016

alumnipeople-perspectives

17 November 2016

New insights into RNA Polymerase I

Science & Technology Cryo EM reconstruction of RNA Polymerase I reveals details of how molecule binds and transcribes DNA

2016

sciencescience-technology

3 November 2016

Spiral growth

Science & Technology What happens when plant's leaf-placing feedback loop isn't quite right

2016

sciencescience-technology

27 October 2016

Welcome to EMBL: Robert Prevedel

People & Perspectives Robert Prevedel develops deep-tissue microscopy for scientists to peer deep inside living organisms

2016

people-perspectivesscience

20 October 2016

Diving into Autumn

Connections Participants learn about EMBL’s ocean biodiversity research at the Fall Gala

2016

connectionsevents

17 October 2016

Opinion: Is your mind playing tricks on you?

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives We catch up with neuroscientist Craig Stark, speaker at the EMBL/EMBO Science and Society Conference

2016

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

4 October 2016

In pursuit of flat growth in leaves

Science & Technology EMBL scientists investigate how leaves grow flat to efficiently capture sunlight

2016

sciencescience-technology

27 September 2016 EMBL events offer some of the best training and development for life researchers in the world. PHOTO: EMBL Course and Conference Office

Become an EMBL events reporter

Lab Matters Take part in an EMBL conference or symposium for free as an EMBL events reporter

2016

eventslab-matters

26 September 2016

Turning up the heat on drug side effects

Science & Technology Side-effects of leukaemia drug explained, reveal possibility of repurposing to treat other diseases

2016

sciencescience-technology

26 September 2016 Mikhail Savitski. PHOTO: Marietta Schupp/EMBL Photolab

Welcome to EMBL: Mikhail Savitski

People & Perspectives New head of Proteomics Core Facility also runs stability proteomics lab

2016

people-perspectivesscience

20 September 2016 Inauguration of the Szilárd Library in the late 1970s, led by John Kendrew (right). PHOTO: EMBL

Szilárd Library: An open book

People & Perspectives Past meets present as Library head Ioanna Ydraiou interviews EMBL’s first librarian

2016

alumnipeople-perspectives

30 August 2016 Francesco Iorio, an EMBL-EBI/Sanger Interdisciplinary Postdoc and now a senior bioinformatician at EMBL-EBI, strives to be "a great dad, as well as a great researcher". PHOTO: Robert Slowley

Postdocs of EMBL

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Turning the spotlight on the diverse universe of EMBL’s 200-strong postdoc community

2016

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

30 August 2016

Swimming against the tide

People & Perspectives "If I have an aim, I’ll find a solution" – meet EMBL alumnus Jochen Wittbrodt

2016

alumnipeople-perspectives

30 August 2016 European Commissioner Carlos Moedas. PHOTO: European Commission

From potential to policy

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Integration, collaboration and openness on agenda for Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research

2016

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

30 August 2016

Fundraising dimensions

Connections Alumnus and entrepreneur Marc Zabeau speaks at inaugural Life Science Funders and Foundations event

2016

connectionsevents

30 August 2016 Bruce Alberts, formerly President of the National Academy of Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of Science, and US Science Envoy; now a Chancellor’s Leadership Chair at the University of California. PHOTO: The University of California/Tom Kochel

Inspire change in science

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Bruce Alberts on fixing the broken academic career pipeline

2016

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

30 August 2016

Pathways: Community management

People & Perspectives Scientific community manager, alumnus Aidan Budd, connects people with shared interests, values, goals

2016

alumnipeople-perspectives

26 August 2016 EMBL team leader Georg Zeller. PHOTO: EMBL/Marietta Schupp

Welcome: Georg Zeller

Science & Technology Team leader investigates how the gut microbiome could relate to human diseases

2016

sciencescience-technology

10 August 2016 Paris at night. IMAGE: NASA (M. Justin Wilkinson, Texas State University, Jacobs Contract at NASA-JSC)

Life in the periphery

Science & Technology Storage of pre-made nuclear pores allows for rapid cell division in fruit fly embryos

2016

sciencescience-technology

28 July 2016 Landline vs. smartphone: the RNA-binding domain lets proteins do more than just talk to other proteins

Discovering protein smartphones

Science & Technology New technique reveals uncharted docking sites in RNA-binding proteins

2016

sciencescience-technology

30 June 2016

Scientific twins

Science & Technology Collaborations shorten distance between EMBL Heidelberg, Germany, and CEITEC in Brno, Czech Republic

2016

sciencescience-technology

29 June 2016 Alba Diz-Muñoz. PHOTO: Hugo Neves/EMBL Photolab

Welcome: Alba Diz-Muñoz

People & Perspectives New group leader combines physics and biology to answer the 'hows' of cell movement

2016

people-perspectivesscience

24 June 2016

Bork lab peers gather

Lab Matters 27 former Bork lab members joined Peer for a full-day get-together this summer

2016

alumnilab-matters

14 June 2016

How cells bag their rubbish

Science & Technology How cells eliminate protein deposits that can lead to neurodegenerative disorders

2016

sciencescience-technology

10 May 2016 A small loop (green) of the atomic structure of DAPK shown to be crucial for dimer formation and binding with its signaling partner Calmodulin. IMAGE: Petra Riedinger/EMBL

Enzyme with a dual-purpose loop

Science & Technology Unexpected results: structure of DAPK enzyme reveals dual-purpose loop

2016

sciencescience-technology

21 April 2016 EMBL scientists are discovering and understanding the waves and rhythms inside us. ILLUSTRATION: Aad Goudappel, Rotterdam

The rhythms in life

Science & Technology How EMBL scientists are discovering and understanding the waves and rhythms inside us

2016

sciencescience-technology

31 March 2016 The insights should improve therapies where T-cells (green and red) are modified to attack cancer cells (blue, center). IMAGE: NICHD/J. Lippincott-Schwartz

Designing gene therapy

Science & Technology Information on structure of molecule used for genome engineering yields increased efficiency

2016

sciencescience-technology

21 March 2016 First complete, real-time recording of starfish egg cell eliminating centrioles shows it handles mature ‘mother’ centrioles (green) and immature ‘daughter’ centrioles (purple) differently.

Mothers and daughters

Science & Technology 1st real-time video of starfish egg cell eliminating crucial structures, to ensure embryo viability

2016

sciencescience-technology

21 March 2016

Finding the way with X-Ray

Science & Technology New technique uses X-rays to find landmarks when combining fluorescence and electron microscopy

2016

sciencescience-technology

18 March 2016

Forgetting to learn

Science & Technology Neural mechanisms in mouse brains indicate that we actively forget as we learn

2016

sciencescience-technology

8 March 2016 PHOTO: Pixabay (CC0 Public Domain)

Childcare at EMBL events

Lab Matters EMBL PlayLab now available at 22 conferences hosted in Heidelberg

2016

eventslab-matters

3 March 2016 Colorised scanning electron micrograph of red blood cell infected with malaria parasites (blue); uninfected cells with a smooth red surface. IMAGE: (CC BY 2.0)

Mapping malaria

Science & Technology First detailed atlas of start points for genes expression in malaria-causing parasite

2016

sciencescience-technology

16 February 2016 The stem cell equivalent of an anti-wrinkle cream advert. Credit: EMBL/Hanna Sladitschek

Forever young

Science & Technology How stem cells resist change

2016

sciencescience-technology

12 February 2016 Cells formed circles where blinking happened in a wave, rolling outwards from the centre. IMAGE: EMBL/C.Tsiairis

In sync

Science & Technology What do cells in an embryo have in common with schools of fish, swarms of fireflies, and applauding audiences?

2016

sciencescience-technology

11 February 2016 The 3D structure shows how two transcription factors influence one another’s binding to a specific stretch of DNA – an interaction that is crucial for a heart to develop healthily. IMAGE: EMBL/C.Müller

True Love

Science & Technology How transcription factors interact to create a heart

2016

sciencescience-technology

10 February 2016 Plankton plays an important role in sequestering carbon in the ocean. IMAGE: Christian Sardet/Tara Océans/CNRS Photothèque

The carbon hijacking network

Science & Technology Plankton network linked to ocean's biological carbon pump revealed

2016

sciencescience-technology

25 January 2016 Kim Remans heads EMBL's Protein Expression and Purification Core Facility. PHOTO: EMBL Photolab/Marietta Schupp

Welcome: Kim Remans

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives "We’re open! We’re open to working with everybody, we’re open to new things."

2016

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

13 January 2016 Vasily Sysoev, right, hosts Prakash Balasubramanian and Lars Steinmetz at Science Tonight.

Playing with science

People & Perspectives Scientist and showman: PhD student Vasily Sysoev shares his passion for outreach.

2016

eventspeople-perspectives

17 December 2015

What’s on in 2016

Connections With 28 conferences and 57 courses, 2016 will be EMBL’s most eventful year to date.

2015

connectionsevents

14 December 2015 Scientists can now view and track the first days of a mouse embryo’s life. IMAGE: EMBL/ Julius Hossain

Turning point of a lifetime

Science & Technology New microscope can record the first days of a mouse embryo’s life

2015

sciencescience-technology

9 December 2015 Standing room only at the second EMBL Movie Night. PHOTO: EMBL/Marietta Schupp

Dinosaurs, DNA and Dolly

Lab Matters Two PhD students sink their teeth into the science and speculations of Jurassic Park.

2015

eventslab-matters

2 December 2015 Gut bacteria are more affected by metformin than by the type-2 diabetes it is prescribed to treat. IMAGE: Courtesy of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (BY-NC-SA)

Drugging bacteria

Science & Technology Commonly used diabetes drug metformin impacts gut bacteria more than disease itself

2015

sciencescience-technology

30 November 2015 Malte Paulsen. PHOTO: EMBL Photlab/Marietta Schupp

Welcome: Malte Paulsen

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives "There’s nothing nicer than seeing a user leave the facility happy"

2015

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

25 November 2015

Humans of EMBL

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Compelling short stories that shine light on the life and work of EMBL staff.

2015

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

25 November 2015 Agustín Fuentes. PHOTO: Lawrence Smith/Fairfax media

Branches: What makes humans tick?

People & PerspectivesScience & Technology What really sets humans apart? Forming societies, teaching and compassion, says Agustin Fuentes.

2015

people-perspectivesscience-technology

24 November 2015 Sybrand van der Zwaag is scientific director of the Delft Centre for Materials in the Netherlands. PHOTO: Photo: Delft University of Technology

Pathways: Open letter to young scientists

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Sybrand van der Zwaag gives his five top tips for young researchers thinking about their next move.

2015

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

19 November 2015 When illuminated with a laser, individual cells (bright yellow) within the fruit fly embryo cannot contract. This novel optogenetic approach helped to get insights into how tissues bend.

Lighting up development

Science & Technology Using lasers to shed light on how tissues get into shape

2015

sciencescience-technology

4 November 2015

Shaking hands with starfish

Lab Matters Science met business and strangers became friends at the first Friends of EMBL Ladies Night.

2015

eventslab-matters

30 October 2015

One hard pull

Science & Technology Fibres that pull membrane to form a vesicle exert a force that’s 2500 times a yeast cell’s own weight

2015

sciencescience-technology

9 October 2015 The ultrafast and yet selective binding allows the receptor (gold) to rapidly travel through the pore filled with disordered proteins (blue) into the nucleus, while any unwanted molecules are kept outside. IMAGE: Mercadante /HITS

Floppy but fast

Science & Technology Spaghetti-like proteins are surprisingly effective 'keys'

2015

sciencescience-technology

5 October 2015

Nobel connections

ConnectionsLab Matters Amidst the excitement of Nobel Week, behind the scenes of the annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.

2015

connectionslab-matters

2 October 2015 The 1000 Genomes Project: a timeline

A lasting legacy

Science & Technology 1000 Genomes Project pushed technologies and knowledge forward to understand what is 'normal' human genetic variation

2015

sciencescience-technology

1 October 2015

Behind the scenes: Event management

People & Perspectives Long-time events pro Antje Seeck gives us her take on how to organise a successful conference.

2015

eventspeople-perspectives

30 September 2015 The 1000 Genomes Project tracked genetic variation across the globe. EMBL-EBI/Spencer Phillips

Finding links and missing genes

Science & Technology Missing a gene may not be a big deal – a conclusion from global catalogue of genetic changes.

2015

sciencescience-technology

23 September 2015

Checkpoint architecture

Science & Technology A nuclear pore riddle: how can you use the same number of pieces to form two rings that fit inside each other?

2015

sciencescience-technology

17 September 2015 The scientists combined data from a variety of techniques to better understand how rats – and humans – age. IMAGE: Brandon Toyama/Salk Institute

Ages apart

Science & Technology Multifaceted approach reveals how brain and liver age, helps explain why ageing brain loses plasticity.

2015

sciencescience-technology

13 September 2015 A mosaic of portraits of former and present lab members. IMAGE: Pavel Tomancak

Ephrussi reunion: face-to-face

Lab Matters Ephrussi group alumni reunite in Heidelberg for a surprise birthday celebration.

2015

alumnilab-matters

9 September 2015 Vinton Cerf, Google Chief Internet Evangelist, and a "fathers of the Internet".

From packets to planets

People & Perspectives Insights from the evangelical Vint Cerf, a “founding father of the Internet”, during a visit to EMBL.

2015

eventspeople-perspectives

7 September 2015 Janosch Hennig. PHOTO: EMBL Photolab/Marietta Schupp

Welcome: Janosch Hennig

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives “A structure alone is not so interesting, you need the biology too,” says new NMR-focused group leader

2015

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

26 August 2015 Hands-on sessions were a crucial part of the course. PHOTO: EMBL Photolab/Marietta Schupp

Super impressions

Connections "It's like living a review!" Participants of recent super-resolution microscopy course share their highlights

2015

connectionsevents

25 August 2015 Maja Köhn. PHOTO: EMBL Photolab/Marietta Schupp

Chemical bonds

Lab MattersPeople & Perspectives Maja Köhn’s lab is ideal to learn what life is like working at the interface of disciplines.

2015

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

24 August 2015 Researchers are developing a clearer picture of the molecular environment of our skin’s surface. IMAGE: Theodore Alexandrov

It’s the economy, stupid

Science & Technology Theodore Alexandrov is using mathematics to analyse the countless molecules produced by our cells.

2015

sciencescience-technology

24 August 2015

An ocean odyssey

Science & Technology A journalist who spent six weeks aboard Tara reflects on the expedition’s extraordinary outcomes.

2015

sciencescience-technology

20 August 2015

Life in 3D

Science & Technology EMBL scientists map ‘switches’ for distant control of gene expression.

2015

sciencescience-technology

20 August 2015

The French connection

ConnectionsLab Matters EMBL Core Facilities collaborate with French research programme Signalife to revive training visit.

2015

connectionslab-matters

6 August 2015

Welcome: Theodore Alexandrov

People & Perspectives A mathematician who got ‘sucked in’ to biological problems, meet new team leader Theodore Alexandrov.

2015

people-perspectivesscience

4 August 2015 Healthy bone marrow (left) vs. bone marrow of leukaemia patient (right). IMAGE: MEDIZINISCHEN HOCHSCHULE HANNOVER

From patients to the lab (and back)

Science & Technology Multidisciplinary research provides clues to new treatments for deadly form of leukaemia in children

2015

sciencescience-technology

3 August 2015 To train T-cells to recognise our own body, cells in the thymus express different combinations of 'extra' genes. IMAGE: EMBL/P.RIEDINGER

Know your cells

Science & Technology How T-cells are trained on what not to kill

2015

sciencescience-technology

28 July 2015

Union makes success

ConnectionsLab Matters Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit (MMPU) with the University of Heidelberg, renewed until 2025.

2015

connectionslab-matters

17 July 2015

Science of Spider-Man

Lab Matters Web of lies? Science Movie Night reveals science behind the most famous spider bite in film history.

2015

eventslab-matters

16 July 2015

Iron regulators join war on pathogens

Science & Technology Iron regulatory proteins play important role in combatting infection, protecting against Salmonella.

2015

sciencescience-technology

16 July 2015

Oskar’s structure revealed

Science & Technology 3D structure of Oskar protein gives first molecular insight into how it functions.

2015

sciencescience-technology

13 July 2015

EIPOD goes cubic

EMBL AnnouncementsLab Matters EI3POD: flagship interdisciplinary postdoc programme opens its doors to academia and industry.

2015

embl-announcementslab-matters

9 July 2015

The genome in the cloud

Science & Technology Jan Korbel and colleagues publish commentary on risks and rewards of genome cloud computing.

2015

sciencescience-technology

3 July 2015

Sky’s the limit

Lab MattersScience & Technology Academic community clouds take cancer research towards a brighter future.

2015

lab-mattersscience-technology

21 May 2015

Sense of space

EMBL scientists demonstrate that spatial constraints are a key factor in determining nucleus size.

2015

science

12 May 2015

Destined for the brain

Not all embryonic macrophages are the same, and only some are destined to become microglia.

2015

science

7 May 2015

Taking out the trash

Unveiling the shape of... the 'molecular bin man' – cryoEM helps reveals p62 polymer in 3D.

2015

science

5 May 2015

Destination collaboration

Stanford University biophysicist KC Huang on his collaboration with the Typas group in Heidelberg.

2015

science

29 April 2015

Pathways: In the prime of life

Lab Matters Karin Sasaki is helping bridge the gap between quantitative and life science at EMBL.

2015

lab-matters

29 April 2015

Element of surprise

Radiocarbon studies are helping researchers shine light on how neurons stay stable yet adaptable.

2015

science

16 March 2015

No humans required

New fully automated technique enables scientists to chart complex protein networks in living cells.

2015

science

4 March 2015 Where and when are different molecules contributing to the bending of the membrane? IMAGE: EMBL/A. Picco

Best of three worlds

Combining three different kinds of microscopy to determine how molecules move during endocytosis.

2015

science

25 February 2015 The team used computer simulations to investigate the mitotic spindle's strength. IMAGE: EMBL/F. NÉDÉLEC

Under pressure

How strong does a spindle need to be? Videos put cell’s chromosome-separating machinery to the test

2015

science

6 February 2015 A new way mice keep iron (purple) out of reach of pathogens. IMAGE FROM GUIDA et al. BLOOD 2015

The battle for iron

New way mice starve pathogens raises alternative approach to treatments for anaemia of chronic disease

2015

science

4 February 2015 The new method helps identify which mutations to a gene actually cause a disease. IMAGE FROM THORMAEHLEN ET AL.

Beyond sequencing

New microscopy-based method goes beyond gene sequencing, pinpointing the cause of disease.

2015

science

28 January 2015 Barcoding enables scientists to search for epigenetics tags in many samples at once. IMAGE: MANUEL (CC BY 2.0)

Barcoding epigenetics

New Bar-ChIP method makes it easier to search for epigenetic marks in many samples at once

2015

science

26 January 2015 ILLUSTRATION: AAD GOUDAPPEL

Cell control in a flash

From using light to control brain activity to illuminating fruit fly development and mice’s sense of touch

2015

science

23 January 2015 Silvia Rohr. PHOTO: EMBL PHOTOLAB/MARIETTA SCHUPP

Let there be light

Lab Matters PhD student Silvia Rohr on studying eyes – and talking about it for a general audience.

2015

lab-matters

23 January 2015

Turn out the light

Alumnus Stefan Hell on his 2014 Nobel Prize for Chemistry

2015

alumni

5 December 2014

Four decades at EMBL

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

2014

alumni

19 November 2014

For food – back to EMBL

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

2014

alumni

19 November 2014

Foods are us!

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

2014

events

18 November 2014 Kyung-Min Noh. PHOTO: EMBL/M.SCHUPP

Welcome: Kyung-Min Noh

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

2014

science

17 November 2014 Judith Zaugg. PHOTO: EMBL/M. SCHUPP

Welcome: Judith Zaugg

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

2014

science

14 November 2014 Participants at an EMBL-Illumina training course. PHOTO: EMBL/M. SCHUPP

Next generation training

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

2014

events

11 November 2014

Polish connections

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

2014

alumni

27 October 2014 The pollen trap used by Arkadiusz to collect pollen. PHOTO: ARKADIUSZ JANKIEWICZ

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

2014

lab-matters

23 October 2014

Chamber of secrets

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

2014

science

20 October 2014

Breaking boundaries

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

2014

science

17 October 2014 Five-armed starfish

Superstars of science

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

2014

science

17 October 2014 Close-up of flow cytometer

Go with the flow

Flow cytometry: finding needles in haystacks

2014

science

17 October 2014 Sarah Teichmann. PHOTO: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Awards & Honours

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

2014

lab-matters

17 October 2014

A toast to EMBL

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

2014

events

17 October 2014

Witness to history

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

2014

alumni

25 September 2014 Marine ragworm brain

How plankton gets jet lagged

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

2014

science

15 September 2014

Obituary: Stephen Fuller

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

2014

alumni

8 September 2014

Obituary: Andrew D. Robertson

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

2014

lab-matters

5 September 2014

Scientists for a day

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

2014

lab-matters

21 August 2014

Drawing on nature

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

2014

events

20 August 2014

Binding bracelet

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

2014

science

6 August 2014

Unpacking iron overload

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

2014

science

6 August 2014

Clarity in the cold

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

2014

science

4 August 2014 Explosion on gene motif

On editing the genetic code

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

2014

science

15 July 2014

Czech-ing out EMBL Council

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

2014

lab-matters

10 July 2014

Science meets politics

Anniversary reflections on connections between scientific and political interests.

2014

events

1 July 2014 Vasily Sysoev

Back to school

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

2014

lab-matters

1 July 2014

In our DNA

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

2014

lab-matters

1 July 2014

Obituary: Christian Boulin

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

2014

lab-matters

1 July 2014 Illustration: Aad Goudappel, Rotterdam

Five for the future

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

2014

lab-matters

1 July 2014 Question mark

Q&A

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

2014

lab-matters

25 June 2014

Taken out of context

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

2014

sciencescience-technology

25 May 2014

Insights into genetics of cleft lip

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

2014

sciencescience-technology

18 May 2014

First, catch your DNA

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

2014

sciencescience-technology

8 May 2014 Microscopy image

Remodelling the cell

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

2014

sciencescience-technology

3 August 2012

How the cell swallows

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have combined the power of two kinds of microscope to produce a 3-dimensional movie of how cells ‘swallow’ nutrients and other molecules by engulfing them. The study, published today in Cell, is the…

2012

sciencetechnology-and-innovation

24 May 2012 Microglial cells

Locating ground zero

Science & Technology Like emergency workers rushing to a disaster scene, cells called microglia speed to places where the brain has been injured, to contain the damage by ‘eating up’ any cellular debris and dead or dying neurons. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany,…

2012

sciencescience-technology

14 September 2011

Five countries and EMBL sign Memorandum of Understanding to make ELIXIR a reality

Lab Matters Today marks an important step for ELIXIR, Europe’s emerging research infrastructure for life-science information, as five countries plus the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to catalyse the implementation and construction of ELIXIR. The…

2011

lab-matters

9 March 2010 The new EMBL Advanced Training Centre in Heidelberg, Germany. PHOTO: Hugo Nevers/EMBL

New training and conference centre for the life sciences at EMBL in Heidelberg

Lab Matters Today, the German Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan, officially opens the new training and conference centre for the life sciences on the campus of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. “This new centre in Heidelberg will form a central European…

2010

lab-matters

30 September 2009 In the centre, a structural model determined by X-ray crystallography shows how the two tags (attached to a short section of the histone protein – all in cyan) fit neatly into the Brdt pocket (purple). In the background image, hypercompaction by Brdt causes relatively diffuse chromatin (stained blue inside the nuclei of two cells on the top left) to compact and clump together (two on the bottom right).

Putting the squeeze on sperm DNA

In the quest for speed, olympic swimmers shave themselves or squeeze into high-tech super-suits. In the body, sperm are the only cells that swim and, as speed is crucial to fertility, have developed their own ways to become exceptionally streamlined. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology…

2009

science

23 April 2009

New study reveals the protein that makes phosphate chains in yeast

It can be found in all life forms, and serves a multitude of purposes, from energy storage to stress response to bone calcification. This molecular jack-of-all trades is polyphosphate, a long chain of phosphate molecules. Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in…

2009

science

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