Biosciences News

Researchers at Berkeley Lab and their collaborators who work on the Phenix software suite have published a new paper that summarizes how to determine three-dimensional macromolecular structures from three experimental methods: X-ray crystallography, neutron diffraction, and electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM). The article appeared in the journal Acta Crystallographica Section D: Structural Biology and is featured on the cover of the October 2019 issue.

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The gut microbiome undergoes rapid and dramatic changes in species composition and gene expression when the host switches between eating cooked or raw vegetables, according to a team of scientists led by UC San Francisco and Harvard University. Their new study, published in Nature Microbiology, is the first to investigate how this aspect of diet affects the microbiome, and included experiments in both mice and humans.

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The Neurodata Without Borders: Neurophysiology (NWB:N) project, led by Berkeley Lab in collaboration with the Allen Institute for Brain Science and multiple neuroscience labs, has been selected for a 2019 R&D 100 Award by R&D World magazine. The annual R&D 100 Awards are given in recognition of exceptional new products or processes that were developed and introduced into the marketplace during the previous year. The awards will be presented on December 5 in San Mateo, California.

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In early October, Chris Mungall, who leads the Molecular Ecosystems Biology Department in Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB), and members of his group hosted the biannual Gene Ontology Consortium (GOC) meeting.

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In a Perspective published in the American Society for Cell Biology journal Molecular Biology of the Cell, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences Mary Maxon reflected on her unconventional career path from a PhD in molecular cell biology, through diverse roles in academia, industry, nonprofit, and government, to her current position.

“Earning a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathe­matics)-related PhD means developing a deep, specialized knowledge in a specific scientific or engineering discipline. And it also forces you to develop multiple conceptual and methodological approaches to address complex problems. These assets, especially the latter, are useful in a wide variety of disciplines,” she wrote. “For me, the ability to apply the scientific method and the evidence-based decision-making skills I learned in graduate school have been essential components for my success in a wide variety of positions in a number of research-related sectors.”

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