Dr. Sean Gibbons has joined ISB as our newest faculty member. Gibbons’ new position brings a number of changes, including relocating to the Pacific Northwest from the Northeast. Read on for a Q&A with Gibbons that sheds light on his research career to date, areas of study and even a hidden talent.
In a study published in Genome Biology and Evolution, researchers at Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) designed an experiment to evolve novel adaptive prediction capability in yeast by repetitively exposing it to caffeine, followed by a toxin. Remarkably, the yeast cells learned the structure of this novel environmental pattern within as few as 50 generations to use caffeine as a cue for anticipating and mitigating lethal effects of the toxin.
(Photo: Dr. Sui Huang presenting during an ISB systems biology discussion group on May 15, 2014.) LAB NOTEBOOK: At ISB, we hold systems biology discussion groups every Thursday during lunch. The topics vary from week to week, but the intention is to inspire exchanges amongst our staff. Today's discussion group was presented by Dr. Sui Huang – our resident theorist, who always poses just the right question to provoke thought…
In June, Dr. Lee Hood, ISB’s president and co-founder, was one of the featured speakers at the Seattle Science Festival’s Science Luminaries event. His co-luminaries were world-renowned physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking and paleontologist Jack Horner. ISB also co-hosted the South Lake Union Science Trek for K-12 students.
