New articles in Knowable Magazine and The Scientist feature MCB faculty Carolyn Elya and her lab’s research on fungi that parasitize flies.
The Knowable story, penned by science writer and Ramanathan Lab alum Rohini Subrahmanyam, describes how the fungus Entomophthora muscae turns its insect victims into “zombies,” forcing them to climb up high before erupting out of their bodies and highlights a handful labs that are seeking to understand how the fungus accomplishes this feat. Check out the Knowable story here.
The piece in The Scientist, authored by science writer Hannah Thomasy, gives an overview of three different “zombie”-making fungi and the scientists who study them. It highlights a recent observation that a population of neurons governing circadian rhythms and a population of neurons involved in regulating a juvenile hormone appear to have roles in inducing summiting. Check out The Scientist’s coverage here.
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(l to r) Brandon Fricker, postdoc, Zombie enthusiast, Hunter Guarnaschelli, Northeastern Co-op student, Lucy Cook/prison inmate, Jessica Yupangui Yupa, RSI postbac scholar, Antler Queen from the TV show Yellowjackets, Gaby Paniccia, postdoc, Cousin Itt, Leslie Torres, postdoc, Zombie enthusiast, Julius Tabin, OEB graduate student, Julius Caesar if he had been stabbed with fungal germ tubes instead of knives, Charlie Heacock, research assistant, Joe from the VWR stockroom, Rina Sotiropoulou, research assistant, Mushroom, and Carolyn Elya, PI, Zombie fruit fly
Last Friday, Elya Lab hosted a successful Halloween themed open house. Members of the lab decorated for the holiday and wore costumes while giving lab tours. They even used windows to explain their research and added balloon models to the ceiling. Please join us in congratulating the Elya Lab on their efforts to spread the word about their research. The Elya Lab has set the bar high for the next Lab Open House, hosted by the Dulac Lab on December 6th.
