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The recent discovery of more than a thousand genes known as large intergenic non-coding RNAs (or “lincRNAs”) opened up a new approach to understanding the function and organization of the genome. That surprising breakthrough is now made even more compelling with the finding that dozens of these lincRNAs are induced by p53 (the most commonly mutated gene in cancer), suggesting that this class of genes play a critical role in cell development and regulation.

Ever since graduate school, ӳý associate member John Rinn has been determined to understand the function of genes known as large intergenic non-coding RNAs (or “lincRNAs.”) Once dismissed as meaningless filler in the genome, more than a thousand lincRNAs have recently been uncovered, and many play a critical role in cell development and regulation.

You all know we at the ӳý are passionate about our science. But news circulated today in the lobby of our Cambridge Center facilities that we are also doing our part in protecting the environment.

Our landlord announced that the complex of buildings including Cambridge Center posted some impressive recycling numbers. We're a few months away from America Recycles Day on November 15 but we thought we'd share the news. 

From January through June 2010, we and our neighbors at CC recycled 101.92 tons out of 308.14 tons of waste; an impressive 33% recycling rate.

Yeast is as common in the lab as it is in a bakery. It’s a very useful organism because it grows quickly, is easy to culture, and its genetics have been studied extensively. But its very simplicity means it is also has limits – and those limits prompted ӳý core member Aviv Regev and her colleagues to think about developing another model for studying cell circuitry.

Regev’s work, which she outlined in a recent talk at the Functional Genomics Data Society in Boston, focuses in part on our cells’ ability to respond to changes.

The ӳý is home to the DNAtrium, a museum of interactive exhibits showcasing the fascinating world of genomic research, new scientific instruments and the researchers who are driving forward progress in biology and medicine.