$5 million grant pushes biology boundaries

ack Werren, professor of biology, is leading a group of researchers at six different institutions to investigate some of the most perplexing puzzles in biology as part of a new effort by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The five-year, $5 million effort will determine how Wolbachia, bacteria that are found in more than 20 percent of insect species, alter cell biology and reproduction in their hosts, how they move around between insect species, and how they have impacted the genome structure of insects. These studies could provide new tools for insect control as well as fundamental insights about how animals coexist with their bacterial parasites.

The NSF's new Frontier In Biology Research (FIBR) program is designed to emphasize cooperation among different arenas of research. Werren's study will include Mitsunori Ogihara, professor of computer science; John Jaenike, professor of biology; and researchers from the University of California at Riverside, University of California at Santa Cruz, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the American Museum of National History, the Marine Biological Laboratory, and the Institute for Genomic Research.

"An important feature of biology in the 21st century is the opportunity to set aside barriers and tackle some of the most important and fundamental questions in biology," says Mary Clutter, NSF's assistant director for biology. "FIBR is one of the ways we're supporting researchers who are moving the frontiers forward and who are training a new generation of scientists who will not be limited by disciplinary boundaries."

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