Department of Biology Archives - News Center

Michael Clark leads the class Principles of Biology.

Michael Clark: Inspiring learning through the art of asking questions

November 10, 2025

The Goergen Award–winning lecturer keeps students engaged with workshops and critical thinking exercises.

Jessica Wang and Sophie Black ’27 examine a bottle of LB media, the standard liquid containing all the necessary nutrients to support bacterial growth used to grow bacteria in the lab.

URochester students engineer bacteria to build a future on Mars

November 7, 2025

Undergraduates turn Martian air into plastics and fertilizer—earning top honors internationally.

Aerial view of a bowhead whale. The species' CIRBP protein may contribute to longevity.

Science & Technology

Bowhead whales’ secret to long life may lie in a protein

October 29, 2025

URochester scientists link the whales’ longevity to CIRBP, a DNA-repair protein that could one day help humans live longer.

A student in a lab uses a pipette.

September 2025 in photos

September 30, 2025

It may technically be fall, but September kept us in sunny skies, celebratory weekends, and classroom deep-dives at URochester.

Melissa Dong ’29 shovels mulch outside in a field full of yellow flowers.

July and August 2025 in Photos

August 28, 2025

There are no lazy days of summer at the University of Rochester. Check out how we kept busy during July and August.

A close up of hands taking a sample of yeast from moss on a tree.

Science & Technology

Surprising adaptations let yeast beat the heat

August 21, 2025

By probing yeast proteins, researchers show how other organisms may adapt to rising global temperatures.

Graphic featuring a photo of Eric Wagner near a blue background that shows the University of Rochester spirit "R" and the worlds "alumni connections: Eric Wagner '97, molecular genetics."

Eric Wagner ’97: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer

The alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life’s work.

Vera Gorbunova smiles at the camera in her biology lab in Hutchison Hall.

University News

Rochester named site of research center to study the biology of aging

The NIH-funded center will allow researchers to explore why some species live longer—and what that could mean for human health.

little brown bat in mid flight through green leaves.

Science & Technology

Why don’t bats get cancer?

Rochester scientists discover that long-lived bats resist cancer thanks to strong immune systems and protective genes—findings that could offer new insights into human aging and disease prevention.

Four Rochester Goldwater scholars Maria Ahmed, Marvin Wu, Aashay Mardikar, and Wimeth Dissanayake standing next to each other.

Four Rochester students earn Goldwater Scholarships for science achievement, research promise

Four Rochester undergraduate students earned prestigious Goldwater Scholarships for science achievement and research promise in STEM fields.