UNC-Chapel Hill researchers have discovered that tardigrades – microscopic animals famed for surviving harsh extremes – have an unusual response to radiation. The research, led by UNC biologist Bob Goldstein, was published in Current Biology.

Jeff Dangl, the John N. Couch Distinguished Professor of Biology, recently received the Philip N. Benfey lifetime achievement award from the Arabidopsis Community in recognition of his work on plant immunity and plant-microbe interactions.

Professors Laura Mersini-Houghton in the physics and astronomy department and Karin Pfennig in the biology department will serve two-year terms as WOWS Scholars and receive annual grants to pursue initiatives of their choosing.

Gregory Copenhaver, director of the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute for Convergent Science, has been named a 2024 senior member by the National Academy of Inventors in recognition of his work as both an innovator and a mentor to future inventors.

Biologists Celia Shiau and En Yang at UNC-Chapel Hill have been awarded a competitive Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) grant to tackle unsolved grand challenges in neurodegenerative diseases and fundamental neuroscience.

Doctoral student Kirsten Giesbrecht uses mathematical modeling to study the heart in its early developmental stages.

The NASA astronaut and Tar Heel will address the Class of 2024 ahead of her first space flight later this year.

When the senior graduates on Dec. 17, she will do so with a double major in biology and neuroscience and her sights set on medical school.

Thanks to a Center for Galapagos Studies seed grant, Senay Yitbarek traveled to the Galapagos this summer to conduct research on host-pathogen dynamics on San Cristobal Island.

A sampling of new faculty in Carolina’s College of Arts and Sciences shows its focus on discovering innovative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges.