Remember the first time you got a nasty rash? Well, your skin does. Research from Rockefeller University Professor and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Trustee Elaine Fuchs shows that as we age, our skin’s stem cells harbor epigenetic memories of stressful experiences like Poison Ivy exposures. The National Medal of Science winner’s recent work helps explain why we sometimes develop similar-looking rashes even after different irritations. It also might provide a new explanation for hair loss!
This is but one of dozens of revelations discussed and dissected at the CSHL Symposium on Quantitative Biology, which, in its 89th year, focused on aging and senescence. The all-star cast of invited speakers also included Professors Andrew Dillin of UC Berkeley, Jennifer Elisseeff of Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering, Lloyd Trotman of CSHL, and many more. Each brought to the meeting a unique perspective and research interest. But all of them share a common cause—to better understand the world and life as we know it, so that one day we might improve both for everyone. Because, as Professor Elisseeff says, “We’re all aging.”
Press play to meet each of the brilliant minds above and get your behind-the-scenes look at the 89th CSHL Symposium.
Read the related story: A CSHL Symposium for the ages