Debashish Bhattacharya Receives Prestigious Miescher-Ishida Prize for Advancing the Field of Endosymbiosis

Rutgers Distinguished Professor Debashish Bhattacharya received the 2022 Miescher-Ishida Prize from Dr. Peter Kroth, University Professor at the University of Konstanz, Germany, at the ISE meeting in České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

Distinguished Professor Debashish Bhattacharya in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers–New Brunswick School of Environmental and Biological Sciences was awarded the 2022 Miescher-Ishida Prize by the International Society of Endocytobiology (ISE) and the University of Tübingen, Germany. He received the award at the 21st Symposium of the ISE in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, on July 21, and presented …

The Dynamic Evolution of a Photosynthetic Organelle

The transition from a heterotrophic to a photosynthetic lifestyle by the amoeba Paulinella. This primary endosymbiosis led to the origin of a new organelle (the chromatophore) and gene movement from the endosymbiont to the amoeba nuclear genome. Image created by Victoria Calatrava.

Research provides key clues to primary endosymbiosis and the evolution of photosynthesis that may prove useful in crop improvement. Tiny bacteria and massive trees are both integral to sustaining our planet. A few billion years were required for the evolution of biological complexity and therefore it is a challenge to elucidate critical, early events that triggered this diversification. A paper, “Retrotransposition …

Rutgers Researcher Uses Genomics and Gene Editing to Help Save Coral Reefs

Coral.

Debashish Bhattacharya, a professor at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, aims to identify the genes believed to be involved in coral bleaching. A Rutgers researcher who has been recognized for trying to save dying coral reefs will examine their genetic makeup to try to pinpoint the genes involved in coral bleaching caused by climate change, which could have …