Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory At the center of life science research and education for over 130 years. program and other educational offerings.
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We are organized into six divisions:

Research: Generates knowledge that will yield better diagnostics and treatments for cancer, neurological diseases, and other major diseases, and that will lead to improved and more diverse food resources and more efficient biofuels. School of Biological Sciences: Trains the next generation of scientists through an innovative Ph.D. Meetings and Courses: Brings together more than 11,000 scientists each year from around the world to present and evaluate new data and ideas in biological research. Banbury Center: Provides a crossroads where scientists discuss important topics in molecular biology, human genetics, and science policy, among others. DNA Learning Centers: Educates the public about genetics through the nation’s first science centers dedicated to this purpose. CSHL Press: Publishes invaluable materials for the worldwide scientific community and the public.

03/20/2026

Carol Greider, one of CSHL's eight Nobel laureates, is no stranger to overcoming challenges through perseverance. Despite growing up with dyslexia, she earned the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and reshaped our understanding of aging and cancer at just 23 years old.

In this clip, Carol revisited Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to deliver an important lesson to our graduates: you will always face challenges, and you will always overcome them, if you set your mind to it. Watch her full commencement speech to learn more about Greider's extraordinary perseverance and her impact on the scientific community. https://www.cshl.edu/from-novel-discovery-to-anti-aging-therapy/

The first day of spring offers the comfort of warmer days and plentiful flowerings, especially for our plant biology res...
03/20/2026

The first day of spring offers the comfort of warmer days and plentiful flowerings, especially for our plant biology researchers. 🌱

Here's to hoping that this spring allows the entire CSHL campus and community to bloom to its fullest potential. 🌸 Photo credit: CSHL's Nick Wurm

03/19/2026

Colorectal cancer is rising, especially in younger adults. At CSHL, we’re working to understand why and what we can do about it.

For , we caught up with graduate student Alexander Cicala in Peter Westcott’s lab to explore how colorectal cancer develops and what may be accelerating its progression.

One emerging clue: microplastics.

Their research suggests microplastic may not start tumors, but could fuel them, driving inflammation and potentially contributing to the rise in early-onset cases.

Watch the video to discover a few “sneaky” places microplastics are hiding in your everyday life.

Because the more we understand, the more we can change outcomes for everyone.

The Behind the Name series spotlights the 50+ historic and cutting-edge buildings across Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s...
03/18/2026

The Behind the Name series spotlights the 50+ historic and cutting-edge buildings across Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s campus.

This Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting the McClintock Laboratory.

Originally opened in 1914 as the “Animal House,” the building was rededicated at the 1973 Symposium in honor of Nobel laureate Barbara McClintock. By the time she arrived in 1941, it had already evolved into a hub for genetics research. Two of CSHL’s eight Nobelists—McClintock and 1969 laureate Alfred Hershey—made their revolutionary discoveries in this building.

Today, McClintock’s legacy lives on through the groundbreaking laboratories of CSHL’s Alexander, Amor Vegas, and dos Santos.

With gratitude to the Jorge Family Foundation and Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG) for helping bring the recent McClintock Lab renovation to life—fueling the future of discovery.

03/18/2026

All eyes are on colorectal cancer research as diagnoses rise rapidly among young adults. Strong partnerships are key to accelerating progress—see how CSHL Assistant Professor Peter Westcott and Northwell Health’s Director of Translational Research in Surgical Oncology and CSHL Adjunct Associate Professor Sepideh Gholami are working together to advance our understanding of colorectal cancer.

☘️ Happy St. Patrick's Day ☘️Legends say you can find treasure at the end of a rainbow, and Cold Spring Harbor Laborator...
03/17/2026

☘️ Happy St. Patrick's Day ☘️

Legends say you can find treasure at the end of a rainbow, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory truly is a treasure. Where else can you find such passionate researchers, such interdisciplinary focus, and such breathtaking views? May you find as much luck today as we have at our campus everyday.

03/16/2026

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month—and the timing couldn’t be more urgent. Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and the second in women under 50.

At CSHL, Peter Westcott’s lab is at the forefront of understanding why diagnoses are rising again after declining before the 1990s. His team is investigating how environmental factors may be driving this alarming global trend in younger people.

In this clip from his Cocktails & Chromosomes talk, “Cancer: A disease of genes and… garbage?”, Westcott explains why understanding how cancer evolves—and how our environment influences it—is key to prevention.

🎥 Watch the full video at the link here: https://www.cshl.edu/videos/cancer-a-disease-of-genes-and-garbage/

Right on time for this spring weather.... research published today, provides plant breeders a new tool to confront futur...
03/12/2026

Right on time for this spring weather.... research published today, provides plant breeders a new tool to confront future challenges, from droughts to food scarcity.

In a new study in Science, CSHL's Zachary Lippman lab and colleagues at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge identify more than 2.3 million regulatory DNA sequences conserved across 284 plant species—some more than 400 million years old.

Learn more on the "Secrets of evolution found in ancient plant DNA": https://www.cshl.edu/secrets-of-evolution-found-in-ancient-plant-dna/

03/12/2026

For Women’s History Month, we remembering legendary geneticist Barbara McClintock through personal memories from Phil Renna - McClintock's friend and colleague at CSHL.

From walking campus in oversized galoshes to cracking black walnuts for her legendary pound cake, Phil offers a rare glimpse of the personality behind the scientist whose discoveries changed genetics forever.

Barbara McClintock Stats:

🔬 Elected to the Academy of Sciences — only the third woman to be elected

👩‍🔬 Became the first female president of the - Genetics Society of America

🏅Received the Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1983—the first woman to win it unshared + the first American woman to win any unshared Nobel Prize in science

🧬 The Nobel Foundation honored her for discovering Mobile Genetic Elements, or “jumping genes”—a breakthrough that transformed how scientists understand DNA and continues to influence medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture today.

03/11/2026

From frozen ❄️ to flowing 🌊

As the warmer days grow nearer, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Communications team documented the thawing of the recently frozen inner harbor.

We are thrilled to congratulate CSHL Assistant Professor Corina Amor Vegas who was named a recipient of the 2026 MIND Pr...
03/10/2026

We are thrilled to congratulate CSHL Assistant Professor Corina Amor Vegas who was named a recipient of the 2026 MIND Prize!

This coveted prize is awarded annually to five to seven investigators who dare to challenge conventional thinking around neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, which affect millions worldwide.

Corina is developing a new CAR T cell–based strategy for Alzheimer’s disease by targeting damaged, inflammatory aging cells outside the brain. The MIND prize will support her lab’s vision of creating a safer and long-lasting approach to prevent or treat cognitive decline.

Read more on Corina's Alzheimer's research. https://www.cshl.edu/corina-amor-vegas-awarded-750k-mind-prize/

This International Women’s Day, we’re honored to announce and celebrate Kate Doerge as the 2026 Women’s Partnership for ...
03/09/2026

This International Women’s Day, we’re honored to announce and celebrate Kate Doerge as the 2026 Women’s Partnership for Science Luncheon honoree!

Through pennysflight, Kate raises awareness and funding for neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), honoring the legacy of her daughter Penny.

CSHL scientist Linda Van Aelst will present research advancing the fight against NF1.
Save the Date: CSHL’s Women’s Partnership for Science will be held on Sunday, September 27, 2026. Learn more & support women in science — https://www.cshl.edu/giving/womens-partnership-science/.

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Cold Spring Harbor, NY
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We are organized into six divisions: Research: Generates knowledge that will yield better diagnostics and treatments for cancer, neurological diseases and other major diseases, and that will lead to improved and more diverse food resources and more efficient biofuels.

DNA Learning Centers: Educates the public about genetics through the nation’s first science centers dedicated to this purpose.

Watson School of Biological Sciences: Trains the next generation of scientists through an innovative Ph.D. program and other educational offerings.

Meetings and Courses: Brings together more than 11,000 scientists each year from around the world to present and evaluate new data and ideas in biological research.