We investigate how organisms detect and process sensory cues — such as temperature, touch, light, sound, odorants and tastants — and the influence these sensory stimuli have on behavior, and on genetic programs affecting health and longevity.
Our lab studies sensory biology, including mechanosensation, thermosensation, chemosensation, photosensation and nociception. We focus on:
LSI researchers have identified the protein that enables mammals to sense cold, filling a long-standing knowledge gap in the field of sensory biology.
LSI scientists have discovered how millimeter-long roundworms sense sound waves without ears, revealing similarities in sound-sensing mechanisms found in other species, from worms to mammals.
