Bianca Jones Marlin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bianca Jones Marlin
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| Born |
New York City, US
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| Alma mater | St. John's University (BS) New York University (PhD) Columbia University (postdoctoral fellowship) |
| Known for | Role of neuropeptide oxytocin in maternal behavior |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Neuroscience |
| Institutions | Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University |
Bianca Jones Marlin is an American neuroscientist. She is a professor at the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Marlin studies how experiences, especially difficult ones, can affect future generations. She looks at how these effects are passed down through something called epigenetics.
Her important work has shown how a hormone called oxytocin helps mothers care for their babies. For her discoveries, she received the Donald B. Lindsley Prize and the STAT Wunderkinds Award.
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Who is Bianca Jones Marlin?
Bianca Jones Marlin grew up in Central Islip, Long Island. Her family was unique because her parents were also foster parents. This meant she lived with both her biological siblings and foster siblings.
Growing up with many different family members made her curious about genetics. She wondered how family relationships and past experiences could shape children. This early interest helped her choose her career path in science.
Bianca's College Journey
Dr. Marlin earned a scholarship to attend St. John's University. There, she studied both biology and education. She was very active in student leadership and research projects.
She did research at St. John's and also participated in summer programs. One summer, she worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her research poster even won an award! In 2009, she graduated with degrees in biology and adolescent education. She was also honored for her leadership as student government president.
After college, Dr. Marlin became a certified teacher in New York State. She taught science and Advanced Placement (AP) Biology to middle and high school students.
What Did Dr. Marlin Study in Her PhD?
From 2009 to 2015, Dr. Marlin worked on her PhD at the New York University School of Medicine. Her research focused on the hormone oxytocin and how it affects motherly behavior. She also studied how the brain changes during important stages of development.
How Oxytocin Helps Mothers
Dr. Marlin discovered how oxytocin helps mothers respond to their babies. For example, mother rats (called dams) will pick up their babies if they get separated. They hear special sounds, called ultrasonic vocalizations, that the babies make.
Normally, only mother rats respond to these calls. Female rats who haven't had babies (virgins) usually don't. This suggests that the brain changes after birth to help mothers respond. Dr. Marlin thought oxytocin might be the key. This is because mothers release oxytocin after birth, and virgin rats only respond to baby calls if they are given oxytocin.
She found that oxytocin makes the brain's hearing parts more sensitive. It causes lasting changes in how brain cells communicate. This helps mothers hear and respond to their babies' calls more precisely.
Learning Motherly Behavior
Dr. Marlin also found that motherly behavior can be learned. She showed that oxytocin is involved in this process. When virgin rats lived with experienced mothers, they watched the mothers care for their babies. This social interaction activated oxytocin cells in their brains.
These virgin rats then started showing "alloparenting" behaviors. This means they would help care for other rats' babies. This research showed that motherly behavior isn't just automatic; it can be learned through watching others.
Her discoveries about oxytocin and the brain were featured in popular magazines like National Geographic and Discover Magazine.
What Did Dr. Marlin Study After Her PhD?
From 2016 to 2020, Dr. Marlin continued her research at Columbia University. She worked with a Nobel Prize winner, Richard Axel. Here, she explored how difficult experiences, or trauma, can be passed down from parents to their children. This is called "transgenerational" inheritance.
She studied mice by giving adult mice a mild shock when they smelled a certain odor. Then, she looked at the brain and behavior of their offspring. These young mice had never experienced the shock themselves. Her work showed that some effects of the parents' experience could be seen in the children. This research was featured in news outlets like Science Friday and The Washington Post.
What Does Dr. Marlin Study Now?
In 2020, Dr. Marlin became a professor at Columbia University. Her lab, The Marlin Lab, continues to study how animals learn new behaviors. They also investigate how learned information can be passed down through generations. They use advanced tools like brain imaging and genetic studies to understand these complex processes.
Awards and Honors
- 2021 Popular Science Magazine's "The Brilliant 10"
- 2021 The Scientist "Scientists to Watch"
- 2020 Allen Institute Next Generation Leaders
- 2017 STAT Wunderkind Award
- 2016 Donald B. Lindsley Prize in Behavioral Neuroscience, Society for Neuroscience
- 2016 Sackler Outstanding Dissertation Prize
- 2015 Discover Magazine's Top 100 Stories
Selected Press
- American Museum of Natural History – SciCafe "The Science of Love with Bianca Jones Marlin"
- Science Friday Podcast "Animal Moms: From Lion to Mouse"
- The Story Collider – featured speaker "Pregnancy: Stories about the science of having a baby" and "It's Because She's Black"
- Featured in National Geographic – "Is Maternal Instinct Only for Moms? Here's the Science," "Great Energy Challenge," and "Oxytocin Makes New Mouse Mothers Focus on Cries of Lost Pups"
- Featured in the Discovery Magazine – "How Oxytocin Changes Behavior"
- Los Angeles Times – "Hormone Oxytocin Jump Starts Maternal Behavior"
- NIH Directors Blog – Lab TV: Curious About a Mother's Bond
- Science Friday – Featured scientist as part of the Breakthrough: Portraits Of Women In Science - "Breakthrough: The Trauma Tracer"
- Neuron - Bianca Jones Marlin Q&A
- The Washington Post - Why understanding inherited trauma is critical, and what it means for our kids
Images for kids
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Dr. Bianca Jones Marlin
