Cell division produces more than two daughter cells. It can also release a midbody remnant—a large extracellular vesicle carrying proteins, RNAs, and other molecular cargo from the dividing cell. Discover how these overlooked vesicles may shape cell communication, cell fate, and cancer.
Ahna is a Professor of Genetics and affiliate faculty in Cell & Regenerative Biology, Life Sciences Communication, and the UW–Madison Arts Institute. She is also a board member of the Wisconsin Science Museum, where her art-science collaborations are featured. She was named a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences (2015), inducted into the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences (2024), and recognized as one of 125 Women in STEM as an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador. Her book, Genetic Reflections: A Coloring Book, celebrates the beauty of genetics and model organism research, blending creativity and biology.
Raised in a family of artists, Ahna credits her parents and siblings—all creators in various media—for instilling in her a lifelong passion for curiosity and expression. She earned her B.S. in Biology (minor in Ceramics) from Syracuse University, her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from UW–Madison, and completed postdoctoral training at UC–Berkeley. Her work has been featured by Apple, The Scientist, Smithsonian, Science Magazine, and NPR. Outside the lab, she channels her creativity into cooking and baking, often merging science and art through her AAAS IF/THEN-funded project labculturerecipes.com.