Disease Update

An artistic display of five creatures: zebra finch, fungus gnat, sea lamprey, roundworm and bandicoot.

The curious case of the shrinking genome

Scientists are exploring why some creatures throw away bits of their DNA during development

A scanning electron micrograph shows bacteria communities in a human fecal sample.

Getting to know the gut microbiome

Researchers are finally getting the tools to understand just how the microbial communities in and on our bodies affect health. But there are many mysteries left to solve — and many technological challenges.

Living World

Microbes in the medical bag

Genetically engineered gut bacteria hold promise for safe, targeted therapies

A photograph of zoologist Charles Henry Turner surrounded by a collage of some arthropods he studied, including spiders, bees, ants and moths.

Living World

Charles Henry Turner’s insights into animal behavior were a century ahead of their time

Researchers are rediscovering the forgotten legacy of a pioneering Black scientist who conducted trailblazing research on the cognitive traits of bees, spiders and more

Video shows droplets of green-labeled proteins condensing and dissolving again within a roundworm zygote (fertilized egg).

Living World

Tiny liquid droplets are driving a cell biology rethink

A recently recognized biophysical feature in the fluid of living cells has biologists thinking afresh about how cells carve up their space

Artwork showing what happens when a gene gets turned on. Construction workers representing the various proteins involved in the process, which is called transcription, are holding and bending the DNA double helix. Other workers are building a copy of messenger RNA, which will be used as a template to build proteins. Scientists are still learning a lot about this process, which is fundamental to human genetics and development.

Living World

What does it look like to “turn on” a gene?

Only recently have scientists directly witnessed this most pivotal of events in biology, thanks to new technology that allows them to observe the process in living cells. It’s teaching them a lot.

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Disease Update

The curious case of the shrinking genome

Getting to know the gut microbiome

Microbes in the medical bag

Charles Henry Turner’s insights into animal behavior were a century ahead of their time

Tiny liquid droplets are driving a cell biology rethink

What does it look like to “turn on” a gene?

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