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A micrograph of the prion-like state of a protein called Pus4
Protein Mediates Non-Genetic Inheritance of Growth Strategies
An RNA-modifying enzyme passed to daughter cells during budding allows yeast cells to switch between faster- and slower-growing phenotypes.
Protein Mediates Non-Genetic Inheritance of Growth Strategies
Protein Mediates Non-Genetic Inheritance of Growth Strategies

An RNA-modifying enzyme passed to daughter cells during budding allows yeast cells to switch between faster- and slower-growing phenotypes.

An RNA-modifying enzyme passed to daughter cells during budding allows yeast cells to switch between faster- and slower-growing phenotypes.

cell signaling, cell & molecular biology

An illustration of a yeast cell (right) and a human neuron (left) showing the processes/features that are similar in the two
Infographic: Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases with Yeast
Mahlon Collins | Oct 1, 2021 | 3 min read
Conservation of structures and functions between single-celled fungi and human cells allow researchers to probe the brain.
Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the unicellular yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, known as Baker's or Brewer's yeast.
Yeast Models Provide New Insights into Neurodegenerative Diseases
Mahlon Collins | Oct 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
The single-celled fungus allows researchers to study Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and other brain diseases with unparalleled speed and scale.
A scanning electron micrograph of a coculture of E. coli and Acinetobacter baylyi. Nanotubes can be seen extending from the E. coli.
What’s the Deal with Bacterial Nanotubes?
Sruthi S. Balakrishnan | Jun 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Several labs have reported the formation of bacterial nanotubes under different, often contrasting conditions. What are these structures and why are they so hard to reproduce?
High Stress Hormone Levels Halt Mouse Fur Growth
Jef Akst | Apr 1, 2021 | 4 min read
Corticosterone interferes with signaling in the skin that normally activates hair follicle stem cells, possibly explaining the link between stress and hair loss.
New Understanding of Metastasis Could Lead to Better Treatments
Shawna Williams | Apr 1, 2021 | 10+ min read
Recent insights, such as the recognition that disseminated cancer cells can lie dormant for years before seeding secondary tumors, suggest novel strategies for fighting metastatic disease.
Nucleus Is Key to How Cells Sense Personal Space
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 15, 2020 | 4 min read
In two independent studies, researchers find that the organelle is responsible for a switch that allows cells to start moving when they’re squeezed.
human embryonic stem cells differentiate differentiation layers organization induced
Image of the Day: Multilayered
Chia-Yi Hou | Jul 8, 2019 | 1 min read
Human embryonic stem cells differentiate and organize themselves on a chip.
Infographic: How Muscles Age
Gillian Butler-Browne, Vincent Mouly, Anne Bigot, and Capucine Trollet | Sep 1, 2018 | 1 min read
Numerous cellular changes underlie the decline of muscle mass and strength in the elderly.
Youssef Belkhadir Deciphers Plants’ Signaling Soundtrack
Ashley Yeager | Jun 1, 2018 | 3 min read
An entrepreneurial attitude helped this Vienna-based researcher begin to unravel the complex receptor network that Arabidopsis uses to develop and defend itself.
Nobel Prize–Winning Biologist Dies
Catherine Offord | Feb 19, 2018 | 2 min read
Günter Blobel, known for his work on the signal hypothesis of protein targeting, has died from cancer at age 81.
Damage Patroller
Anna Azvolinsky | Oct 1, 2017 | 9 min read
Stephen Elledge has built a career studying how eukaryotic cells maintain genomic integrity.
Your Body Is Teeming with Weed Receptors
Megan Scudellari | Jul 16, 2017 | 10+ min read
And the same endocannabinoid system that translates marijuana's buzz-inducing compounds into a high plays crucial roles in health and disease outside the brain.
Contributors
Ben Andrew Henry | Feb 1, 2017 | 2 min read
Meet some of the people featured in the February 2017 issue of The Scientist.
RNA Interference Between Kingdoms
Kerry Grens | Feb 1, 2017 | 10+ min read
Plants and fungi can use conserved RNA interference machinery to regulate each other’s gene expression—and scientists think they can make use of this phenomenon to create a new generation of pesticides.
Researchers Refute Proposed Neuron Migration Pathway
Jef Akst | Jan 10, 2017 | 2 min read
A team of scientists was unable to replicate controversial, high-profile findings published in 2011.
Instant Messaging
Catherine Offord | Apr 30, 2016 | 1 min read
An alternative route to sparking cell signals involves hook-ups between transmembrane and soluble ligands.
Discoverer of G Proteins Dies
Kerry Grens | Dec 29, 2015 | 1 min read
Nobel laureate Alfred Gilman has passed away at age 74.
A Complex Disorder
Stephen D. Hursting, Ciara H. O’Flanagan, and Laura W. Bowers | Oct 31, 2015 | 2 min read
Factors that likely contribute to obesity include disruptions to intercellular signaling, increased inflammation, and changes to the gut microbiome.
 
Control ALT, Delete Cancer
Haroldo Silva, David Halvorsen, and Jeremy D. Henson | Apr 1, 2015 | 5 min read
Treating cancer by shutting down the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway
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