evolutionary biology, genetics & genomics, cell & molecular biology

Enhancers, short regions of DNA that direct gene expression, of species separated by 700 million years of evolution worked interchangeably, according to a new study.

The same toxin targets different receptors in prey and conspecifics to deliver either a lethal or non-lethal blow.

The 12-year-long endeavor reveals Prometheoarchaeum as a tentacled cell, living in a symbiotic relationship with methane-producing microbes.

Converting heart muscle to pacemaker cells in pigs; alternative splicing and the human proteome; questioning a reported yogurt mold-illness link; H. pylori swiftly find mouse stomach injuries

Human proteome cataloged; island-separated crickets evolved silence; molecule shows promise for combatting coronaviruses; study replication etiquette; another call for STAP retraction

Stimulus-triggered pluripotency; antioxidants speed lung tumor growth; the importance of seminal vesicles; how a plant pathogen jumps hosts

Mistimed sleep disrupts human transcriptome; canine tumor genome; de novo Drosophila genes; UVA light lowers blood pressure; aquatic microfauna fight frog-killing fungus

The Scientist commemorates prize-winning life scientists and remembers notable researchers who died this year.

Animal family tree rearranged; how E. coli evades the immune system; pharmacological chaperones and misfolded proteins

Oldest hominin DNA sequence; visualizing dyslexia; testing CRISPR; cancer and autoimmunity

Chilly mice develop more tumors; gut bacteria aid cancer treatment; two Y chromosome genes sufficient for assisted reproduction; HIV’s “invisibility cloak”