Courtesy of Eric Erbe and Chris Pooley, ARS Image Gallery  SPRING CLEANING TARGETS: Tyrophagus putrescentiae, better known as dust mites, are microscopic, sightless, eight-legged arthropods that are natural inhabitants of indoor environments. Their droppings are the most common trigger of perennial allergy and asthma symptoms. Asthma is a classic example of gene-environment interaction. A host of environmental triggers, from cigarette smoke to cockroaches, can set it off. A dozen or so g

In 2014, new research findings and guidelines brought increased attention to biological differences between males and females.

Biology happens on many levels, from ecosystems to electron transport chains. These tools may help spur discoveries at all of life's scales.

By Brendan Borrell ELEMENTAL SHORTAGE The world is running out of cheap phosphorus, the element that lies at the heart of great agricultural advances and thorny environmental problems. Biologists are only now beginning to understand what it means for evolution and human health. James Elser at a study site in southern Norway Although a limnologist in Phoenix and a molecular biologist in Atlanta have never met before, a single element ties them together.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Biomedical innovation has rallied to address that pressing concern while continuing to tackle broader research challenges.

Investment Author:Holly Ahern If you were to ask several life scientists to name a particular biochemical product that they simply could not do without, you'd probably get a myriad of answers that would mirror the research interests of the group you questioned. A molecular evolutionist trying to differentiate two closely related species of monkeys by restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis might cite restriction enzymes, which can cut DNA into pieces of varying length. A cell b

Researchers develop a CRISPR-based, two-phage system that sensitizes resistant bacteria to antibiotics and selectively kills any remaining drug-resistant bugs. 

The University of Cincinnati Medical Center has established a $6.5 million Center for Environmental Genetics and has named Daniel W. Nebert, a professor of environmental health, to be its first director. Nebert says the center is the first of its kind in the world to study the genetic link between environmental contaminants and human health. The center opened at the University of Cincinnati in mid-August in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental

A GRADIENT OF PORE SIZES:Courtesy of Michael J. Sailorimparts a rainbow of colors to a porous silicon chip, one of a variety of new biosensor technologies in development around the world. The different colors correspond to different sized pores, ranging from a few nanometers to hundreds of nanometers in diameter. These pores help the device discriminate and detect proteins and other molecules based on their size.One morning in March 1995, the deadly nerve gas sarin wafted through the Tokyo subwa

Editor's Note: On May 2, the National Academy of Sciences announced the election of 60 new members and 15 foreign associates from nine countries in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Nearly half of the new members are life scientists. In this article, The Scientist presents photographs of some of the new members and comments from a few of them on their careers and on past and current research. A full directory of NAS members can be found online a