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An illustration of a person getting a semaglutide injection, surrounded by imagery representing an abstract concept of diabetes management.

The Unexplored Effects of Weight-Loss Drugs on the Brain

Sahana Sitaraman, PhD | Oct 8, 2024 | 4 min read

Popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are used to treat obesity and diabetes. Now, researchers found that these drugs also affect rodent brains in other ways.

Black and gold sketch of Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, the 2024 Nobel Prize laureates.

Nobel Prize for microRNA

Danielle Gerhard, PhD and Sneha Khedkar | Oct 7, 2024 | 4 min read

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won this year’s Physiology or Medicine award for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

Spatial Insights into Targeting Ovarian Cancer with CAR T Cell Therapy

The Scientist Staff | 1 min read

In this webinar, Christoph Herbel will discuss multiplexed spatial analyses that identify ovarian tumor antigens and CAR T cell candidates.

A light micrograph image shows a green oblong organism with flagella. Inside it is a circular structure.

The First Nitrogen-Fixing Eukaryotic Marine Alga Discovered

Karen Kelley Perkins, PhD | Oct 7, 2024 | 5 min read

What scientists thought was an endosymbiont in algae turned out to be an organelle.

A wooden table carrying an assortment of various food items.

Previously Unidentified Microbes Detected in Food

Sneha Khedkar | Oct 7, 2024 | 3 min read

A new database with more than 2,500 food metagenomes gives scientists a glimpse into the microbial diversity of the human diet.

All About Alternative Splicing

Amielle Moreno, PhD | 7 min read

Enhancing protein diversity and guiding cellular functions, alternative splicing is a key dimension of genetic regulation.

Image of carpet squares drying in the sun.

In Search of Microbes That Weave Colors into Moroccan Carpets

Laura Tran, PhD | Oct 7, 2024 | 5 min read

A scientist’s quest for microbes that produce purple pigments led her to the vibrant world of natural dyes, where biology and traditional artistry intertwine.

The drawing depicts two fruit flies near a plant from the genus Aristolochia. One fly perches on the plant's orange flower, while the other moves away from it.

Flies’ Taste for Tumor-Fighting Compounds May Aid Drug Discovery

Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Oct 4, 2024 | 3 min read

Fruit flies with gut tumors showed an increased preference for a bitter antitumor compound compared to healthy flies, suggesting a self-medication strategy.

An image of a brain, with scientific elements on the left side and color splashing out on the right side.

How Visual Cues Can Help Tell the Story

Nathan Ni, PhD | 4 min read

Effective scientific figures incorporate artistic principles, using color, layout, and other visual elements to help clarify the message.

Close up view of a border collie’s nose on a white background.

Dogs Engage in Scent-sational Science to Sniff out Staphylococcus Bacteria

Iris Kulbatski, PhD | Oct 3, 2024 | 5 min read

Researchers take the guesswork out of infection detection by training dogs to recognize the scent of bacterial biofilm biomarkers.

An illustration of a purple and blueribosome using mRNA as a template to synthesize a red protein chain.

A Small RNA with a Big Impact on Cell Aging

Kamal Nahas, PhD | Oct 1, 2024 | 4 min read

Proteins that trigger cell senescence occupy much of the literature on aging, but a small RNA moves into the limelight.

Understanding the Role of Autophagy in Infectious Disease

The Scientist | 1 min read

Josephine Thinwa shares her journey to becoming a physician scientist and how this led her to investigate the role of a neurologically important kinase in virus-induced autophagy.