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bacteria and DNA molecules on a purple background.
Engineering the Microbiome: CRISPR Leads the Way
Scientists have genetically modified isolated microbes for decades. Now, using CRISPR, they intend to target entire microbiomes.
Engineering the Microbiome: CRISPR Leads the Way
Engineering the Microbiome: CRISPR Leads the Way

Scientists have genetically modified isolated microbes for decades. Now, using CRISPR, they intend to target entire microbiomes.

Scientists have genetically modified isolated microbes for decades. Now, using CRISPR, they intend to target entire microbiomes.

Features

3D Rendering of Molecular Interaction in CAR Chimeric Antigen Receptor
Next-generation CAR and TCR Cancer Therapies
Danielle Gerhard, PhD | Mar 15, 2024 | 10+ min read
From smart receptors to novel biologics, scientists plan to overcome the challenges of treating solid tumors.
A bat flying in a dark cave
Turning on the Bat Signal
Hannah Thomasy, PhD | Mar 15, 2024 | 10+ min read
Scientists around the world investigate how bat immune systems cope with viral attacks and how this information could be used to keep humans safe.
Conceptual image of DNA strands
Downsizing DNA
Aparna Nathan, PhD | Dec 4, 2023 | 10 min read
Some species remove up to 90 percent of their genomes during development, but why or how this happens is still a mystery.
Mouse silhouette in a brain image
A Story of Mice and FIRE
Niamh McNamara, PhD and Veronique Miron, PhD | Dec 4, 2023 | 9 min read
Studying how microglia control myelin growth and prevent its degeneration helps scientists better understand and address neurodegenerative diseases.
3d rendered medically accurate illustration of a human embryo anatomy
The Ephemeral Life of the Placenta
Danielle Gerhard, PhD | Dec 4, 2023 | 10+ min read
Recent advances in modeling the human placenta, the least understood organ, may inform placental disorders like preeclampsia.
Illustration showing the upper part of a human body connected to a DNA helix
Unraveling the Mystery of Zombie Genes
Iris Kulbatski, PhD | Oct 31, 2023 | 6 min read
Digging into how and why some genes are resurrected after death sounds morbid, but it has practical applications. 
3D multicolored conceptual image representing hallucinogens and the human brain.
Natural High: Endogenous Psychedelics in the Gut and Brain
Iris Kulbatski, PhD | Sep 8, 2023 | 8 min read
Psychedelics are evolutionarily ancient compounds produced by fungi, plants, and microbes. Humans also synthesize psychedelics. Researchers want to know how and why.
Image of someone scratching their skin.
A Chronic Itch: Burrowing Beneath the Skin
Brian S. Kim, MD | Sep 8, 2023 | 9 min read
We have barely scratched the surface of itch science and what it indicates about our health.
Illustration of talking AI
What Can ChatGPT-like Language Models Tell Us About the Brain?
Natalia Mesa, PhD | Sep 8, 2023 | 8 min read
A renaissance in natural language modeling may help researchers explore how the brain extracts and organizes meaning.
A rendering of a human brain in blue on a dark background with blue and white lines surrounding the brain to represent the construction of new connections in the brain.
Defying Dogma: Decentralized Translation in Neurons
Danielle Gerhard, PhD | Sep 8, 2023 | 10+ min read
To understand how memories are formed and maintained, neuroscientists travel far beyond the cell body in search of answers.
bacteria inside a biofilm
How Bacterial Communities Divvy up Duties
Holly Barker, PhD | Jun 1, 2023 | 10+ min read
Biofilms are home to millions of microbes, but disrupting their interactions could produce more effective antibiotics.
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Cooperation and Cheating
Mariella Bodemeier Loayza Careaga, PhD | Jun 1, 2023 | 6 min read
Bacteria cooperate to benefit the collective, but cheaters can rig the system. How is the balance maintained?
Composition of DNA with a glitch effect
“Silent” Mutations Make Noise In Cancer
Katarina Zimmer | May 1, 2023 | 10+ min read
Synonymous mutations have long been ignored in cancer studies since they don’t affect the amino acid sequences of proteins. But research increasingly reveals that they can have disease-driving effects.
close-up of X chromosomes
Probing “Selfish” Centromeres Unveils an Evolutionary Arms Race
Michael Lampson, PhD | Apr 3, 2023 | 10 min read
A more complete understanding of nonrandom segregation will shed light on how speciation occurs.
Artists' renditions of cancer cells and tRNA molecules superimposed over one another.
Long noncoding RNAs and Microproteins Can Spark Cancer—or Sometimes Squelch It
Rachael Moeller Gorman | Mar 1, 2023 | 10+ min read
Noncoding RNAs and microproteins, once considered genomic noise, are turning out to be critical to the progression of some types of cancer.
Composite image showing genes radiating from tumor cells
Jumping Genes’ Role in Cancer
Diana Kwon | Mar 1, 2023 | 8 min read
Transposons may be key players in how tumors develop and spread, but they also keep cancer at bay in some circumstances.
A California Chinook Salmon Jumps into a waterfall during spawning season
Geneticists Light Up Debate on Salmon Conservation
Christie Wilcox, PhD | Feb 1, 2023 | 10+ min read
Splitting Chinook salmon into two groups based on their DNA could aid conservation efforts. But some researchers argue that this would be a misuse of the data.
Close-up shot of sea surface with small waves
The Constellation of Creatures Inhabiting the Ocean Surface
Amanda Heidt | Jan 2, 2023 | 10+ min read
The myriad species floating atop the world’s seas, called neuston, are mysterious and understudied, complicating efforts to clean up plastic pollution.
2022 Top 10 Innovations 
2022 Top 10 Innovations
The Scientist | Dec 12, 2022 | 10+ min read
This year’s crop of winning products features many with a clinical focus and others that represent significant advances in sequencing, single-cell analysis, and more.
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