Cover Story
Making DNA Data Storage a Reality
Catherine Offord | Oct 1, 2017
A few kilograms of DNA could theoretically store all of humanity’s data, but there are practical challenges to overcome.
Features
Do Pathogens Gain Virulence as Hosts Become More Resistant?
Andrew F. Read and Peter J. Kerr | Oct 1, 2017
Emerging infections provide clues about how pathogens might evolve when farm animals are protected from infection.
Macrophages Are the Ultimate Multitaskers
Claire Asher | Oct 1, 2017
From guiding branching neurons in the developing brain to maintaining a healthy heartbeat, there seems to be no job that the immune cells can’t tackle.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the October 2017 issue of The Scientist.
Editorial
Puzzle Me This
Puzzle Me This
Looking at words on many different levels
Speaking of Science
Ten-Minute Sabbatical
Ten-Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.
Notebook
Meet the Transgenic Silkworms That Are Spinning Out Spider Silk
Meet the Transgenic Silkworms That Are Spinning Out Spider Silk
Researchers explore genetic engineering to produce super-tough fibers.
Researchers Argue for Considering Lab Animals’ Perspective in Housing Decisions
Researchers Argue for Considering Lab Animals’ Perspective in Housing Decisions
Some researchers suggest that providing experimental animals with more-natural living conditions not only benefits the organisms, but the data they generate as well.
Teaching Humans to Echolocate
Teaching Humans to Echolocate
By investigating the science behind “seeing” with sound, researchers hope to help blind individuals independently navigate the world.
Bitter Taste Receptors in Uterus May One Day Help Prevent Premature Birth
Bitter Taste Receptors in Uterus May One Day Help Prevent Premature Birth
Researchers suggest that the receptors can control early labor contractions.
Freeze Frame
Caught on Camera
Caught on Camera
Selected Images of the Day from the-scientist.com
Modus Operandi
Live Cell Extractions
Live Cell Extractions
Nanostraws that collect specimens from cells without killing them allow for repeated sampling.
The Literature
Paused RNA Polymerase Quashes New Initiation of Transcription
Paused RNA Polymerase Quashes New Initiation of Transcription
Pauses may help cells fine-tune gene expression.
Microglia Turnover in the Human Brain
Microglia Turnover in the Human Brain
Researchers find that about a quarter of the immune cells are replaced every year.
Insect Deploys Anti-Antiaphrodisiac
Insect Deploys Anti-Antiaphrodisiac
Female plant bugs produce a compound to counter males’ attempts to render the females unattractive to other mates.
Profile
Damage Patroller
Damage Patroller
Stephen Elledge has built a career studying how eukaryotic cells maintain genomic integrity.
Scientist to Watch
Harald Janovjak Bends Cells and Receptors to His Will
Harald Janovjak Bends Cells and Receptors to His Will
The 38-year-old synthetic biologist comes from a long line of tinkerers and engineers.
Lab Tools
Drugging the Disorderome
Drugging the Disorderome
Strategies for targeting intrinsically disordered proteins
Designer DNA
Designer DNA
Computational tools for mapping out synthetic nucleic acids
Bio Business
Flux and Uncertainty in the CRISPR Patent Landscape
Flux and Uncertainty in the CRISPR Patent Landscape
The battle for the control of the intellectual property surrounding CRISPR-Cas9 is as storied and nuanced as the technology itself.
Reading Frames
When Dogs Offer Insights into Tigers
When Dogs Offer Insights into Tigers
MRI scans of dog brains open windows into the cognition of the extinct thylacine.
Foundations
Bathtub Bloodbath, 1793
Bathtub Bloodbath, 1793
French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat took on many roles over the course of his life, including physician and scientist.