Bright Lights, Big Problems

Meet some of the people featured in the October 2018 issue of The Scientist.

Learning about your own genetic idiosyncrasies comes with complex emotions.

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.

Methylation patterns at so-called metastable epialleles in the genome stamp a memory into each of our cells.

Agencies such as the NIH reward the discovery of vulnerabilities in their computer systems—before criminals can exploit them.

Archived footage of cycling races and other events can help ecologists track the timing of plants’ leafing and flowering.

Researchers studied 3,000-year-old skeletal remains from Mongolia to understand the origins of veterinary dental practices.

Selected Images of the Day from the-scientist.com

STARmap enables simultaneous analysis of multiple RNAs in intact, bulky samples.

Without certain DNA-binding proteins, chromosomes can escape the cell nucleus.

One variant limited the brain’s ability to use glucose.

Results of a study suggest that toxicologists should look further than exposed individuals for contaminant effects.

The NIH epidemiologist has worked to ensure genetic health and population genetics studies contain data from African—not just European—populations.

Using his expertise in microbiology and bioinformatics, he is bringing a new understanding to microbial immune systems.

New techniques combine DNA, RNA, and protein information from single cells.

Companies are building platforms based on blockchain technology to let individuals control and directly profit from their genomic and medical information.

The Østby sisters, one a neuroscientist and the other a writer, explore the uncharted territory of memory in their new book.

James Herrick, a Chicago doctor, was the first to describe sickled red blood cells in a patient of African descent.

The linkers gather chromosomes together into chromocenters.

As artificial light increases in volume and geographical coverage around the world, a variety of animals are suffering ill effects.

STARmap reveals expression levels of multiple genes within thick tissue sections.

The recent expansion of large-scale scientific drilling programs, combined with intensified efforts to take advantage of existing portals into the crust, has led to an explosion of research on the deep biosphere.

Belly fat helps fight infection, but is also a common site of metastasis.

Kilometers-deep holes in the ground give scientists access to deep in the Earth’s crust, where they're finding diverse forms of life.