Features
Replication Failures Highlight Biases in Ecology and Evolution Science
Yao-Hua Law | Aug 1, 2018 | 6 min read
As robust efforts fail to reproduce findings of influential zebra finch studies from the 1980s, scientists discuss ways to reduce bias in such research.
Umbrella Species: Conservation’s Poster Children
Amy Lewis | Aug 1, 2018 | 7 min read
Researchers are evaluating whether selecting one species to provide protection for many is the right approach.
As Brain Organoids Mature, Ethical Questions Arise
Ashley Yeager | Aug 1, 2018 | 6 min read
Inserting human “mini-brains” into rodents has the potential to broaden scientists’ understanding of neurological disease, but raises quandaries about consciousness.
CRISPR Inches Toward the Clinic
Shawna Williams | Aug 1, 2018 | 8 min read
The gene-editing technology is already in trials for some rare conditions, with more human testing on the horizon.
Notebook
Bacterial Genetics Could Help Researchers Block Interplanetary Contamination
Bacterial Genetics Could Help Researchers Block Interplanetary Contamination
Identifying microbes from Earth that can survive on spacecraft may help scientists eliminate them from future space missions and from searches for extraterrestrial life.
The Superpowers of Genetically Modified Pigs
The Superpowers of Genetically Modified Pigs
Scientists have engineered swine that pollute less, fend off disease, and produce more meat, but you won’t find them outside experimental farms . . . yet.
Scientists Can’t Agree on What’s Making Pistachio Trees Sick
Scientists Can’t Agree on What’s Making Pistachio Trees Sick
A new study ignites debate on the cause of pistachio bushy top syndrome, a disease that has crippled farms in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Do Electric Fish Dream in Zaps?
Do Electric Fish Dream in Zaps?
Studying electrical communication in the wild requires braving the Amazon jungle with sensitive equipment.
Drones Are Changing the Face of Ecology
Drones Are Changing the Face of Ecology
Unmanned aerial vehicles allow researchers to collect huge volumes of biological data cheaply, easily, and at higher resolution than ever before.
Speaking of Science
Ten-Minute Sabbatical
Ten-Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.
The Literature
Oxytocin Makes Time Fly
Oxytocin Makes Time Fly
Can people’s social skills affect their experience of time?
These Molecules Zipper Embryos Closed
These Molecules Zipper Embryos Closed
Actin rings seal off the ball of cells, aiding in implantation in the uterus. But faults in the process could explain why some pregnancies fail.
How Ants Make Collective Decisions
How Ants Make Collective Decisions
Transport of food sways between two modes.
Careers
Life Scientists Cut Down on Plastic Waste
Life Scientists Cut Down on Plastic Waste
Across the US, laboratories are finding creative ways to minimize the amount of plastic they throw away.
Editorial
Officially Intelligent
Officially Intelligent
Humanity is on the precipice of major change. Some fear a world ruled by bots. I fear a world ruled by people.
Critic at Large
Opinion: Learning from Immunotherapy’s Recent Failures
Opinion: Learning from Immunotherapy’s Recent Failures
The promise of immunotherapy is real. We now need to figure out how to maximize the number of patients the approach benefits.
Modus Operandi
Ready, Set, Glow
Ready, Set, Glow
Tagging proteins with GFP-grabbing nanobodies enables instant tracking of the proteins’ dynamics in live cells.
Profiles
The Cell’s Integrated Circuit: A Profile of Lucy Shapiro
The Cell’s Integrated Circuit: A Profile of Lucy Shapiro
Shapiro helped to found the field of systems biology.
Scientist To Watch
Heather Massey Respects Water
Heather Massey Respects Water
The University of Portsmouth sports scientist and open-water swimmer investigates the human body’s response to extreme conditions.
Lab Tools
How to Track Metabolites in Tissues Using NMR
How to Track Metabolites in Tissues Using NMR
Whether it’s aligning software or prepping samples, researchers share their tips for studying the metabolome with this underused approach.
Reading Frames
Lessons from Biosphere 2
Lessons from Biosphere 2
Both the scientific community and the general public still have a lot to learn from the largest mesocosm research project ever conducted.
Foundations
From Railroad Tracks to Racetracks, 1870s
From Railroad Tracks to Racetracks, 1870s
How a robber baron and an eccentric inventor solved a millennia-old question about horses.