Features
Building Nanoscale Structures with DNA
Arun Richard Chandrasekaran | Jul 16, 2017 | 10+ min read
The versatility of geometric shapes made from the nucleic acid are proving useful in a wide variety of fields from molecular computation to biology to medicine.
Your Body Is Teeming with Weed Receptors
Megan Scudellari | Jul 16, 2017 | 10+ min read
And the same endocannabinoid system that translates marijuana's buzz-inducing compounds into a high plays crucial roles in health and disease outside the brain.
Uncovering Functions of Circular RNAs
Catherine Offord | Jul 16, 2017 | 10+ min read
Recent research has revealed many surprises about circular RNAs, from findings that they are translated in vivo to links between their expression and disease.
Contributors
Contributors
Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the July/August issue of The Scientist.
Editorial
Twists and Turns
Twists and Turns
New starring roles for nucleic acids
Speaking of Science
Notable Science Quotes
Notable Science Quotes
The NIH budget, the nature of science, paternal age, and more
Notebook
The Evolutionary Roots of Instinct
The Evolutionary Roots of Instinct
Did behaviors that seem ingrained become fixed through epigenetic mechanisms and ancestral learning?
Mysterious Brain Waves May Connect REM Sleep with Visual Experiences
Mysterious Brain Waves May Connect REM Sleep with Visual Experiences
New methods could propel investigation of neural “PGO” wave patterns that may underlie critical aspects of visual experience, dreaming, and even psychosis.
Nine Decades of Environmental Change Resurrected From Swedish Seas
Nine Decades of Environmental Change Resurrected From Swedish Seas
Scientists bring marine plankton back to life to study past climate change.
Recreating Fish Migration Written Through Environmental Genomics
Recreating Fish Migration Written Through Environmental Genomics
Scientists examine floating traces of DNA left by fish to better understand New York’s aquatic life.
Critic at Large
Opinion: Address Taxonomic Skew
Opinion: Address Taxonomic Skew
The domination of model organisms and charismatic megafauna in the literature is a disservice to the life sciences.
Modus Operandi
Microbiota Manipulations
Microbiota Manipulations
Two research teams develop tools for tinkering with a bacterial genus prominent in human guts.
The Literature
Epigenetic Inheritance in Nematodes
Epigenetic Inheritance in Nematodes
The memory of a temperature spike can persist for as many as 14 generations in C. elegans.
The Unlikely Relationship Between a Brittle Star and a Sea Pansy
The Unlikely Relationship Between a Brittle Star and a Sea Pansy
The presence of similar light-emitting enzymes in the distantly related organisms lends new insight into bioluminescence evolution.
Researchers Uncover Previously Unknown Immune Cell Subtypes
Researchers Uncover Previously Unknown Immune Cell Subtypes
Using single-cell RNA sequencing, scientists characterize new populations of dendritic cells and monocytes.
Profile
Oceans’ Ambassador
Oceans’ Ambassador
Jane Lubchenco has embraced many roles: marine ecologist, science communicator, federal agency administrator, and sustainable fishing advocate.
Scientist to Watch
Emily Balskus Pins Down the Chemistry and Metabolism of Human Microbiomes
Emily Balskus Pins Down the Chemistry and Metabolism of Human Microbiomes
At Harvard University the chemical biologist looks for new metabolic pathways to investigate how gut bacteria interact with one another and their hosts.
Lab Tools
The Mechanobiology Garage
The Mechanobiology Garage
New tools for investigating how physical forces affect cells
Careers
Identifying Predatory Publishers
Identifying Predatory Publishers
How to tell reputable journals from shady ones
Reading Frames
Bacteriophages to the Rescue
Bacteriophages to the Rescue
Phage therapy is but one example of using biological entities to reduce our reliance on antibiotics and other failing chemical solutions.
Foundations
Demonstrating Discontent, May 21, 1990
Demonstrating Discontent, May 21, 1990
Activists demanded greater access to and involvement in clinical research for AIDS treatments—and their protests were heard.