
December 2021
Return of the worms
Researchers are carefully considering the therapeutic potential of helminths
Features

Return of the Worms

2021 Top 10 Innovations
The Literature

Mitochondrial Stress Is Passed Between Generations
Researchers identified a novel mechanism by which chemically induced stress is “remembered” by the mitochondria of worms more than 50 generations after the original trigger.

Medusafishes Are Grouped by Shared, Odd Traits: Study
Shared features, such as thick, slimy skin and a throat filled with teeth, suggest that medusafishes are all related.

Amyloid Precursor Protein Linked to Brain Development Mechanisms
Researchers provide evidence that the Alzheimer’s-associated protein calibrates a signaling pathway that is conserved across the animal kingdom.
Infographics

Infographic: How C. elegans Transmit Stress Signals to Offspring
Neurons stressed with chemicals produce Wnt, which in turn triggers changes in the germline.

Infographic: RNA Editing Approaches
RNA editing platforms leverage the natural activity of ADAR enzymes to make key changes to messenger RNAs before they are translated into proteins.

Infographic: How Worms that Reside in the Gut Could Influence Health
Research in animals and people supports a range of mechanisms by which the parasites affect physiology and immune responses.
Contributors

Contributors
Meet some of the people featured in the December 2021 issue of The Scientist.
Foundations

Presidential Pox, 1863
Researchers continue to debate whether US President Abraham Lincoln was coming down with smallpox as he delivered his famous Gettysburg Address, and if he had been immunized.
Scientist to Watch

Brooke Gardner Probes the Cell’s Peroxisomes
The University of California, Santa Barbara, cell biologist is investigating the formation and functions of the peroxisome, an organelle which exists in many copies in each cell and can be created, lost, or altered to meet the cell’s metabolic needs.
Bio Business

In Editing RNA, Researchers See Endless Possibilities
RNA editing has been in DNA editing’s shadow for nearly a decade, but recent investments in the technology could bring it into the limelight.
Reading Frames

Opinion: Bridging the Intellectual Divide
To solve modern problems, we must integrate the sciences and the humanities and think across these traditionally disparate disciplines.
Critic at Large

Opinion: Using Data to Hire High-Impact Faculty
Selecting researchers who will drive research agendas forward requires a more quantitative approach to interviewing.
Notebook

The Science Behind How Roundworms Spit
By viewing countless hours of expectorating worms, researchers discover a unique way in which neurons control the movement of muscles.

Doctors Treat Girl’s Genetic Disorder with Repurposed Drug
In just 16 months, physicians went from identifying a novel rare disease in three-year-old Marley to successfully treating her with a drug previously used to treat African sleeping sickness and pediatric cancer.
Editorial

Innovations that Matter
Scientific advances almost always have the potential to benefit human lives. In times like these, they have the power to save them.
Speaking of Science

Ten Minute Sabbatical
Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse