June 2021

The Bacterial Nanotubes Debate

The recently discovered structures are making waves in microbiology

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Features

A scanning electron micrograph of a coculture of E. coli and Acinetobacter baylyi. Nanotubes can be seen extending from the E. coli.

What’s the Deal with Bacterial Nanotubes?

Clip art of a crane, car, and plane flying over a city outside the window of two people in bed not sleeping, with a starry night background

How Environmental Noise Harms the Cardiovascular System

Infographics

An illustration of a flask of bacteria, a weighted microscope slide, and two bacteria exchanging materials via nanotubes.

Infographic: Sources of Variation in Bacterial Nanotube Studies

An illustration of a woman in bed unable to sleep. The bedside clock reads 2:30. Her brain and heart are glowing.

Infographic: Pathways from Noise to Cardiovascular Damage

A side-by-side illustration of bacterial nanotubes, conjugative pili, and type 3 secretion systems such as injectisomes and flagella

Infographic: What Are Bacterial Nanotubes?

illustration of how slow-growing and fast-growing fungi grow through a narrow channel

Infographic: How Fungi Squeeze Through Tight Spaces—or Don’t

Notebook

Fireflies lighting up a tree at night

Firefly Tourism Sparks Calls for Sustainable Practices

A boat, the Tara, sailing past an island in Patagonia, Chile

Sailing the Seas in Search of Microbes

Critic at Large

Opinion: Comparing Coronaviruses

Bio Business

A person wearing a purple glove holds out a blue pill

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Is Poised for a Makeover

The Literature

colonies of mold growing on a Petri dish

Fungi Squeezed Through Microchannels Offer Clues to Cell Growth

Broken Heart Syndrome Linked to the Brain

Mucosal Vaccines Protect Mice from Viruses, Cancer

Scientist to Watch

Adriana L. Romero-Olivares kneels in the lab next to dry mushrooms in oven.

Adriana L. Romero-Olivares Tracks Fungi’s Response to Climate Change

Foundations

a large campus building, Frederick Douglass Memorial Hall at Howard University

Leader of the Pack, 1903–1994

Reading Frames

illustration of a neuron connected to other neurons

Opinion: The Overlooked Power of Inhibitory Neurons

Contributors

Contributors

Editorial

The Psychology of Panic

Speaking of Science

Ten Minute Sabbatical

A greyscale image of cells dividing.
March 2025, Issue 1

How Do Embryos Know How Fast to Develop

In mammals, intracellular clocks begin to tick within days of fertilization.

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The Advent of Automated and AI-Driven Benchwork

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Discover the history, mechanics, and potential of PCR.

Become a PCR Pro

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3D rendered cross section of influenza viruses, showing surface proteins on the outside and single stranded RNA inside the virus

Genetic Insights Break Infectious Pathogen Barriers

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A photo of sample storage boxes in an ultra-low temperature freezer.

Navigating Cold Storage Solutions

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Products

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New DeNovix Helium Nano Volume Spectrophotometer

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Olink® Reveal: Accessible NGS-based proteomics for every lab

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Zymo Research Launches the Quick-16S™ Full-Length Library Prep Kit