Special Issue Feature

Unlike animals, plants stably pass on their DNA methylomes from one generation to the next. The resulting gene silencing likely hides an abundance of phenotypic variation.

Since The Scientist published its first issue in October 1986, life-science research has transformed from a manual and often tedious task to a high-tech, largely automated process of unprecedented efficiency.

Cancer cells exhibit altered metabolic processes that may serve as promising targets for new therapies.

Understanding cancer’s relationship with the human microbiome could transform immune-modulating therapies.

For decades, the only remedies for hearing loss were devices such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Now, the first pharmaceutical treatments may be on the way.
 

Exploiting the unique properties of living systems makes synthetic biologists better engineers.

Designing genomes from scratch will be the next revolution in biology.

Investing more federal dollars in life science research may save the US economy.

As neuroscientists look to the future of their field, they are beginning to delve into more complex factors that define our emotions and intentions.

In fewer than 15 years, nanomedicine has gone from fantasy to reality.

By extending its reach beyond science, the field of omics will change the way we live our lives.

History repeats itself, and so do trends in research funding.

A decade’s worth of engineering-infused biology

Large-scale data collection and analysis have fundamentally altered the process and mind-set of biological research.

Considered a renegade by his peers, Nobel Prize-winner Eric Kandel used a simple model to probe the neural circuitry of memory.

Nanotechnology will offer doctors new ways to diagnose and treat patients, boosting efficiency and slashing costs.

Cataloging the staggering richness of Earth’s species will have multiple payoffs.

Reversing catastrophic threats to our planet’s biodiversity is not optional: our lives depend on it.