The microscopic marine animal Trichoplax adhaerens may use rapid changes in cell shape to avoid being ripped apart by forces in the ocean.

The recent discovery of 17 people who have inherited maternal and paternal lines of mitochondrial DNA has major ramifications for medical and ancestry research.

Hear this month’s Scientist to Watch, Prachee Avasthi, describe the preprint journal review club she started at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Meet Caltech cell and molecular biologist Marianne Bronner, this month’s profilee, and hear her take on encouraging the next generation of researchers.

The University of Kansas professor is also known for her leadership among early-career researchers.

Microbes, traditionally thought to lack organelles, get a metabolic boost from geometric compartments that act as cauldrons for chemical reactions. Bioengineers are eager to harness the compartments for their own purposes.

See how the cells accommodate milk production in mouse mammary tissue.

These icosahedral structures are composed of proteins with unique geometric properties, which enable bacteria to employ them in a variety of situations.

Meet some of the people featured in the December 2018 issue of The Scientist.