Each time a cell divides, it replicates its DNA once, then separates the two copies from each other and splits into two daughter cells. The event is intricately coordinated and was long known to be under the influence of ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 5, 2016
2
8
Some cells are meant to live, and some are meant to die. The linker cell of Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny worm that is a favored model organism for biologists, is among those destined for termination. This cell helps determine ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 8, 2016
2
461
All animals, including humans, love sweet food, particularly when we are hungry. But if you're someone who never turns down dessert under normal circumstances, try wolfing down six donuts as a scientific experiment. Even ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 31, 2016
0
13
Long before animals evolved from sponges, and before plants evolved out of algae, there was a pivotal event that allowed complex, multicellular organisms to arise: the development of the nucleus in single-celled organisms. ...
Evolution
Mar 21, 2016
0
16
In the ongoing arms race between pathogenic viruses and the cells they infect, each side needs every advantage it can get. One way wily viruses can get a leg up is by subverting the microRNAs (miRNAs) of their host. These ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 11, 2016
0
41
When seeking to protect themselves from viruses, some bacteria use a seemingly risky strategy: They wait until the invading virus has already begun to replicate. Research at The Rockefeller University shows how the microbes ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 4, 2016
1
22
The exquisite social hierarchy of insect colonies has long fascinated scientists. Take two eggs—both contain identical genetic material, but while one becomes a sterile worker, the other may develop into a queen that can ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 21, 2016
0
127
Stem cells work throughout our lives as a sort of handyman, repairing damaged tissues and renewing some normal ones, like the skin we shed. Scientists have come to understand much about how stem cells function when we are ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 14, 2016
0
764
Since scientists have begun sequencing the genome of cancer cells, they have noticed a curious pattern. In many different types of cancers, there are cells in which a part of a chromosome looks like it has been pulverized, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 17, 2015
0
120
Some responses come automatically, like reflexes. Others vary with circumstance and experience. A once-delicious smell can be easily overlooked during a stressful moment or when it calls to mind about of food poisoning, for ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 17, 2015
0
302
