Dan Samorodnitsky

Contributing Writer

Latest Articles

What Does It Mean To Be Thirsty?

August 11, 2025

The effects of insufficient water are felt by every cell in the body, but it’s the brain that manifests our experience of thirst.

RNA Is the Cell’s Emergency Alert System

July 14, 2025

How does a cell know when it’s been damaged? A molecular alarm, set off by mutated RNA and colliding ribosomes, signals danger.

Tight-Knit Microbes Live Together to Make a Vital Nutrient

July 17, 2024

At sea, biologists discovered microbial partners that together produce nitrogen, a nutrient essential for life. The pair are in the process of merging into a single organism.

Most Life on Earth Is Dormant, After Pulling an ‘Emergency Brake’

June 5, 2024

Many microbes and cells are in deep sleep, waiting for the right moment to activate. Biologists discovered a widespread protein that abruptly shuts down a cell’s activity — and turns it back on just as fast.

The Quest for Simple Rules to Build a Microbial Community

January 17, 2024

Microbiologists are searching for a universal theory of how bacteria form communities based not on their species but on the roles they play.

To Defend the Genome, These Cells Destroy Their Own DNA

September 26, 2023

Under a microscope, cells in a worm embryo deliberately eliminated one-third of their genome — an uncompromising tactic that may combat harmful genetic parasites.

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