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cells

an illustration of various objects (a chair, a rocket, a cell phone, etc.) as well as biological objects such as a DNA double-helix and microbe, all against a lime green background
The Joy of Why

What Is Life?

By Steven Strogatz
June 15, 2022
Read Later

Without a good definition of life, how do we look for it on alien planets? Steven Strogatz speaks with Robert Hazen, a mineralogist and astrobiologist, and Sheref Mansy, a chemist, to learn more.

Micrograph of a macrophage phagocytosing bacteria.
evolution

Ancient Genes for Symbiosis Hint at Mitochondria’s Origins

By Veronique Greenwood
April 26, 2022
Read Later

Was the addition of mitochondria a first step in the formation of complex cells or one of the last? A new study of bacteria tries to answer this contentious question in evolutionary biology.

Artist’s illustration representing the immune system standing guard against a world of pathogens.
The Joy of Why

Why Is Inflammation a Dangerous Necessity?

By Steven Strogatz
April 20, 2022
Read Later

The immune system protects us from a full spectrum of pathogens, but without balance, it can end up hurting us over time, too. The immunologist Shruti Naik explains how our defenses can turn on us.

Video of fluorescent neural crest cells migrating through zebra fish tissues.
developmental biology

Cells Blaze Their Own Trails to Navigate Through the Body

By Elena Renken
March 28, 2022
Read Later

With self-generated gradients of chemicals and physical tension, cells in the body steer themselves to vital destinations.

computational biology

Most Complete Simulation of a Cell Probes Life’s Hidden Rules

By Yasemin Saplakoglu
February 24, 2022
Read Later

A 3D digital model of a “minimal cell” leads scientists closer to understanding the barest requirements for life.

A collage of images related to cell fusion, viruses, fusexin proteins and cells.
sex

A Billion Years Before Sex, Ancient Cells Were Equipped for It

By Jake Buehler
February 16, 2022
Read Later

Molecular detective work is zeroing in on the origins of sexual reproduction. The protein tools for cell mergers seem to have long predated sex — so what were they doing?

Close-up video of bubbles in a lava lamp moving and splitting under the influence of heat.
origins of life

At the Dawn of Life, Heat May Have Driven Cell Division

By Carrie Arnold
November 23, 2021
Read Later

A mathematical model shows how a thermodynamic mechanism could have made protocells split in two.

Photo of Anne Carpenter of the Broad Institute standing in front of a wall of colored microscopy images.
Q&A

Her Machine Learning Tools Pull Insights From Cell Images

By Esther Landhuis
November 2, 2021
Read Later

The computational biologist Anne Carpenter creates software that brings the power of machine learning to researchers seeking answers in mountains of cell images.

Photo of a rove beetle standing on a leaf and arching its abdomen.
evolution

How Do New Organs Evolve? A Beetle Gland Shows the Way.

By Viviane Callier
August 16, 2021
Read Later

The evolution of a defensive gland in beetles shows how organs can arise from novel cells carving out new functional niches for their neighbors.


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