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Microbiology

Scientists Discover Nearly 200,000 Kinds of Ocean Viruses

New work raises the estimated diversity of viruses in the seas more than twelvefold and lays the groundwork for a better understanding of their impact on global nutrient cycles.

May 7, 2019

What Defines a Stem Cell?

Our cells have more diverse regenerative capabilities than anyone expected.

December 20, 2018

What Defines a Stem Cell? Scientists Rethink the Answer

As it becomes clear that the body’s cells have more diverse regenerative capabilities than expected, experts have had to reconsider their approach to stem cell research.

December 14, 2018

“Traffic Jams” of Cells Help to Sculpt Embryos

By measuring mechanical forces inside an embryo for the first time, researchers have shown how a physical “jamming” mechanism assists development.

November 1, 2018

Mapping the Human Exposome

It’s now possible to map a person’s lifetime exposure to nutrition, bacteria, viruses, and environmental toxins—which profoundly influence human health.

July 24, 2017

Resetting the Clock of Life

We know that the circadian clock keeps time in every living cell, controlling biological processes such as metabolism, cell division, and DNA repair, but we don’t understand how.

Creating a Census of Human Cells

New techniques make possible a systematic description of the myriad types of cells in the human body that underlie both health and disease.

June 12, 2017