From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- Health & Medicine
Sickle-cell gene therapies offer hope — and challenges
Doctor Erica Esrick discusses existing treatments and an ongoing clinical trial for a gene therapy to treat sickle cell disease.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: What is sickle cell disease?
Gene mutations can alter an individual’s hemoglobin in ways that curl their blood cells. This can cause painful sickle cell disease.
- Health & Medicine
Explainer: The body’s immune system
An army of cells — and their protein arsenal — work to keep us safe. Several squads of special forces possess unique superpowers to disable or kill intruders.
- Life
Scientists Say: Cellulose
Cellulose is an abundant natural polymer found in plants and algae. It’s used to make everything from paper to clothing.
- Life
Explainer: What is an endangered species?
Threats such as climate change and habitat loss can put species at risk of going extinct. Different words describe that risk.
- Life
Explainer: Cells and their parts
Life as we know it depends on the coordination of structures inside cells — whether a living thing has only a single cell or trillions of them.
- Animals
La nutria soporta el frío, sin un cuerpo grande ni capa de grasa
Al mamífero más pequeño del mar no le es fácil mantenerse caliente. Ahora, los científicos han descubierto cómo sus células responden al desafío.
- Fossils
Dinos may have had the sniffles 150 million years ago
A respiratory infection that spread to air sacs in the vertebrae of a sauropod dinosaur likely led to the dino's now-fossilized bone lesions.
- Animals
A new drug mix helps frogs regrow amputated legs
The treatment helped frogs grow working limbs useful for swimming, standing and kicking. It’ll be a while before people can do that.
- Life
Scientists Say: Eukaryote
Eukaryotes are living things whose cells package their genetic material inside a pouch called a nucleus.
- Animals
See the world through a jumping spider’s eyes — and other senses
Scientists are teasing out the many ways the spiders’ vision, listening and taste senses differ from ours
- Psychology
Addiction can develop when reward-seeking changes a teen’s brain
Over time, the pleasure disappears and craving grows. That craving causes stress that can drive people to use drugs or pursue unhealthy behaviors again and again.
