Issue | January/February 2020 | A Light in the Dark

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The Scientist Magazine
January/February 2020

Features

Can a Vaccine Save the World’s Pigs from African Swine Fever?

Katarina Zimmer | Jan 13, 2020 | 10+ min read

A devastating outbreak of the virus across East Asia has made the long-neglected pathogen a top research priority, but many challenges lie ahead.

What Neurobiology Can Tell Us About Suicide

Catherine Offord | Jan 13, 2020 | 10+ min read

The biochemical mechanisms in the brain underlying suicidal behavior are beginning to come to light, and researchers hope they could one day lead to better treatment and prevention strategies.

a pair of scissors cuts a film strip that's curled into a helix

Alternative Splicing Provides a Broad Menu of Proteins for Cells

Gabrielle M. Gentile, Hannah J. Wiedner, Emma R. Hinkle, and Jimena Giudice | Jan 13, 2020 | 10+ min read

It’s now clear that gene transcripts can be constructed in various ways, yet many questions remain about the process.

Contributors

Meet some of the people featured in the January/February 2020 issue of The Scientist.

Editorial

A Bright Scientific Future

We may not have personal jetpacks yet, but the past decade has been marked by life-science revolutions, and the coming years have even more biological breakthroughs in store.

Speaking of Science

Ten Minute Sabbatical

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.

Critic at Large

a hand using a red pencil to mark up a draft

Opinion: Exorcising Ghostwriting from Peer Review

Training young scientists to review submitted manuscripts should be an academic exercise, not a facet of professional scientific publishing.

Notebook

Researchers Fight a Devastating Amphibian Infection Using Heat

They’ve survived volcanic eruptions, but one Caribbean island’s mountain chicken frogs might need help from scientists to escape the lethal chytrid fungus.

Transposons Identified as Likely Cause of Undiagnosed Diseases

A tool for identifying jumping gene insertions in DNA sequencing data turns up possible explanations for four patients’ rare developmental disorders.

Circadian Clock Genes Help a Crop Pest Adapt to Climate Change

As global temperatures rise and winters shorten, caterpillars of the corn borer moth are emerging earlier in parts of the US thanks to changes in two genes, researchers find.

Excess of Immune Cells Found in Brains of People with Autism

An accumulation of T cells and astrocytes in postmortem brain tissue hints at possible autoimmune origins for many cases of autism.

Modus Operandi

Genome Data Enable Capture of Elusive Microbes

Using reverse genetics, researchers create antibodies to reel in previously uncultured bacteria.

The Literature

Viruses Mediate Interactions Between Bacteria and Sponges: Study

A newly identified group of viruses may help suppress eukaryotes’ immune response and promote tolerance of endosymbiotic bacteria.

Diving Beetle Adults and Larvae Dismember, Eat Tadpoles: Study

The invertebrate predators prey on and lay their eggs near emerging tadpoles, potentially threatening the conservation of endangered frogs, researchers find.

Aneuploidy Could Explain Variability in Female Fertility: Study

Eggs from girls and from older women show higher rates of errors in chromosome number.

Profile

Switch Master: A Profile of Barbara Meyer

Working with bacteriophages and nematodes, the University of California, Berkeley, molecular biologist uncovered a role for genetic switches in early development.

Scientist to Watch

Oded Rechavi Studies the RNA Nematodes Pass to Their Offspring

The Tel Aviv University researcher is interested in how the macromolecules affect the health and behavior of successive generations of worms.

Bio Business

Gene Therapy Finds a Fertile Home in Ohio

The midwestern state has quietly laid the groundwork for a biotech hub.

Reading Frames

Why Do We Forget How to Walk on Ice?

A new book explores the crosstalk between mind and body and how it helps humans navigate their worlds.

Foundations

A Woman of Firsts, Early 20th Century

Florence Sabin was known for her pioneering research and efforts to support women in science.

Infographics

Infographic: The Neurobiology of Suicidal Behavior

Clues about the biological mechanisms that contribute to a person’s chance of contemplating or attempting suicide

Infographic: Preventing a Swine Pandemic

With millions of pigs killed due to a major outbreak of African swine fever virus in Asia, researchers have intensified efforts to find a vaccine quickly.