Science

David B. Wake, a pioneer in the fields of evolutionary morphology, evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), and organismal diversification, died on 29 April. He was 84. Wake was a career-long visionary in organismal biology who led…

The recent results (1) from the Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) study are a landmark in AIDS research. They show that a broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) can protect humans against infection with sensitive strains of HIV. BnAbs,…

SummaryImmunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a vital issue for global society. Determining the quality and duration of that immunity is therefore key. But the adaptive immune system is…

Blood vessels within the brain supply oxygen but also allow circulation of other molecules, ions, and cells between the blood and the brain. About one in 200 people form cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs), which are irregular…

SummaryThe discovery of ferroelectricity marks its 100th anniversary this year (1), and this phenomenon continues to enrich our understanding of many fields of physics and material science, as well as creating subfields on its own. All of…

SummaryAs the scientific community, like society more broadly, reckons with long-standing challenges around accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, we would be wise to pay attention to issues and lessons emerging in…

Efforts to increase diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) will not be truly successful until the systemic issues within academia that have historically prevented marginalized populations from persisting and…

Climate-forced population displacement is among the greatest human rights issues of our time, presenting unprecedented challenges to communities and the governments responsible for protecting them. Sea level rise, heat, drought, and…

SummaryOn 22 May, Mount Nyiragongo, perhaps the most dangerous volcano in the world, erupted in a show of fire. Lava swept toward the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), pushing thousands from their homes and killing…

Propagation of sound waves in the early Universe imprinted characteristic density fluctuations known as baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO). Galaxies preferentially form in higher-density regions, so BAO can be measured using galaxy redshift…

A germinating sunflower seedPHOTO: NIGEL CATTLIN/SCIENCE SOURCE" data-icon-position="" data-hide-link-title="0"> A germinating sunflower seedPHOTO: NIGEL CATTLIN/SCIENCE SOURCE Understanding the biological traits…

There is an urgent need to take coastal retreat more seriously as an option for adapting to sea level rise (SLR) and as a strategy capable of providing positive outcomes, if planned ahead. Early signs of such thinking are emerging. We…

Although relocation of human populations is nothing new, global environmental changes such as climate change, sea level rise, and land use change are increasing the likelihood of relocation for potentially millions of people, especially in…

Faced with permafrost melt and erosion, and after many years of discussion and planning, ethnically Yup'ik people of Newtok, Alaska, have begun to relocate. The process of settling in a new village, Mertarvik, is underway. Final judgment of…

There is currently considerable interest in the development of organic solar cells (OSCs) because of the emergence of so-called non-fullerene acceptors, which has pushed the power conversion efficiencies of OSCs close to those of inorganic…

SummaryMarye Anne Fox, a leading force in the development of organic photochemistry, died on 9 May at the age of 73. Fox conducted groundbreaking research with applications in renewable energy and environmental chemistry, and she was a…

Ophthalmologist Patricia Bath received US patents related to laser treatment for cataracts, which disproportionately affect women.PHOTO: LUISA DORRIn 1988, ophthalmologist Patricia Bath was granted US patent 4,744,360 for a laser-based…

The cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 play important, nonredundant roles in the pathogenesis of asthma. Monoclonal antibodies against IL-4 receptor α (IL-4Rα), which inhibit both IL-4 and IL-13 signaling, can effectively ameliorate…

It started with an attempt at humor during a team meeting in April. Brandon, the principal investigator (PI), expressed gratitude for the work of a team member, Chris, then bemoaned the big shoes that would be left to fill if Chris was hit…

When my friends took me to my first rodeo, a little ways outside the small Midwestern college town where we were undergrads, I was interested to experience this American tradition. But I was distracted by a man with a gun strapped to his…

Optical lattices populated with atoms that hop from site to site can be used to explore non-equilibrium many-body phenomena. Typically, the atoms in such systems interact only if they occupy the same lattice site, limiting the range of…

Fluorescent microscopy image of retinal tissue showing optic nerve fibers (red) connecting to retinal ganglion neurons (orange)IMAGE: SCIMAT/SCIENCE SOURCE" data-icon-position="" data-hide-link-title="0">…

SummaryAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the silent pandemic. It has been steadily increasing over many years and threatens to halt the practice of modern medicine. By 2050, the annual number of worldwide deaths due to AMR will be ∼10…

SummaryThe adult mammalian brain retains the capacity to generate new neurons and glia, a feature that is important for learning, memory, and response to injury (1). Neural stem cells (NSCs) in germinal regions of the adult brain, such as…

Modern organic chemistry has produced such a large array of intricately complex products that it is easy to forget the simple motifs that have eluded bulk synthesis. One such case is the diazoalkene, an unsaturated variant of the more…

SummaryAs President Joe Biden's newly installed science adviser, Eric Lander will help shape the new administration's expansive vision for science. But he will also face divisive issues leftover from the previous administration, including…

Beyond down-regulating cortical activity, sleep also promotes long-term memory formation and the strengthening of synaptic connections. It is possible that both core sleep stages, slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep,…

SummaryEach year, the discovery of new shark species underscores how little we know about ocean biodiversity (1). This is alarming not only because human pressures threaten sharks more than other marine lineages (2) but also because their…

ILLUSTRATION: STEPHANIE SINGLETONA journalist probes the tech companies racing to entice consumers—and investors—with futuristic foods. An outsider documents his ascent in academia. A policy expert proposes a human-centered approach to…

SummaryAntibodies constitute an integral arm of the adaptive immune system that, in its fight against viruses, can occasionally perform as a double-edged sword. Antibodies are Y-shaped molecules. Historically, research on humoral responses…