Issue | February 2019 | Big Storms Brewing

Features

Amber Dance | Feb 1, 2019 | 10+ min read

Forests are resilient, but researchers wonder if climate change will outpace their adaptations.

Charles Q. Choi | Feb 1, 2019 | 10+ min read

Molecular programs can rescue cells already engaged in the process of apoptosis or other forms of programmed cell death.

Exosomes Make Their Debut in Plant Research

Amanda Keener | Feb 1, 2019 | 10+ min read

A growing branch of research on how plants use exosomes to interact with their environment is opening up a new field of plant biology.

Contributors

Meet some of the people featured in the February 2019 issue of The Scientist.

Editorial

The World Within

Internalizing the environment might be the next step in humans’ relationship with our planet.

Speaking of Science

Ten-Minute Sabbatical

Take a break from the bench to puzzle and peruse.

Freeze Frame

Caught on Camera

Selected Images of the Day from the-scientist.com

Notebook

Boosting Plants’ Uptake of Vitamins and Minerals

With genetic tweaks, researchers can coax corn and other cereals to take in more iron, but sometimes the plants rebel.

A Keen Sense of Smell Appears to Go Hand in Hand with Spatial Memory

Authors of a small study say the two abilities likely evolved in tandem.

An Algorithm to Predict the Age of Your Lab Mice

Researchers develop an app that can estimate the biological age of a rodent from its mug shot—and could give a boost to the science of human aging in the process.

Clues to How Ancient Plants Handled Fungal Pests

In plants ranging from liverworts to wheat, parasitic water molds build intracellular structures analogous to the nutrient-exchanging structures of symbiotic fungi.

Critic at Large

Opinion: GE Crops Are Seen Through a Warped Lens

Risks that pertain to all manner of new crops are often misattributed to genetic engineering. This distorts the public’s view of the technology.

Modus Operandi

Better Base Editing in Plants

Adenine editing enzymes have been adapted for use in plants.

The Literature

Molecules Found in Ginger Remodel the Microbiome

Small RNA-containing particles in ginger root are found to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria and alleviate colitis in mouse guts.

Bacteria Use Plants’ Trick to Take Their Iron

Pathogens appear to steal the metal from plants using the erratic motion of microscopic particles.

Presence of Bacterial Pathogen Blocks Arabidopsis Germination

A compound produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa activates signaling pathways that prevent seeds from growing in unfavorable environments.

Profile

Perennial Explorer: A Profile of Neelima Sinha

This University of California, Davis, botanist studies the genes that regulate plant anatomy.

Scientist to Watch

Zach Lippman Susses Out How Gene Regulation Affects Plant Phenotypes

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory researcher is fueled by curiosity about how one species’ genome can produce a wide variety of traits.

Lab Tools

Mapping the Cellular Social Network of Proteins

Three techniques capture data on numerous protein interactions in plants, mice, and human cells.

Bio Business

Companies Use CRISPR to Improve Crops

The agritech industry is editing plant genomes to feed a growing population, expand the produce aisle, and make tastier, more convenient food products.