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TS Digest
July 2022, Issue 2

July 2022, Issue 2 Table of Contents

This Issue

July 2022, Issue 2

Diagnosing A Mass Extinction

Is the current biodiversity crisis on par with the five biggest in Earth's history?

Dinosaur Fossil (Tyrannosaurus Rex) Found by Archaeologists

Feature

Are We in the Midst of a Sixth Mass Extinction?

Katarina Zimmer | Jul 18, 2022 | 10+ min read

Today’s extinction rates are sky-high. But scientists debate if that’s sufficient evidence to conclude that Earth is undergoing a mass extinction event—or whether that’s even a helpful designation.

The Literature

Antibiotic resistant bacteria inside a biofilm, 3D illustration. Biofilm is a community of bacteria where they aquire antibiotic resistance and communicate with each other by quorum sensing molecules

How a Bacterium Manages to Reproduce During Famine

When Caulobacter crescentus finds itself in a nutrient-poor environment, it clusters an enzyme necessary for cell division thanks to a physical phenomenon known as phase separation so it can make better use of dwindling fuel.

Infographics

Caulobacter crescentus, concentrating DivJ

Infographic: Nutrient Scarcity Drives Phase Separation in Bacteria

When the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus runs low on fuel, it can still replicate by clustering its remaining ATP around the cell division enzyme DivJ.

Illustration of creatures from today’s crisis

Infographic: A Look at the Big Five Mass Extinctions

Extinction is a natural part of life on Earth. But occasionally, extinction rates have surged far beyond usual levels, driving mass extinction events that have reshaped the trajectory of life.

Freeze Frame

A female juvenile vaquitas, photographed in 2017.

Caught on Camera

See some of the coolest images recently featured by The Scientist

Scientist to Watch

Colin Carlson Works to Predict and Prevent Viral Spillover

The Georgetown University biologist studies how climate change contributes to the emergence of new zoonotic threats.

Careers

What If Scientists Shared Their Reagents for Free?

Some researchers have decided to provide their products without financial compensation or expectations of authorship on resulting papers, prompting a flurry of new work.