News & Comment

Members of a lab often have a varied language background. This rich language diversity leads to lab dynamics that take mindful handling.

It takes juggling expertise to be an academic and a parent.

It’s a creative, perhaps wild and sometimes challenging encounter. But some labs make a habit of inviting artists in.

In academia, job-hunting couples can face difficult two-body challenges. But many universities offer options.

Many scientists are active on social media, especially Twitter. The social media world is changing, but these researchers want to stay socially connected.

Planaria are a group of worms within the phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms). Many species, including Schmidtea mediterranea, have the ability to regenerate their body from small pieces of tissue and are easy to keep in the laboratory, which makes them a prime model system for studying whole-body regeneration.

Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished. —Francis Bacon

Scientists with visible and invisible disabilities take on adversity, helping themselves and others.

If you sit on the sofa for your entire life, you’re running a higher risk of getting heart disease and cancer. —Alex Honnold, American rock climber

Harvester ants live in desert grasslands and eat seeds. Colonies manage water stress by regulating foraging using olfactory interactions between outgoing and returning foragers. A long-term study in New Mexico shows how this collective behavior is evolving in drought conditions.

Some scientists find ways to balance their love of athleticism with research.

A naturally short-lived fish opens the gates for rapid exploration of vertebrate aging.

Jumping across silos is a tough sport. But practitioners find joy in leaving comfort zones.

Parhyale hawaiensis comes from tropical intertidal shores and mangroves. In research, it is used to explore topics ranging from embryonic development and regeneration, to tidal rhythms and environmental pollution.

Your name is on the door to your new lab. Life is getting exciting and turbulent.

To diversify science, some labs open summer doors wide to reach out to under-represented groups.

Love’s the only engine of survival. —Leonard Cohen

Tardigrades are everywhere. They’re tiny — usually under a millimeter long — and they’re mostly transparent, so they’re easy to miss. But you probably walk by them every day. We’ve been grooming them as emerging models for studying how body forms evolve and how biological materials can survive extreme conditions.

A blend of science, food and fun can empower well-being and new connections.

How to gauge academic culture and celebrate being an LGBT+ scientist.