News & Comment

Labs range in size, and no one size is likely to fit all. Here some researchers share their lab size experiences and preferences.

The heartbreak of losing a mentor or a colleague to illness can be part of a researcher’s life.

The green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a useful reference organism for studying photosynthesis, cilia and the cell cycle. Like many other algae, it exhibits daily rhythms in gene expression and behavior that are in sync with the rising and setting of the sun.

Science needs diversity, but barriers such as housing insecurity can hinder access to education and training. To lobby for change, students put their own experiences to work.

They started their lab mid-COVID. The new principal investigator adventure is a roller-coaster ride with some unexpected surprises.

Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry. —Richard Feynman

Originally from central Mexico and now found worldwide, the axolotl is a prominent model organism in numerous fields of research.

Some researchers have the good fortune of two academic affiliations. Sometimes these affiliations are not exactly within easy commuting distance.

Astyanax mexicanus exists in two forms: a surface form that is abundantly distributed throughout freshwater bodies in Middle America and a blind subterranean form endemic to caves in northeastern Mexico. These diverse fish populations have become a vertebrate model for investigating the genetic basis of environmental adaptation.

Everyone has their own methods to address the time-consuming and challenging task of grant-writing.

Job-hunting is never easy, and more tasks get added on for members of the LGBTQ+ community as they search for welcoming environments.

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