Mighty Miniscule RNAs

The mighty mite

storehouses of terrestrial biodiversity, but many of the more astounding species are apparent only after the closest scrutiny. Here are a few of the roughly 2000 species of mite (Arachnida: Acari) that can be found in the subtropical rainforests of Lamington National Park in southeast Queensland, Australia. The mites there range in size from 0.182 millimetres to 7 millimetres, with the minute b...

Microexons--tiny but mighty.

The landscape of alternative splicing is only beginning to unravel, and the functional consequences are often unclear. Two articles in Cell and Genome Research focus on a set of largely ignored yet highly conserved exons, microexons. These appear strongly regulated by RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and functionally modulate protein–protein interactions with strong evidence for deregulation in auti...

Cod all mighty

The importance of fish in the history of Europe, particularly in Catholic countries, and the European colonisation of North America, have been underplayed, according to a new book by University of California anthropologist, Brian Fagan. Most Americans have been traditionally schooled to believe that the European discovery and settlement of the New World arose from two events: the first voyage o...

A mighty (ochondrial) fight?

Disputes about scientific findings unfold following a well-rehearsed script. One researcher (let’s call her Dr. X) makes an intriguing new observation and manages to get it past the refereeing process of a top journal. The study is published and Dr. X happily moves on to her next project. But she is interrupted by an annoying piece of news e a report from the lab of another scientist (let’s cal...

A mighty weapon: steam sterilization.