Mice lived longer when they were fooled into sensing lower insulin levels than they actually had. (p. 62)

Invading viruses can trick a cell into turning off its defense mechanisms. (p. 61)

Microscopic bubbles of fat that deliver a suicide gene to tumor cells show success in treating pancreatic cancer in mice. (p. 19)

Modified mouse cells make proteins that include synthetic amino acids in addition to the 20 natural ones. (p. 30)

A gene that's active in the brain may help explain why emotional stress seems to increase a person's likelihood of getting Alzheimer's disease. (p. 13)

The life-extending effect that some animals get from calorie-restricted diets may depend on signals from the brain. (p. 414)

Artificial genes inserted into cells make RNA molecules that can perform logical computations. (p. 413)

With the help of a molecule from the rabies virus, scientists have for the first time selectively ferried a drug across the blood-brain barrier to treat a neurological disease in mice. (p. 387)

Microscopic, fluorine-packed particles can make small, cancerous growths easier to detect. (p. 398)

RNA snippets of a newly discovered type could be involved in the mechanisms of cancer. (p. 398)

A mutated gene that's overly active in breast cancer cells could offer a new target for cancer drugs. (p. 371)